Destination Cape Cod, MA

CAPE COD, MA

DESTINATION CAPE COD, MA

Chapin Memorial Beach. Photo: Matt Suess.

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een from the air, Cape Cod bears a startling resemblance to a flexed arm, its upraised fist being where Provincetown is perched. Approaching this arty and accepting community by land, it’s interesting to take note of the lunarlooking landscape at the tip of Cape Cod. In these very dunes the first wave of artists in 1899 set up their easels, drawn by the fabled light. Today still, artists of all ilk flock to Provincetown—to make, to rest, to connect. To catch that inimitable vibe of creativity and draw strength from, perhaps, that symbolic fist. We start our tour of Cape Cod here, in the oldest continuous art colony in America. “With the legacy we uphold, comes great responsibility,” says Christine McCarthy, executive director of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM). “Our mission is to hold true to the artists who have

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ties to the Cape and Islands.” PAAM’s recordsetting Helen Frankenthaler show last summer set a high bar for programming, yet McCarthy rises to the challenge this season with an impressive roster that includes Circa 1945: Abstract Art in the Renee & Chaim Gross Foundation Collection (July 19–September 15), a rare chance to see items in this astounding private collection outside of visiting the foundation in New York City. “I’m excited about this summer because we’re showcasing a lot of living artists in addition to the historical collections,” says McCarthy. Aptly ushering in PAAM’s heralded Secret Garden Tour (July 15), Big Fat Flowers (through July 14) features 30 local and national artists’ drawings, paintings, photographs and sculpture, all relating to the title theme. Also on view, Stephen Pace in Provincetown (July 5–September 1) features both the artist’s abstract and figurative oil paint-

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ings and watercolors, and Selections from the Pat and Nanno de Groot Collection (July 2–September 8) presents recent acquisitions gifted to PAAM, including works by Pat de Groot, Nanno de Groot, Richard Baker, Paul Bowen, Polly Burnell, Jack Pierson and Bob Thompson, among others. Many people claim that after Labor Day is the best time to visit Cape Cod—the weather’s still lovely and the crowds have thinned. PAAM will celebrate the season with Color Beyond Description (August 30–November 3), a show of watercolors by Charles Hawthorne, Hans Hofmann and Paul Resika. Additionally, through early September, dozens of one-day to week-long workshops are offered in printmaking, painting, drawing, performance art and photography, taught by local teaching artists. Year round, PAAM’s full lineup of cultural and educational programs includes concerts, film screenings,

July/August 2019

| Art New England   59