News Feed & Musings
2024 NEWS
2023 NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Former Dana-Farber CFO Karen Bird applies her skills and experience to her passion for the arts as a newly-elected member of the Manship Artists Residency’s Board of Trustees
CONTACT: Rebecca Reynolds, Executive Director, Manship Artists Residency, 978-290-8438, info@ManshipArtists.org
Gloucester, MA - Manship Artists Residency is pleased to announce the appointment of Karen Bird, Former Chief Financial Officer of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, to its Board of Trustees and as the Development Committee Chair. Bird has been a member of Manship’s Finance Committee since 2021. She brings with her a wealth of experience in non-profit development and financial management. Bird has successfully stewarded several complex organizations through periods of growth and change.
Board Chair, Jo-Ann Castano notes that “We are excited to welcome Ms. Bird to the Board of Trustees as we launch our next phase of transformative growth and create a foundation that establishes the sustainability and vibrant future of the residency. Having retired in 2021, and as a cellist herself, Ms. Bird is eager to apply her fiduciary experience and finance skills to her passion for the arts and sciences while joining her colleagues on the Board, and taking on an important and active leadership role.”
Among her many leadership roles, she has served as Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Treasurer at Dana-Farber (2015 – 2020). Her admiration for the hospital and its staff is great. Through Bird’s leadership as Chief Financial Officer for this exceptional organization, the Finance Department earned the reputation as being best-in-class.
She also fulfilled the role of primary outward facing financial executive with Harvard Medical and Public Health Schools, and other Harvard-affiliated hospitals. Bird provided staff leadership to board level committees including Finance, Investment, Audit, and Strategic Network Development; and created policies for all parties collaborating with legal counsel and staff. She successfully issued new debt and refunded debt multiple times including approximately 300M of outstanding debt during the 2008 financial crisis.
From 2015 – 2020, Bird was Executive Director of the Alliance of Freestanding Cancer Centers in the United States, a national agency that advocates before Congress, Medicare and other agencies for independent cancer centers such as the Dana Farber, City of Hope, Seattle Cancer Center, etc. to impact the provision of highest quality cancer care and research. This role allowed her to focus her financial acumen in the policy field, working with stakeholders in the government to assure quality cancer care and treatment for the sickest patients. She is currently a member of the Women’s Mental Health Leadership Council at McLean Psychiatric Hospital. In addition to her achievements as an administrator, Karen is a passionate cellist with a life-long interest in the arts. In addition to the Manship Artists Residency, she serves on the boards of the Lady Doak College Foundation in Tamil Nadu, India and the Society of Saint John the Evangelist in Cambridge, MA.
Going Native: A Workshop on Planting with Fresh Eyes
Sunday, 30 July 9:30 am
Nicholas Anderson, Cape Ann ecological land manager, and David Newsom of the Wild Yards Project share their bountiful wisdom about how to create resilient, replicable landscapes. In this hands-on workshop, we'll learn about innumerable species of native plants while discovering charismatic and ecologically beneficial combinations as we face the effects of climate change on our gardens.
Photo credit: Nicholas Anderson
The Great Marsh Concert is a celebration of a great natural treasure and the ways it sustains us and inspires us. Manship Artists Residency acknowledges the vision of Peter Van Demark of Artists for the Great Marsh, and the artists whose compositions, voices, and music will soon resonate throughout the Shalin Liu Performance Center.
This concert is the culmination of a year-long residency by Manship Artists LJ White, who was selected from 56 composers who had applied for the opportunity to create a choral piece for youth voices. We are grateful to poet Caroline Harvey for her collaboration with LJ White in writing the libretto, to Robert Bradshaw for sharing the premiere of his new composition and video of the Great Marsh with us, and to Robert Honstein for allowing us to present his string quartet as part of the larger concert, which will be recorded.
Although the concert is sold out, a video and audio recording will be made to capture this special event and to share with the public soon. Many thanks to the patrons and sponsors who made this all possible.
Concert program flip book.
Photo credit: Robert Bradshaw
This is your opportunity to be a patron of the arts!!
Manship Artists Tsar Fedorsky and Marc Zegans
collaborated on a hybrid residency in 2020 as a creative way to overcome Zegans
inability to travel from California to Massachusetts during the pandemic.
Their collaboration has resulted in a book:
- Stone, Ghost, Life: A Ghost Residency -
This limited-edition fine art opus will feature Tsar's photographs, an introduction by Marc discussing the ghost residency, and an essay by Dr. Samantha Harvey, describing her stay at the Manship residence and her research into the 1918 Great Influenza pandemic, and its connections to the ghost project.
You can be a part of bringing the book to print by pre-ordering your signed copy. Fine art, archival prints and silver gelatin signed photographs are also offered as a way to invest in this project and add to your collection of art.
The edition is limited to ONLY 100 books!
Don't miss your chance to participate in a pre-launch kickstarter campaign.
Sign up now to be able to collect your own copy of their fine art book.
https://www.tsarphoto.com/ghost-residency-1
2022 NEWS
Writing Workshop
Saturday, October 1, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm.
Manship Artist Charles Coe will offer a workshop consisting of writing prompts and exercises, and discussions about various aspects of writing. This event is for poets and prose writers, both experienced and not-so-experienced. Please join him for an enjoyable, relaxed, and informative session that will leave you with fresh inspiration and new writing tools.
Charles is the author of three books of poetry: All Sins Forgiven: Poems for my Parents, Picnic on the Moon, and Memento Mori, all published by Leapfrog Press. He is also the author of Spin Cycles, a novella published by Gemma Media. Charles has been selected as a Boston Literary Light by the Associates of the Boston Public Library.
Charles is an adjunct professor of English at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island, and Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, teaching in both MFA writing programs.
For directions and advanced registration visit this link.
All proceeds support the Manship Artists Residency.
Open Saturdays & Sundays, October 1, 2, 8, 9, 15 + 16, from 1 - 4 pm.
Manship Artists Residency will exhibit early commercial work, as well as landscapes, still lives, and portraits completed during her career as one of Cape Ann's most accomplished painters and beloved teachers. The exhibition will be installed in the Manship Studio with proceeds to benefit a residency for a watercolor artist in her memory. A reception for family, friends, and the public will take place on Saturday, October 8 from 4-6 pm.
Tree House Charlatans Perform @ STARFIELD. POSTPONED…..STAY TUNED for updates.
Hailing from the backwoods of Lanesville, The Tree House Charlatans offer a mix of folk, pop, and bluegrass with a family-friendly vibe. The band features the great-grandson of the artist who established STARFIELD, Matthew Natti. Come hear Natti play the didgeridoo, saw, washboard, and kazoo; alongside Miranda Aisling (Manship Artist 2019) on guitar and piano; Alex MacLeod on banjo, guitar, fiddle, and dobro; Chris Wagner on guitar and piano; and Matt Lefebvre on upright bass. .
(Photo courtesy of the Cape Ann Museum)
PAST EVENTS….
Arpeggione Ensemble will prepare for their debut season with a residency at the Manship Artists Residency before presenting their first concert entitled Planting New Roots. Celebrate a new beginning with Arpeggione while reveling in works by Joseph Bologne, Mozart, Crusell, Reicha, and Meyerbeer in their inaugural live performance.
The concert will be followed by a reception and an opportunity to meet the musicians and to enjoy the company of fellow chamber music lovers.
$75 Admission, includes reception
Clockwise from top left, : Susanna Ogata on violin, Thomas Carroll on clarinet with Andrea LeBlanc on flute, Lauren Nelson on viola, Emily Hale on violin, and Jacques Lee Wood on cello.
Sunday, August 28, 6-8 p.m.
The Stan Strickland Quartet will begin performing at 6:30 pm.
Guests are welcome to arrive at 6:00 pm.
Stan Strickland will perform with his band: Russell Hoffman on piano, Ron Mahdi on bass, and Jon Hazilla on drums.
General Admission $30
Between Two Quarries
Saturday, August 27, 3-5 p.m.
Tune In with Helena Froehlich + Stan Strickland @ Starfield
A performance and inclusive exploration to honor the land where the Manship Artists Residency is located, as we share our joy in coming together.
Helena and Stan will explore and move through the landscape @ Starfield during their performance. Guests are invited to follow along as you are willing and able. Seating will be available along the path and at the finale site. The ground is uneven. Please wear comfortable shoes for walking around. Starfield Safety Rules.
Suggested donation $25
LINK TO IMAGES from CODA @ the CABOT
Manship Artists Residency is honored and excited to host a screening of CODA, Best Movie of 2022 at the Cabot. There will be a cocktail reception before the film and a sign+talk back afterwards with Best Supporting Actor Troy Kotsur, Best Adaptive Screenplay Writer Sian Heder, Actor Daniel Durant, and Oscar- and Emmy-nominated Producer Sarah Green and Gloucester native Sarah Green, who will moderate the conversation.
SPONSORS: Anonymous, Kyndl, Coleen Fitzgibbon + Dave Comb, Bank Gloucester, Neptune’s Harvest, Jane Deering Gallery, Atlantic Vacation Homes, Kristen Wainwright, Judith + Harry Hoglander
June 22. 6:45 - 8:45 pm
Program change:
The Summer Night Sky Over Cape Ann
Location: Starfield
Richard Leucke of the Gloucester Area Astronomy Club will present an INDOOR presentation for a special night of star gazing in the Manship parlor!
July 1. 8:00 - 9:30 pm
Meet the Manship Fireflies
with Dr. Chris Cratsley, Firefly Watch Pro consultant
Location: Starfield
A behind the bushes look at where the Manship fireflies stage their flashy courtship dance. Come learn how you can contribute to a critical national effort to monitor firefly populations.
July 2. 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Firefly Family Fun:
The Whats, Where and Whys of Fireflies
Location: The Lanesville Community Center
Including a bug scavenger hunt, children's book readings, firefly signaling device and art project. Presented in partnership with the Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage, Lanesville Community Center, Fitchburg State University, and Mass Audubon's Firefly Watch program. For families with 3 - 12 year olds.
July 6. 5:00 - 7:00 pm
The Wild We Make:
Planting a More Biodiverse, Just, and Resilient World
Location: The Lanesville Community Center
Learn how to create a beneficial habitat garden in this workshop with David Newsom, Wild Yards Project founder and Nick Anderson, a Native Plants specialist.
FOR SUMMER 2022
2021 NEWS
September - November 2021 Exhibition
a NOCTURNAL exhibition
Boston Sculptors Gallery @ Manship’s Starfield
N.B. Space is limited due to parking restrictions and the coronavirus. Although there is no charge to attend, if you do not come, you will be “costing” someone else an opportunity to attend the exhibition! Please register only if you are definitely planning to come. Many thanks for your courtesy!!
BARN STUDIO EXHIBITIONS by MANSHIP ARTISTS:
Patterns of Play, Paintings by Miranda Aisling
Tiny Art for Tiny Houses, Sculptures by Ken Riaf
OPEN WEEKENDS - October 9 - November 7, 5:30 pm UNTIL Sunset (6:30 pm). INDOOR art exhibition of Manship Artists Miranda Aisling + Ken Riaf
Reserve your spot — SATURDAY HOURS
Reserve your spot — SUNDAY HOURS
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE - Sunday, October 24, 5:30-6:30 pm
MASKS ARE REQUIRED TO ENTER THE BARN STUDIO
ALight on MARS - EVENTS
OPEN WEEKENDS - Saturdays and Sundays - September 25 to October 24, after Sunset - 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Wednesday, October 13, 6:30 pm -- Dark-Night Sky Viewing with Gloucester Area Astronomy Club.
POSTPONED UNTIL SPRING-- Light in FLight -- A participatory, community-based public performance on light-decorated bicycles developed by public artist and Manship Artists Founding Board Member Mags Harries. STAY TUNED!
Thursday, October 21, 7:00 - 8:15 pm -- Virtual Online Talk. The Lightning Bug and the Lightening: Fireflies Need Dark Skies. Entomologist Avalon Owens shares her findings about the impact of artificial light on fireflies.
Why do fireflies flash? Because they want to be seen! But their unique bioluminescent courtship signals can be obscured by street lamps, house lights, and other sources of nighttime light pollution — and if we’re not careful, our lights might extinguish theirs forever. Learn more about the total impact of light pollution on firefly reproduction, and methods whereby fireflies, moths, and other essential members of the nocturnal ecosystem can continue to coexist with humans on this increasingly urbanized planet.
Avalon Owens is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Biology at Tufts University, where she studies the impact of light pollution on North American fireflies. She earned her Masters degree in Entomology from National Taiwan University, and her B.A. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University. She is graduating in spring 2022 and in the market for post-doc opportunities!
LINK TO TICKETS for Online Firefly Talk with Entomologist Avalon Owens
Sunday, October 24, 5:30 - 6:30 pm -- Celebration with a musical performance by Manship Artist Miranda Aisling.
LINK TO TICKETS for Manship Artist Miranda Aisling’s musical performance
With our sincerest thanks
The Manship Artists Residency’s firefly-related programming and events are supported by The Manship Artists’ Prometheus Circle of donors and with grants from Applied Materials Foundation and New England Biolabs Foundation; as well as by Cape Ann Tree Service; and the Local Cultural Councils of Gloucester, Rockport, Hamilton-Wenham and Beverly; programs of and funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Special assistance and support also was provided by H Wolfe, Deborah Brown, and The Roth Family + Applewood Enterprises.
ALight on MARS - PAST EVENTS
POSTPONED UNTIL SUNDAY! Due to anticipated thundershowers, the premieres will take place on Sunday, September 26 at 6:30 pm.
Attendance is at capacity; however, some reservations may be cancelled. LINK to WAITING LIST sign up.
Saturday, September 25, at Sunset, 6:30-8:30 pm -- The premiere of two dance performance pieces - one virtual and one live -- including Prism, a performance piece for movement, sound, and light with dancers Sarah Slifer Swift and Molly Rose Tupper; music by Steve Lacey and lighting design by Joshua Lentini. Prism was created collaboratively between the performers, creating a composition-as-cosmology full of energy and emptiness, light and dark. Manship Artist Will Pappenheimer will also present the premiere of Starry Interpose, a collaboration with MAGMA director Sarah Slifer Swift, which references Paul Manship’s sculpture. Pappenheimer created an augmented reality (AR) artwork from digital motion captures of Swift dancing. With selected poses of Paul Manship’s figure sculptures enacted in sequence, Swift’s choreography explores the in-between transitions, suggesting the flip side of the idealism associated with neoclassical sculpture poses. The work can be seen through the cell phones of the public audience. For the event the audience is invited to bring their own cell phones and encouraged to download the application Hoverlay in advance of arrival. Once in the area of the Manship property participants can launch the work on their phones through the link: https://hoverlay.io/space/h390. Rain Date: Sunday, September 26. SPACE IS LIMITED. ADVANCE RESERVATION REQUIRED FOR free TICKETED ENTRY. The event is sponsored by Applied Materials Foundation and the Local Cultural Councils of Gloucester, Rockport, Hamilton-Wenham and Beverly; programs of and funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
LINK TO STARRY INTERPOSES SKETCH: https://youtu.be/msbz_-JP4vA
Rain Date: Sunday, September 26.
Saturday, October 2, 6:00-8:00 pm -- Opening reception with the Boston Sculptors Gallery Artists. Rain Date: Sunday, October 3. SOLD OUT! Attendance is at capacity. Reserve your spot for another evening!
To learn more, click on this link — https://manshipartists.org/prometheus-circle-event-2021
ART WORK by DAN JAY and VANESSA MICHALAK are currently installed in the Barn Studio. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.
The Manship Residency is not just for artists ...
it's also for FIREFLIES!
Paul Manship respected the fact that the fireflies were here before he was! Manship did not mow the Starfield meadow until the end of July so that the fireflies natural habitat would not be disturbed. Manship knew he had to give the fireflies enough time to go through their life cycle and to have an opportunity to attract their mates.
In honor of our native fireflies and our desire to restore their once robust communities on Cape Ann, the Manship Residency is declaring 2021 a YEAR OF LIGHT, and will be offering programming around this theme. This includes a Fall sculpture exhibition of work by members of the Boston Sculptors Gallery and complimentary programming. Manship also will partner with the Gloucester Area Astronomy Club and look up to the night skies -- without the dark, there can be no light!
We invite you to watch the video recording of this presentation
and help us start celebrating and taking action as we learn more about
the secret life of fireflies.
LINK TO VIDEO RECORDING OF PROGRAM
Manship Artists Residency + Studios IN THE NEWS….
100 Artists find inspiration at Manship during pandemic, Gloucester Daily Times article by GAIL McCARTHY, February 22, 2021 LINK
Manship Artists Residency + Studios responded to the CoViD crisis by supporting its creative community and offering opportunities for local artists to visit the site and seek their muse, to restore their art spirit and, if inspired, to produce work. This virtual exhibition includes work by 57 of the 82 artists who participated in Outside @ Manship in 2020. We are immensely grateful to them for sharing their work with us. Check back here on Thursday, January 14 @ 6:30 pm to attend the public launch of the website with our special guest Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken and participating artists.
2020 NEWS
Can We Talk?
The conversation between author, journalist and climate activist Bina Venkataraman and Christopher Lydon, revered host of WBUR and NPR’s “The Connection” and “Open Source” took place before a full-house at the Shalin Liu Performance Center – shortly before COVID-19 ended all gatherings. Manship Artists is grateful to Ken Kinna of B-Roll Films who filmed the event - you can watch the interview highlights here.
The conversation takes an almost Socratic form, with Lydon questioning Venkataraman’s decision to remain optimistic despite all the current threats to our existence. Lydon’s is the voice of all of us who feel helpless in the face of global threats like the Corona Virus and climate change. He asks Venkataraman how she can justify her optimism in what she acknowledges is a “reckless age.” Drawing on her recent book, The Optimist’s Telescope, she cites examples, drawn from many parts of the world, of disasters averted by forward-thinking individuals and communities. Her optimism stems from her belief that we can still choose to do better if we learn to think ahead.
The message - and challenge - that Venkataraman poses for us is to think of ourselves, no matter how old – or young – we are, as ancestors as well as descendants – to ask ourselves what is it that we, as individuals and as communities, will leave to those who come after us. It is a dare worth taking.
This program was funded by the Prometheus Circle, a donor-giving society of the Manship Artists Residency + Studios. Manship Artists is also grateful to the following who helped in many ways: Tony Beadle, Rockport Music; Ken Kinna, B-Roll Films; Gail McCarthy, The Gloucester Daily Times; Rick Moore, Connections Podcast; Stephen Bridges, Bridges Design; Esther and Chris Pullman; Mary and Harry Hintlian; 1623 Studios; Arwen Severance + Charlee Bianchini, The Bookstore of Gloucester; Tzar Fedorsky.
2019 NEWS
a collaboration with community partner gloucester stage…
November 23, 24, 30 & December 1
~ Too Fat for China ~ Manship Artist Phoebe Potts presents the world premiere of her one woman show - Too Fat for China, a comic look at the agency of adoption, - at the Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA. With humor and irreverence, Potts tells the story of a road to motherhood that is paved with hope, heartbreak, second mortgages and bottomless questions about race and what makes a family. Phoebe was the 2018 Gloucester Writers Center Storyteller in Residence. Learn more and purchase tickets - click here.
Willie’s exhibition was a great success! About 150 people came to the opening and, over the course of the exhibition, he sold ten paintings and two collages!
Special thanks to photographer Kathy Chapman for documenting the exhibition! If you missed the show or want to go back there, you can access the slide show here.
Manship Artists Residency + Studios was recognized as a 2019 FINALIST for the
COMMONWEALTH AWARD by the Mass Cultural Council on April 8 - exactly 75 years to the day since Manship first purchased the 15 acres where he would establish his summer estate of Starfield!
Courtesy photo: Daria Bishop
Artistic life on Cape Ann keeps adding more interesting facets. This month, the first guest artists will stay at the Manship Artists Residency & Studios. Author and public policy expert Bina Venkataraman, along with painter Andrew Fish, will come to the former home and studios of two generations of artists — John, Paul and Margaret Cassidy Manship — to live and work…. Link to April 30, 2019 article by Keith Powers, Wicked Local
2018 NEWS
Come along for an insightful look into the artistic process and be charmed by the visions of two of our leading photographers, Justin Kimball and Abelardo Morrel. Click here to learn more.
Journey to MARS with Jared Bowen
Log on to Open Studio program and take a journey with Jared from Starfield to MARS. The program will feature Executive Director Judith Dolkart in the Addison Gallery exhibition highlighted below, as well as background on the Manship historic site with MARS Founder, Rebecca Reynolds.
MARS and the Addison Gallery at Philips Academy in Andover have collaborated on MARS’ first cohort of visiting artists fellows. Four photographers - Barbara Bosworth, S. Billie Mandle, Justin Kimball, and Abelardo Morrel - created work inspired by their explorations of the buildings, grounds, and archives on site. The Addison is hosting an exhibition of their creative output, along with Manship’s sculpture from September 15-January 20. To learn more, click here.
ANITA WALKER, Executive Director of the Mass Cultural Council, visited the Manship Artists Residency + Studios to welcome Paul Manship's daughter, Elizabeth "Chou Chou" Manship Solomon back to the home and to remind us of how important the work is that we are doing!
Left to right: Geoffrey Richon, Andy Innes, Elizabeth "Chou Chou" Solomon, Anita Walker, Rebecca Reynolds
Diane KW and Patty Rosenblatt working in the Manship kitchen.
First Visiting Artist Fellow: Diane KW
On wintry weekends in 2017, Diane KW and her assistant camped in the kitchen of the unrestored Manship home, scanning images from the artist’s sketchbooks and notebooks. These she used to create “Immortal Mortals.”
She chose six plates from the Manship family china collection as her canvas, aiming to create work that would reflect both the man and his art. Scans were converted into glaze decals and fired onto the plates in an electric kiln. This technique is akin to that she used to create the mural “Strong Breezes and Passing Clouds” for the Cape Ann Museum.
Printed in the centers of the white plates are scenes of heroic moments in French history. Diane’s additions include images of Manship sculptures inspired by mythology, and of one of Manship’s own heroes, JFK, shown in profile on the fifty-cent coin.
A subtle palette of greyed blues and greens invests the plates with dynamism, beauty and depth. Wry juxtapositions add sly humor to the work in a way that Manship would likely have enjoyed.
Diane transforms these ordinary objects into works of art that transcend antiquity, Manship’s era and our own. Here, art is the vehicle through which mortals become immortal.
- Patty Rosenblatt, Special Advisor to MARS
Diane KW Photo credit: Jo-Ann Castano
The Immortal Mortals
Series of 6 plates
Artist Statement
The Rockefeller Plaza with its grand Prometheus statue was a significant part of my 15 years living in Manhattan - from sitting at a café in the summer with a view of Prometheus, to watching the ice-skaters on the plaza and gazing at the beautiful Christmas tree and decorations. Decades later, I toured the Manship estate and found a house full of china and documents from the lives of the Manship Family. As a ceramic-based artist, I wanted to connect the home of the Manships to the artistic accomplishments, the person to the artist, the grand to the everyday object. With this in mind, I chose a set of 6 plates from the china collection and images of some of the art and sculptures the Paul Manship created, some of which had been previously installed on the grounds of the estate. Ceramic transfers with food-safe inks were produced from the scanned images and applied to each plate. Each plate was then fired in an electric kiln to permanently adhere them to the plate. The intent in the arrangement of the images on the plates was to be partly historical, partly allegorical, with a hint of humor added.
Special thanks to Patty Rosenblatt who helped scan the extensive number of images and documents in the Manship archives and to Jo-Ann Castano who photo-documented our days in the archives.
The artist has offered these works to raise funds for the Manship Project.
If you are interested in one or more plates, please contact Info@ManshipArtists.org.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Artist, Diane KW
QUARRY DANCE Vll
The Manship Artists Residency + Studios (MARS) is partnering with Windhover Performing Arts Center to host Quarry Dance VII, the popular Cape Ann summer event, at Canney’s Pit in Lanesville, Gloucester, MA.
Performances are:
Friday, July 27th at 5:30pm
Saturday, July 28th at 11:00am and 5:30pm
Sunday, July 29th at 1:00pm.
Windhover Performing Arts Center has presented dynamic and exciting Quarry Dances at various quarries located throughout the Cape Ann area for the past six years. This year, Windhover teams up with MARS to present Quarry Dance Vll on the grounds of the late renowned American sculptor Paul Manship. This 15+ acre site features two pristine, private quarries, (Canney’s Pit and Butman’s Pit, aka “Manship Quarry”), several studios and a historic 1856 barn.
As in previous years, the Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre will create a site-specific modern dance in and around Canney’s Pit, the larger private quarry on the site that features ledges, cliffs, and stunning views. Continuing the legacy of working artists on Cape Ann, this event will capture movements derived from Paul Manship’s mythic sculptures, which move and flow like Greek sculpture. Images of Manship’s works will be on view, inspiring the dance. Perhaps his best known work is the Prometheus sculpture at the entrance to Rockefeller Center, located by the skating rink. Quarry Dance Vll will open with Sarah Slifer Swift reprising a solo performance of Prometheus, a dance choreographed by the late Ina Hahn. The piece was inspired by Manship's sculpture of the Titan who brought fire to man. Ms. Swift is the founder of MAGMA - Movement Arts Gloucester MAssachusetts - a dance and performance center located in downtown Gloucester.
Performances of Quarry Dance Vll are free and open to the public. Donations are strongly suggested. No reservations are necessary, however all performances are weather dependent. If there is rain, that performance will be cancelled. The duration of each performance is approximately one hour and fifteen minutes.
Parking has been arranged at the Lanesville Community Center at 8 Vulcan Street, Gloucester for all four performances. It is a short walk from the Lanesville Community Center to the Manship (MARS) estate on Leverett Street.
There is also parking available at St Paul Lutheran Church at 1123 Washington Street on Friday late afternoon, Saturday late afternoon and Sunday. And the Orthodox Congregational Church at 1120 Washington Street allows parking on Friday late afternoon, Saturday morning and Saturday late afternoon, but not on Sunday.
Volunteers will usher the way for those on foot. Shuttle service will be available 45 minutes before each performance and afterwards for those who do not want to walk, starting and concluding at the Lanesville Community Center.
Seating is on a first-come first-served basis. Chairs will be provided; however you are encouraged to bring blankets and sit on the ground in front of the quarry. Feel free to bring water. Space is limited, and seats cannot be reserved.
For further information, please check the Windhover website at www.windhover.org and the MARS website at www.manshipartists.org
Both organizations are non-profit 501©3 and contributions are tax deductible.
Major funding has been made possible for Quarry Dance Vll by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation, the primary sponsor, plus the Rockport and Gloucester Cultural Councils.
For questions, please contact MARS board president, Rebecca Reynolds, at info@ManshipArtists.org or 978-290-8438 OR Windhover’s Executive Director Lisa Hahn at windhover@verizon.net or call 978-546-3611.
(photo: Quarry Dance Vl at Flat Ledge Quarry 2017)
Dorothy Cheng, Lunder Conservation Fellow, Smithsonian American Art Museum @ the Manship Artists Residency + Studios
The Smithsonian Makes a Mission to MARS
For three days this winter, Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) Conservation Fellow Dorothy Cheng came to the Manship Artists Residency + Studios (MARS) to flesh out what is known about how Paul Manship worked and what he was like as a person. Although Manship bequeathed one of the largest collections of his work to the Smithsonian, Cheng and her colleagues believed there was more to learn about him from a visit to his home and studio.
“I really wanted to immerse myself in information that I couldn’t get from just being in the conservation lab and reading articles about him…I wanted to get a clearer picture of who he was as an artist and of his working process. I wanted to look at everything…to get my hands on more primary source material.”
Art conservators are detectives. They scrutinize objects carefully and document their findings in writing and in photographs. Their goal is to stabilize the condition of the works they see while preserving the intent of the maker. Dorothy Cheng is a metals expert. She employs sophisticated technology to identify the materials used in making or finishing works like Manship’s bronzes. X-ray fluorescence identifies the elements that make up metal objects and reveals the components of patinas. X-rays expose the internal structures that support sculptures. Cheng used these techniques and others to “get inside” his fabrication processes.
Manship was a well-trained sculptor. He was skilled in casting plaster and formulating patinas as well as in drawing and modeling his pieces. In the Lanesville archives, Cheng found letters from Bruno Bearzi, a major Italian bronze founder praising his abilities. Most of his contemporaries relied on the highly skilled artisans at the foundries to cast and patina their work. In contrast, Manship appears to have been particularly involved in the making and finishing of his bronzes, even recording recipes of patinas that he liked in his journals. Cheng found that he often mixed and applied the patinas to a number of small works that were cast directly from quick “sketches” that he made in wax. His letters also reveal that he took pains to be sure that his work was crafted to last for generations.
“Nothing in excess, not even moderation,” reads a Latin quote in one of Manship’s journals from 1933. Beneath it is another Latin aphorism, “Outwardly conforming, inwardly free.” Finding these journal entries revealed to Dorothy a side of his personality not found in scholarly articles. Cheng describes the discovery of this side of Manship as the “aha!” moment of her stay. Some other special finds are the small bronze cherubs which Cheng is seen photographing here. These latter figures once adorned the balcony that overlooked the dining room of his New York home. They are doing the Charleston!
Manship incorporated several elements from his New York residence into the plan for his Lanesville property, which was designed for pleasure as well as work. The place reveals his playfulness. Here, in the house and on the grounds, he hosted parties and musical soirees and invited friends and neighbors to them. Coming to Lanesville was about work, but it was also about escaping from the pressures of city life, about being in community with other artists and about being able to enjoy “Nothing in excess, not even moderation.”
- Patty Rosenblatt, Special Advisor to MARS
Link to full interview Photo credits: Jo-Ann Castano
Nick Repoli/Courtesy photo Dancers, from left, Alexandra Berger, Samuel Swanton, Emily Gayeski, Nicholas Wagner and Elisa Osborne, all are members of Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre, perform an early Quarry Dance at Halibut Point State Park. The troupe will perform Quarry Dance 7 this summer at the Manship Quarry in Gloucester during its stay at Windhover Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport.
From the Gloucester Daily Times, January 2, 2018
ROCKPORT — A local dance venue has announced plans for the some plans for the new year as it seeks support for its programs.
"We have exciting plans for this next summer of 2018," said Lisa Hahn, executive director of the Windhover Center for the Performing Arts, in an email. Hahn's mother, the late dancer and choreographer Ina Hahn, founded Windhover in Rockport with her husband.
Windhover, 257 Granite St., will host the return to Cape Ann of the Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company, Hahn said. This will be a third summer residency in Rockport for Taylor 2, the Paul Taylor Dance Company's "chamber sized" touring company. Paul Taylor is the last living legend of a generation of American pioneers who invented modern dance one bare foot leap, lunge and levitation at a time.
"The entire Taylor 2 company will be in residence to perform Taylor repertory, teach master classes, and engage in some community-based programs such as open rehearsals and exchanges of ideas about dance in today’s world," Hahn said.
Also returning to Windhover will be the Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre, which will teach a week-long dance intensive for teenagers in July. This will be followed by the troupe's free public performance in Quarry Dance 7 at the Manship Quarry in the Lanesville section of Gloucester. Paul Manship was a 19th century American sculptor who settled on Cape Ann and purchased a home and studio on the site of two quarries in Lanesville. This 15-acre site is a non-profit retreat for artists, and Dušan Týnek's Quarry Dance 7 will highlight the terraces and grounds, the historic barn, granite garden and the twin quarries.
"Parking has been arranged at the Lanesville Community Center nearby, so the quarry dance plans are in place quite early this year," Hahn said.
Link to article.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS - July 27, 28, and 29.
2017 NEWS
Culture leaders stopping in city
Economic opportunities, grant offers focus of visit
By Ray Lamont Staff Writer, Gloucester Times, Nov 24, 2017
A tour of Massachusetts cultural hubs involving state and local cultural officials and lawmakers will stop in Gloucester on Monday.
The group plans to make artists, schools and organizations aware of potential new grant funding, and to outline the state’s latest initiatives to convert cultural resources into economic development dollars.
Anita Walker, executive director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, is expected to be joined by other MCC members and by state Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr and Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, both of Gloucester, said Jo-Ann Castano, board vice president of Gloucester’s nonprofit Manship Artists Residency and Studios. The program is set for 10 a.m. Monday at the Rocky Neck Cultural Center at 6 Wonson St.
Karen Ristuben, president of the host Rocky Neck Art Colony and Rocky Neck Cultural District will also participate in the event, which is free to the public. The Rocky Neck district is one of two within the city and one of the first to gain the cultural district designation when the state launched the program in 2010. The list of 43 cultural districts now recognized across the state includes the Harbortown District that covers much of downtown Gloucester, the Rockport Cultural District — also recognized in the first wave in 2010 — and the Essex River Cultural District, which gained its designation in 2011.
“I think it’s wonderful that they’re coming to Gloucester,” said Castano, whose organization purchased the Lanesville property once held by noted sculptor Paul Manship to restore and utilize as a residence for artists. The property, at 10 Leverett St. adjacent to a pair of quarries, was secured through a $207,000 facilities matching grant from the cultural council. Manship Artists Residency and Studios closed on the deal with a Manship family trust earlier this fall.
“They have always been dedicated to supporting Gloucester and all of the initiatives going on here,” Castano said of the cultural council, “and they clearly appreciate all we have to offer. I’ll be excited to see what initiatives they want to look at now and in the future.”
An iconic Cape Ann treasure returns to Gloucester
Folly Cove Designer's
Acorn Press
acquired by MARS!
Local school kids studying the Folly Cove Designers will have a chance to create work on the press with O'Maley art teacher Brett Dunton and after school programming will allow others to use it as well!
Eino Natti with his Acorn Press
The backstory behind this significant acquisition:
Paul Manship's great-granddaughter and MARS board member, Diana Natti Theriault
shares her great pleasure in realizing this dream.
Thanks to a very generous donor, MARS has been able to purchase an historic Folly Cove Designer Acorn Press that had been a local cultural icon at Rockport’s Whistlestop Mall since the mid-1970’s.
The early nineteenth century handpress belonged to Eino Natti, a member of the celebrated Folly Cove Designers. Eino used the press to print his own designs in his home at 1142 Washington Street - just across the road from the Manship property in Lanesville. Eino was my grandfather’s brother and 1142 had been the home of my great-grandparents.
Eventually this Acorn Press passed along to the youngest Folly Cove Designer, Sarah Elizabeth Holloran, who opened her shop in Rockport in 1974. When Sarah Elizabeth, or “Libby” as she was known, got older and needed assistance printing, my father’s sister, Isabel Natti, joined her and eventually took over the shop.
Anyone who ever had the thrill of setting foot in that tiny little shop at Whistlestop Mall, filled with the smell of linoleum and ink, will certainly remember Isabel’s smiling face, and the joy she took in creating block prints, and educating anyone who would listen about the process of handpress printing and it’s rich history here on Cape Ann.
Upon Isabel's death, Julia Garrison, a wonderful artist with Lanesville ties, bought the press, and began working out of the Sarah Elizabeth Shop, continuing both the legacy of the Folly Cove Designers, offering visitors history lessons, and creating new work. Recently, however, Julia has begun a new chapter in her life, and decided to close the shop and sell the press.
It was always my hope that the press could become part of the Manship Project, since it embodies all that MARS aims to be. The press preserves our local heritage and allows us to continue this tradition in our community with contemporary artists. Having this press will give us a strong connection to the Folly Cove Designers, and will provide local and visiting artists opportunities to explore the creative potential of this mechanical workhorse. This press can also be the center around which future programming will evolve, including artist talks, educational events and workshops, and collaborations with local organizations, such as the O'Maley Middle School where a curriculum developed by the Cape Ann Museum is already in place already introduces the Folly Cove Designers to eighth-grade school kids.
Isabel Natti at her Acorn Press, which had been her uncle's
But, perhaps an even more important connection for me is that this specific press was used by Paul Manship's favorite, doted upon grand-daughter Isabel Natti. As I mentioned earlier, Isabel was my aunt; she was also Margaret Cassidy and John Manship’s niece and neighbor. This press will create a living memory of the Folly Cove Designers and my aunt Isabel, who was a truly gifted artist in her own right and a muse to many other artists that live and work on Cape Ann.
Having Eino and Isabel’s press become part of the Manship project, seems to be a fitting tribute to members of my family who were among the Finns of Lanesville. Isabel was one of the most powerful and memorable women I will ever know and she dedicated herself to conserving and championing the artistic legacy of Cape Ann. I am so grateful that we have the good fortune to preserve this piece of her, and I know she would have been happy that a new generation of artists will be able to find inspiration with this press.
There are several people we need to thank for making this happen:
First, I want to acknowledge the anonymous donor who cared deeply for Isabel and who saved the press for our community as a way of honoring Isabel.
Julia Garrison and Mary Rhinelander recognized the importance of keeping this press in our community and offered their guidance and advice.
Jocelyn Pierce of Mayflour Confections was most gracious and patient as we figured out how to safely move this incredibly heavy treasure - Jocelyn had taken over the former Sarah Elizabeth space and had to delay the opening of her shop for over a week. Please stop by her new coffee and pastry shop and let Jocelyn know you are grateful, too!!
We are most grateful to Geoff Richon and Bill Van Stight for taking up the challenge of moving the press for us - no easy task!!
And it was our Mayor who suggested that the press go to the O'Maley Middle School when we asked her where we might find a temporary home for the press in the community until an appropriate studio could be prepared at the Manship property. Many thanks, Mayor Sefatia, for finding this perfect opportunity for all of us!
Diana Natti Theriault
Great-granddaughter of Paul Manship
Board Member, MARS
TO LEARN MORE, VISIT THESE LINKS:
More Info on the Folly Cove Designers at the Cape Ann Museum
Boston.com article on the Sarah Elizabeth Shop by Regina Cole
Red Dory Productions on Folly Cove Designer founder Virginia Lee Burton
Andrea Holbrook / Staff photo. Paul Manship’s “Pronghorn Antelope,” modeled in 1917, located outside the Museum of Fine Arts Boston’s Fenway entrance.
Group buys, plans art residency for sculptor's estate
By Gail McCarthy Staff Writer, Gloucester Daily Times
22 September 2017
A recent real estate purchase by a local nonprofit organization marks a step forward in the cultural development of Cape Ann.
Manship Artist Residence and Studios Inc. (MARS) purchased more than 15 wooded acres, nestled between two quarries, in Lanesville, to preserve the idyllic property of sculptor Paul Manship (1885-1966). Manship may be best known for the golden Prometheus fountain at New York City’s Rockefeller Center.
This development represents another example of the many efforts to preserve and celebrate this area's long-standing cultural heritage.
"Many local artists and cultural groups have been working hard to make Gloucester a thriving creative and cultural center. The (T.S.) Eliot House and the Manship Project are closely comparable because of our focus on working artists and thought leaders, and the fact that artists will be able to live in community at both places," said Rebecca Reynolds, the founding president of MARS and the art historian behind the Manship project.
Reynolds pointed out the Manship estate is the last unchanged and remaining artist’s home from when many of the top artists of the 20th century visited or lived in Lanesville. It was a thriving art colony then as it is today, she said, and hence the impetus to make use of this property to continue that cultural tradition.
“We could not bear to lose this local treasure with national significance. This is important not only for Cape Ann and the region, but it is also part of our country’s heritage," she said. "Gloucester has always been a mecca for artists to visit, live and work."
Anita Walker, executive director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, applauded the efforts of MARS, founded not quite two years ago.
“This is a treasure in Massachusetts. To be able to preserve the studio, home and legacy of Paul Manship provides a rare window into the inspiration and context of his work. Congratulations to Gloucester," she said. "The Manship Project will have a regional if not national impact on our cultural landscape.”
The goals of MARS include land conservation, promoting the region's cultural heritage and supporting the diverse creative community.
“Protecting and preserving this historic property and its unique landscape has been the driving mission behind this effort. Now it’s time to celebrate this major milestone and thank the many generous supporters and community volunteers," said MARS vice president Jo-Ann Castano, a longtime arts advocate.
Castano gave a special thanks to the Massachusetts Cultural Council as well as the city officials and state legislators who helped to make this happen.
The birth of "Starfield"
Reynolds shared the history of the property which Manship and his wife Isabel acquired during World War II: He move a house from Pigeon Cove in Rockport and a barn from Bayview in Gloucester as he began to develop the site, which he later called "Starfield."
"One of the things Manship loved best about Cape Ann was that it is a 'dark place,' a place where one can easily observe the nightly dance of the stars above and all around," Reynolds said. "But mostly, Manship aspired to have an estate worthy to be named, and this would become a stunning setting in which to live, work and to display his sculpture."
Manship cultivated the property's sprawling gardens, which became the settings for dozens of his works, where the art colony's artists and residents would gather in a party atmosphere.
After his death, Manship's will allowed his son to purchase the property from his estate. John Manship and daughter-in-law Margaret Cassidy, both accomplished artists, acquired the property in 1966 and made Lanesville their home.
"It was John and Margaret’s wishes that the estate continue the Manship tradition," said Reynolds, making the estate the largest benefactor of this project.
To that end, the Manship Project raised $650,000 to buy the property at the agreed price so this effort could move forward.
Rebecca Harris of the National Trust for Historic Preservation noted that the proposed programming of the site is "relevant, forward-thinking, and sensitive to the property and the neighborhood." Harris further said the National Trust will share the MARS model as an example of how to protect a significant historic place in a creative and sustainable way.
The next step in the Manship project is to prepare the house, barn and gardens with regard to historic preservation guidelines, and to establish the property as an international, interdisciplinary residency.
There was a quote found written on a scrap of paper in Paul Manship's dressing gown after his death, which stated: "The primary impulse in the Arts is to give permanence to the fleeting moment. To bid it stay because we cannot bear to lose it."
With those words in mind, the MARS board welcomes others to join in their continued fundraising efforts and help as they "bid it stay.”
Gail McCarthy can be reached at 978-675-2706, or at gmccarthy@gloucestertimes.com.
About the project
Manship Artists Residency + Studios (MARS) purchased the Lanesville property of sculptor Paul Manship (1885-1966), a 20th century American artist.
The nonprofit organization plans work on the property to create a residency program. For more information, visit the website at www.ManshipArtists.org.
If anyone wants to make a tax-deductible contribution, checks can be mailed to Manship Artists Residency + Studios, P.O. Box 7071, Gloucester, MA 01930.
Jasper John’s home and studio in Sharon, Connecticut. Courtesy of Google Earth.
Jasper Johns Plans to Turn His Bucolic Connecticut Home and Studio Into an Artists’ Retreat
Up to two dozen artists will get live-work spaces where they can devote themselves to their work.
Sarah Cascone, September 18, 2017, ARTNET NEWS
Japser Johns. Courtesy Patrick McMullan.
has big plans for his home and studio in Sharon, Connecticut—and the town is officially on board. Following his death, the artist plans to transform his pastoral property, where he has lived since the 1990s, into an artists’ retreat, providing a live-work space for 18 to 24 artists at a time.
Representatives for the artist presented a proposal at the September 13 meeting of Sharon’s planning and zoning commission, which voted unanimously in favor of the project. Art critic Deborah Solomon first reported that the town had granted permission for the project in a tweet posted on Saturday.
According to the minutes from the meeting, available on the Sharon website, the artists would “live, eat and devote themselves to the private study, practice and development of their work. They would have communal meals, in the existing main house and shared common spaces that would foster a sense of community among the artists.”
“In addition to the property itself, Mr. Johns intends to provide an endowment to support the operations of the retreat,” the town wrote, noting that there are currently no plans for additional construction on the property. “The proposal fits within the Town Plan of Conservation & Development as it keeps open space and preserves the Mudge Pond Watershed,” as indicated by the minutes.
The retreat will be a charitable organization or nonprofit corporation with 19 to 25 employees, including six to nine off-site administrative staff. The property will be closed to the public except during special events.
Johns, 87, is a towering figure in the art world. Known for his Pop and Neo-Dada works, he won the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, and a Golden Lion at the 1988 Venice Biennale, among many other distinctions.
Johns is also a co-founder, along with composer John Cage, of the Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts, which offers grants in the visual and performance arts. The foundation is not involved with the artists’ retreat and declined to comment for this story, as did Johns.
Article online: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/jasper-johns-plans-artist-retreat-1085543
!["Acteon", from 1924, us emblematic of Paul Manship's predominant subject matter, the classical past. [Courtesy Photo]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/589b2fd16b8f5b240cec363a/1501242320484-U2C9CEL38NMZPM5VKBFA/image-asset.png)
"Acteon", from 1924, us emblematic of Paul Manship's predominant subject matter, the classical past. [Courtesy Photo]
Meet ‘The Manships’ at Flatrocks Gallery in Gloucester
By Keith Powers / Correspondent
Posted Jul 27, 2017 at 8:57 AM - Link to Cape Ann Beacon
An extensive exhibition on view now at Flatrocks Gallery in Lanesville brings to light an artistic past that will forever be part of Cape Ann’s legacy: the prodigious work of sculptor Paul Manship, and the fascinating work of his son and of his daughter-in-law, John and Margaret Cassidy Manship.
Paul Manship (1885–1966) looms large over artists with Cape Ann connections: working mainly with classical or mythological subjects, in an era when public monuments were in greater demand, his sculptures are found all over the world.
His enormous gilded bronze “Prometheus” in Rockefeller Center may be the best known example, but it is just one of many. Here, half a dozen casts point to his predominant subject matter — the classical past: “David,” an original cast from 1921; and “Acteon,” from 1924, are the best examples. “Dancing Children,” c. 1927, all posthumous casts, shows a different subject matter, delicately handled.
Another posthumous cast, of the “Lincoln Head, or Hoosier Youth” — whose large bronze version is on view in an insurance company in Fort Wayne, Ind., a well-known attraction in that city — sits modestly on a flat file. A beautiful “Perseus and Andromeda,” completed in 1965 just one year before his death, is a fascinating and emotional work in mix sculpting media.
John Paul Manship (1927–2000) was primarily a painter, and about three dozen works, primarily oils and spread out over five decades, show his light touch. Many of the views are of downtown Rockport — Front Beach, the Congregational Church, the old Haskins Building (now the Shalin Liu Performance Center) — where he worked at his gallery on Main Street.
Some early paintings from the late 1940s and early 1950s show a different style — more abstract — wtih subjects from Italy, where he studied for several years. They highlight the connection both he and his future wife, Margaret Cassidy, had to that country.
A small corner of the gallery has a few works of Margaret Manship (d. 2012). The corner includes one small bust of Pope Pius XII — their Catholic faith was important to John and Margaret, and she spent several years working in the Vatican. (She also has a major installation in St. Peter’s Basilica there.) A charming set — an oil painting , and a bronze bust — of Beryl Grimball show Margaret’s facility in multiple media.
The Manship estate is currently working to create an artist’s residency and studio on the Lanesville property where Paul worked for many years. That property would be a beautiful retreat, and this terrific exhibition shows why the work done there was so remarkable.
“The Manships” runs through Aug. 6 at Flatrocks Gallery, 77 Langsford St., Gloucester. For information visit www.flatrocksgallery.com or call 978-879-4683.
Keith Powers covers music and the arts for GateHouse Media and WBUR’s ARTery. Follow @PowersKeith; email to keithmichaelpowers@gmail.com.
Closing Soon: Art Exhibition Includes Rare Paul Manship Sculptures
Catherine Ryan shares her insight and enthusiasm for the Manship exhibition at Flatrocks, urging the GMG readership to see the exhibition before it closes on August 6:
This intimate and museum worthy exhibition, THE MANSHIPS, is a rare chance to see and purchase original work by a talented family of artists: Paul Manship, Margaret Cassidy (daughter in law), and John Paul Manship (son). Continue reading
The Manships, an exhibition at Flatrocks Gallery in Lanesville, was featured as the lead story in the Gloucester Daily Times' Arts and Culture section on July 20, 2017. Follow this link. The exhibition was also listed as the TOP PICK of things to do for the week in the Cape Ann Beacon. The show, which features work by Paul, John and Margaret Cassidy Manship. runs until August 6 - Flatrocks Gallery, 77 Langsford Street, Gloucester, MA.
Wicked Local Gloucester featured an article on the 10 year anniversary of the Mass Cultural Council's Cultural Facilities Fund:
The Cabot Performing Arts Center in Beverly hosted a reception on Monday, July 17, to celebrate the Mass. Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF) and its latest investments in building projects in the arts, humanities and sciences grants to Northeastern Massachusetts. This year marks the 10-year, $100 million milestone for this national model capital program for the nonprofit cultural sector.
Over 10 years, CFF has awarded grants of $100.1 million across the Commonwealth to 772 projects that have a total development cost of $2.6 billion. Demand for CFF grants continues to outpace supply: in a 2016 survey, 169 organizations reported $377 million in capital projects through 2018.
Among those organizations awarded funding was the Manship Artists Residency + Studios for the acquisition and establishment of a new artist residency on Cape Ann.
Grant amount: $207,000
About the facility: Manship Artist Residence and Studios will preserve a local treasure with national significance and continue the legacy of Cape Ann’s historic community of artists by establishing an artist residency program at the renovated 15-plus acre property of sculptor Paul Manship.
To view the full article in Wicked Local that showcased all the local project awards: Follow this link.
Wassily Kandinsky, Several Circles, 1926
Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) has been called the father of abstract art. He was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Kandinsky considered the creation of art to be a spiritual act and believed that by creating original work, you were furthering the cause of humanity.
Thanks to Peter Parsons for sharing the following link to an enlightening article on the Facebook page, All in the Same Boat, Gloucester, MA.
How to Be an Artist, According to Wassily Kandinsky, an Artsy Editorial by Rachel Lebowitz.
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-artist-kandinsky
Wassily Kandinsky, Circles in a Circle, 1923