Northshore Magazine

98 nshoremag.com April 2014 photographs by anthony tieuli Art ne or anyone who strolls Rockport's Main Street, the inevitable discovery of the Rockport Art As- sociation at the crest of its gentle climb is a pleasant surprise. The 1787 yellow clapboard building—once a sea captain's house—sits unassumingly in the jigsaw streetscape of this postcard-perfect town. Since 1929, when it became the perma- nent home to the association, it has wel- comed some of America's most renowned painters and sculptors, as well as scores of art patrons from around the world. Now in its 92nd year, the Rockport Art Association, one of the oldest of its kind in the nation, continues to hold true to its mission to support "Art for Life's Sake." New efforts will not only expand its art offerings and programs but also reach out to young, contemporary artists to share its gallery walls. The association formed in 1921 when a small group of artists decided to create a supportive haven for artists and their pa- trons. The first location was in the studio of one of its founders, prominent plein air painter Aldro T. Hibbard. Just eight years later, the association moved to its current address at 12 Main Street—the historic Old Tavern Building. The gallery space in this charming two-story building takes up the first and second floors, and includes the old Maddocks Barn Gallery and the new Hibbard Gallery. Cape Ann's artists have captured F Art History As one of the oldest artist colonies in the country, Rockport's 92-year-old art association paints a fresh face on its future. By Anna Kasabian ne Regional Vision Rockport Art Association's president Kathryn Tuck draws inspiration from the region's defining characteristics. everyday life in the region for more than 100 years. William Lester Stevens, Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer, and Frederick J. Mulhaupt are a few of the internation- ally known artists to have rendered the area. Additionally, talent like the late Paul Strisik and Rockport Art Association's first president, Harry Vincent, as well as the remarkable Gruppe family are among the association's notable members. Individual styles and subjects on display in the galleries are as diverse as Cape Ann's topography and its residents' lifestyles. Their works serve as records of the region's views over time. The character of the light, the texture of the working harbors, the fishing vessels, and the marsh have delighted artists who have both lived and summered here. "There was a whole school of art here," says association member Donald Mosher. "Hibbard, Gruppe, and others who were spin-offs of the American Impression- ists, and we attached ourselves to them." KJ NS Apr14 RockportArts.indd 98 2/21/14 12:07 PM

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