by Eleni Sinnis
From 5 to 7 pm this Friday, August 11, the public is invited to mingle with island artists and view their large works during an opening reception for The Artists Association of Nantucket Masterworks exhibit, upstairs in The Big Gallery at 12 Straight Wharf.
This exhibit “will premier the best works by our members with a focus on oversized pieces that are too large to show in our Cecelia Joyce & Seward Johnson Gallery,” explained AAN Artistic Director and Curator Robert Frazier. AAN’s Big Gallery is the perfect location for the exhibit, as the Thomas Macy Warehouse has lofty ceilings and extra-long windows, lending itself beautifully to showcasing larger works in many different mediums. The Masterworks exhibition will be on display through September 25.
AAN’s current exhibit in their Cecelia Joyce & Seward Johnson Gallery at 19 Washington Street is By Land & By Sea opened on July 21 and remains on display until August 14. “This island lends itself to beautiful vistas, land and sea, that we felt July was a super time to introduce By Land & By Sea since it has such a summertime feel,” said Peter J. Greenhalgh, AAN Gallery Director. “During this exhibition, visitors will find jewelry, oil paintings, acrylics, watercolors, ceramics, sculptures, mixed media, wooden carvings, photographs, and some textiles.”
Online at NantucketArts.org/art is yet another gallery exhibition. Through late summer Make an Impression: All Works on Paper is up to view from anywhere in the world. All these works online are also available for purchase.
The AAN’s mission through each of its exhibitions and work on the island “is to foster the work of its artists, showcase and preserve Nantucket art through its historic Permanent Collection, and offer varied classes and workshops in the visual arts.” In 2023 AAN welcomed several new artist members and now features close to three hundred local artists whose work is highlighted in numerous exhibitions throughout the season. The community of artists on the island has always been so important to its history and is aided by the AAN.
“With each new exhibition, we challenge our artists to bring in works that they believe will complement the theme, however, we never know what that might be,” said Greenhalgh. Details on the exhibitions and the important work the AAN does is at nantucketarts.org or follow their Instagram @ackartists.
