Through the weekend leading up to Indigenous Peoples Day, artists will be sketching and painting around the island—affording the public opportunities to watch them work—as part of AAN’s annual art-filled Wet Paint Weekend.
Fun begins on Friday, October 11 at 5 pm, when the Artists Association will host an opening reception for the Autumn Leaves exhibition in their Big Gallery, upstairs at 12 Straight Wharf. Saturday, October 12, locations around town will participate in a Wet Paint Art Hop from 10 am to 12 noon. Then, during a festive evening on Sunday, October 13, those works will be auctioned off at the Nantucket Yacht Club to support arts education programs, galleries, year-round public programs, and local artists. The preview is free and open to the public at 1 South Beach Street beginning at 3:30 pm, followed by the live and silent auctions at 5 pm.
A celebratory Wet Paint Dinner at the Yacht Club follows at 6:30 pm. At press time, tickets to the dinner were still available at nantucketarts.org/events/wet-paint
AAN is dedicated to fostering the visual arts on Nantucket by promoting, supporting, and encouraging the work of Nantucket artists, providing educational programs in the arts, and preserving the legacy of Nantucket artists.
Artists Association of Nantucket (AAN) has recently received generous funding from the Town of Nantucket for its Healing Through the Creative Arts program that offers tuition aid and full tuition assistance for students who are in need of the healing benefits that can be achieved through art education. Creating art has been shown to reduce stress, lower anxiety, aid in addiction recovery, promote wellbeing, and help with recovery from trauma, among other things.
“We are thrilled to receive this generous support that helps up to provide our important healing programming. It has become an integral part of our curriculum, and we are proud to support the Nantucket community in this way,” said AAN Executive Director Tracey Sears.
The Healing Through the Creative Arts programming started in 2015, the same year that AAN moved into its newly renovated Visual Arts Center, mid-island at 24 Amelia Drive, and has helped many Nantucketers to afford the classes that could aid in their recovery.
“Requests for tuition aid and fully funded classes are being taken now,” says Education Director Liz Buccino, “If you would like to take an art class as part of your self-care and mental well-being, send an lizb@nantucketarts.org with your top two choices and your phone number.”
AAN is proud to be able to offer these vital healing classes to the Nantucket community. AAN’s goal is to provide positive mental health opportunities on the island. To learn more about the Artists Association of Nantucket, their exhibitions and their classes, visit nantucketarts.org or call them at 508-228-0722.