I was vacationing in Burlington, Vermont, when the Peabody Essex Museum formally opened their new wing. Always game for an opening, I flew across three states just as fall color was starting to ripen. I traveled with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation since I was wondering if this mania for expansion, which has taken so many museums by storm, had also bewitched one of my favorite museums — already, in my opinion, in full flight without needing an extra wing. I needn’t have feared. As if a portent of good fortune, I arrived thinking that the opening was over, when to my g reat joy I found that the food hadn’t even been served y et. A s I w as tired and hungry, the rest of the evening sort of disappeared into a frenzy of dipping, sipping, chewing and mumbling as I took a first look of the new facilities. Fortunately, I had made a reservation at the Clipper Ship Inn — one of … [Read more...] about SHIPPING NEWS: PEM EXPANSION MODERNIZES MARITIME AGE
maritime
Painting the Moment: Cape Ann Plein Air 2019
Cape Ann is a place where families wander through artisan shops and galleries as they enjoy a fresh lobster roll or ice cream, while gazing out at the Atlantic rolling in and out of the shore, boats teetering with the breeze. Cooler temperatures and the changing leaves yield new happenings in this coastal community such as the Cape Ann Plein Air festival from October 6-14, drawing audiences from all over the country to observe over 40 juried American artists painting the picturesque surroundings. Like Winslow Homer who traveled here to capture reflections of light and the magnitude of nature in the 19th century, oil, acrylic, and watercolorists gather today to capture a similar essence. Celebrating its fourth year, painters can submit up to 5 works to be judged by devoted plein air artist, Kenn Backhaus and Cape Ann Plein Air will award around $22,000 worth of prizes to winners, … [Read more...] about Painting the Moment: Cape Ann Plein Air 2019