The Wharf House in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Photo by Nik Guiney.

The historic city of Provincetown, Massachusetts, has a wonderfully storied past when it comes to the arts, starting when Martha Dewing Woodward, one of the nation’s leading painters, opened the Cape Cod School of Drawing and Painting. The Provincetown Art Association & Museum holds exhibitions, events and educational programs throughout the year. Other major cities in the Bay State, like Boston, boast such art landmarks as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art and major dealers of fine art like Vose Galleries. Head west to Cambridge and you’ll hit the Harvard Art Museum, featuring European and American art from the Middle Ages to present day.

A picket fence leading to the beach on Cape Cod. Photo by John Kelleher.

After a day of wine tasting on the idyllic island of Martha’s Vineyard, take a stroll through the charming Vineyard Haven Harbor Cultural District, which celebrates authentic artisan culture in this historic harbor town.

The Cultural District in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Photo by Kate Wark Photography.

Heading south to Connecticut, be sure to make a stop in cities like Kent, Ridgefield, Essex, New Canaan and Old Lyme. Traveling northward, collectors will find a thriving art scene in Vermont, including the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, which holds world-renowned collections of fine art and Americana spanning some four centuries; as well as the Lower Connecticut River Valley region, home to art havens like the large town of Brattleboro. And don’t miss the stunning nature and art of the Champlain Valley area.

The fairytale “gingerbread cottages” of Martha’s Vineyard. Photo by Aubrey Odom.

No matter where your travels take you this summer, the New England area is positively burgeoning with art and life.

Provincetown Public Art Foundation curates public art projects by regional artists like Somos Unos / We Are One by Dominican-American artist Silvia López Chavez, located on Trap Shed at MacMillan Pier. Photo courtesy Provincetown Office of Tourism.

In 1916, the Boston Globe declared Provincetown “the biggest art colony in the world,” and today, Provincetown is still the longest continuous artist colony in the United States.

From left: Take an art class on the beach and connect with Provincetown’s centuries-long tradition of painting in plein air. Photo courtesy Provincetown Office of Tourism. Art is central to Provincetown’s identity, past and present, and its significance can be felt throughout the community in many forms. Photo courtesy Provincetown Office of Tourism.

Today, Provincetown is a welcoming, free-thinking and celebratory beach town, a bastion of American LGBTQ+ life, and still attracts artists for its remarkable light. Its thriving art scene is thanks to dozens of contemporary painters, sculptors and mixed-media artists who live or summer here. There are more than 50-plus independent galleries along Commercial Street, and the town’s Friday night gallery strolls are legendary. It is all part of an artistic legacy that makes Provincetown a unique, historic and extraordinary haven for artists of all stripes.

Michele Poirier Mozzone, Chiffon, oil on canvas, 40 x 40"

Poirier Mozzone will be featured in the exhibition Vacationland, on view August 30 through September 17 at Maine Art Hill in Kennebunk, Maine. An opening reception will be held August 30 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Larkin Gallery, A Vessel for Vanishing Things, oil, 18 x 14", by Robin Wessman; Larkin Gallery, The Dickerson, acrylic on canvas, 26 x 22" by Tighe Hanson.

Larkin Gallery is proud to be a part of Provincetown, Massachusetts—America’s longest, continuing artist colony—and Harwich Port, a designated cultural district. Home to emerging, established and legacy artists, the gallery represents works that challenge our aesthetics, our intellects and stretch our imaginations, while bringing joy and wonder to the lives of their collectors. Larkin Gallery believes that art should be enjoyed, not hidden away in the recesses of our homes and lives to improve like fine wine. Rather, art should be immediate, accessible, demanding to be considered, discussed and fully, wholly embraced and as necessary as air. Larkin prides itself on a democratic approach to collecting: go to what calls you, reach for what inspires you, dream of where you might go with your selections of art and never, ever, let anyone tell you what’s good, what’s bad, or important. Art is personal and it is universal. It has many voices and Larkin Gallery invites everyone to pause and listen.

Victor Leger, The Persistence of Memory, oil on panel, 30 x 40"; Victor Leger, The Metaphor, oil on panel, 32 x 40"

In the autumn in particular, seasonal changes can happen daily with trees taking on breathless combinations of yellows, oranges and reds. “It is these explosions of color that have been my muse annually for the past 10 years,” continues Leger. “By focusing upwards on a single tree, I hope to make it inspirational to others.” Working from plein air studies, Leger takes the best of his small-scale sketches and enlarges them into life-size paintings over the winter in the studio. “With the frame profile I create, they give the illusion one is peering through a window at these striking autumn colors,” he adds.

Threadneedle Gallery, Emerald Splash, pastel on paper, 20 x 26", by Sandra Kavanaugh.

Threadneedle Gallery sells fine art by established professional artists who represent the beauty of New England. “Our talented artists belong to more than 20 regional, national and international art societies,” says gallery owner Jill Harrison. “Our goal at Threadneedle is to help clients build a collection, one piece at a time with artists who have a unique vision. We offer art consultancy, corporate art services, art appraisals, commissions and can even show you what an artwork would look like on your wall.” Harrison has been an art appraiser for more than 20 years and has worked with more than 4,000 collections. Trained at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), her skill and expertise are the foundations of the gallery curation. Harrison is very familiar with how art is made and she loves to talk with clients about art and sculpture in the gallery. She also brings a solid understanding of the economics of the artworld and she loves working with artists and clients to find the best works available. “Threadneedle’s strength is offering our clients a broad range of artistic styles, sizes and mediums to fit their home and office,” adds Harrison. —