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The Cape Ann Artisan’s tour continues to be a delightful and thoroughly enjoyable experience. Thanks to all the artisans for their gracious reception.     [2020 Visitor]

The Cape Ann Artisans are pleased to announce the 38^th Annual Spring and Fall Open Studios, plus a special summer Mini-Tour in 2021 based on the response of the community in the summer of 2020.    The Spring Tour is June 5-6, the Fall Tour is October 9-10, and the Mini-Tour, with a smaller group of the artisans, is planned for one day only, Saturday, August 14^th.

For locals and visitors alike, the diversity of the artisans’ work combined with the unique setting of the studios creates a memorable day or weekend outing around Cape Ann.  The group changes slightly from year to year due to artists who choose to take a leave or new members who are juried in. In 2021, the Artisans welcome new artisan Sallie Strand, an abstract painter located on historic Rocky Neck.   In 2020, Chloe Leigh, a fine jeweler, located in downtown Gloucester also joined the group, but this will be her first year participating.

The tour is “self-guided” with 14 individual stops to visit with 15 artisans.   The full group is listed below along with their medium:

1. David Archibald – Ceramic Arts – Porcelain & Stoneware
2. Cynthia Curtis – Ceramic Arts – Stoneware
3. Rob Diebboll – Painting – Oil & Watercolors
4. Jacqueline Ganim DeFalco – Sea Glass Jeweler
5. Deb Gonet – Painting – Mixed Media
6. Linda Hogan – Quilter
7. Chloe Leigh – Fine Jeweler
8. Sinikka Nogelo – Painting & Sculpture– Experimental Arts
9. Scott Place and Erin O’Sullivan – Ceramic Arts
10. Marcie Rae – Fine Jeweler
11. Deb Schradieck – Painting–Oil & Watercolor
12. Sallie Strand – Painting- Abstract
13. Pam Stratton – Mosaics
14. Sara Wright – Fiber Arts- Handwoven & Knit Accessories

As the tourist season unfolds, the 2021 Brochure will become available at all the major tourism outlets including the Cape Ann Chamber and North of Boston CVB locations.  The Artisans will also continue their partnership with Discover Gloucester.   One significant change is that the tour locations will be noted on the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce Visitor printed map and will be downloadable from Cape Ann Artisans website, but will not be printed inside the Artisan brochure as in years past.

The 2020 Feedback survey gave the Cape Ann Artisans high marks in terms of Covid safety and we will continue to ask visitors to comply with State of Massachusetts regulations:  wearing of  facial coverings, practice of social distancing, and use of  hand sanitizer which will be available at each studio.

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What:  The 38^th Annual Cape Ann Artisans Open Studios

Where: Gloucester and Rockport, MA.

When:   Spring Tour: Sat & Sun, June 5-6 and October 9-10^th  10AM-5PM Daily

Special Event: Mini-Tour* – Sat August 14^th  Mini-Tour Artists to be announced in the Spring.

Contact: info@capeannartisans.com or leave a message with Cynthia Curtis 978-546-6186

This week I was notified that three of my pieces were juried into the virtual Rocky Neck Show called “Exuberance:  The Marvelous Art of Craft.”   When I first saw the call to artists, I was intrigued by the description which read  “This is a Juried Members show that highlights artistry in craft in traditional media as well as the more offbeat, innovative or peculiar. Emphasizing a sense of curiosity and wonder, the show aims to surprise viewers with inventive materials, techniques and surfaces. ”  While I had created several interesting pieces that I hoped would qualify, I also had a very unusual find in my studio that really needed to be crafted to meet the goals of this show.   Finally after looking at this found piece of metal, a marine gasket, I began to see what could become of it by melding my most unusual shapes of sea glass with this incredibly, perfectly patina(d) found object.   I loved jumping into this with no expectations, but just the thrill of seizing on a chance to delight the viewer.  The final result was “The Happy Gasket.”  I am equally thrilled that the Purse Pendant and Assemblage made it into the show.   The Purse Pendant is part of series that popped into my head as part of my love of wearable art.  We love purses and in my sea glass collection, I had many curved pieces that reminded me of purse handles.   That was the starting point to design around these unusual shapes.   Assemblage actually started as a purse pendant, but it worked better as as design in it’s own right.  These three are all statement pieces for just the right fashionista or lover of Wearable Art.  I invite you to join this incredibly colorful exhibit and support Rocky Neck’s creative endeavors.  I would also like to thank Claire Sanford who is an accomplished fine jewelry artist and crafts person as well as champion of the arts.   I knew it would be amazing as soon as I saw that she was involved.  What an honor!  (Click on the image below to see all three in a slide show)

The show runs through the end of the year online.  You will find many interesting works and all are for sale!

My Love Affair with Low Tide

When I moved to Gloucester in 1994, I knew nothing about tides.  I grew up near Lake Erie, but tides  were not part of our daily intake.    At first when I moved to

East Gloucester,  I enjoyed staring out at Wonson’s Cove to watch a huge swath of water depart and return – filling up and emptying out like a bathtub every 6 hours.  Truthfully, I couldn’t wait for it to be low tide to see what treasures were left behind.  This was my first true relationship with Low Tide and it was love at first sight!   It also paved the way for my interest in sea glass hunting and my husband’s guidance as to when and how to find it!

Low tide also gave me the opportunity to take much longer walks on all the beaches – opening up places that were inaccessible at high tide.  After being accosted by an angry neighbor once in Wonson’s Cove, I also learned about “Tidelands” the law that covers public rights around the shore.    Until 1641, private property ended at the high tide mark and then Mass Bay Colony started to grant Low Tide or inter-tidal rights to some land-owners.    Gloucester having so much history has such areas and so one does have to respect local exceptions that go all the way to the low tide mark.    It’s a fascinating distinction and some is covered on the MA website.   Still one can fish, “shellfish,” navigate, or hunt birds in all areas.   I ask…and why can’t sea glass hunting be added?

Speaking of shellfish.  Now that I live on the other side of the island and on the river, I adopted another great low tide activity – clamming.

There’s something very gratifying about heading out to dig for clams and then bringing them home to steam up for dinner.  With a particularly large harvest or larger clams, the next step is to make baked stuffed clams.   For me, it is a simple as jumping in my kayak and in 5 minutes I can forage the raw clams for a few good dinners!  I am the proud owner of a shellfish/clamming license from the City of Gloucester.  Now more than ever, it’s really important to have one to guard against illegal poaching of our stock and the occasional “closures” for red tide or rainfall related issues.  There’s a certain romance about clamming which truly entails the most primitive tools and a lot of muscle!

Low tide also creates the most exquisite beachfront along the river and the seaside for my other favorite activities – beach yoga, reading a book, and walking out to our Boston Whaler!  My vocabulary now includes important nuances that help clarify just how “low” is low?  Is it merely an 8 ft tide? Or 11 feet?  Is it a full moon tide?  The moon’s gravitational pull is powerful along the shoreline and it produces the most amazing low and high tides!  To that point, I have to give some kudos to the “flood”  tide for launching the boat, sliding my kayak into the river, and wiping out the greenheads in the marshlands.

So now I have come full circle and try to observe the changing tides anywhere I travel.  Admittedly, when visitors to my studio ask the inevitable question “where do you look for sea

glass?” My response is always, “you are asking the wrong question.”   It’s not where, but when.  And truly my favorite time is at the crack of dawn after a stormy night when most people would prefer to be curled up in bed!

Living on Cape Ann is a gift because it’s a community.  Real communities celebrate each person’s unique contribution.  They also come together in a crisis and support each other.  Now the virtual world and the real world are coming together for artists who have been the foundation of Cape Ann’s Creative Economy.  One of our gems, is the re-launched local TV station, now called 1623 Studios. The leaders approached me to create a show that interviews 2-D and 3-D artists and organizations.  Together with fellow artist and arts champion, Kristine Fisher, we are proudly doing just that on our new show Cape Ann ARTwaves .

To date, we have interviewed Jo-Anne Crawford & Loren Doucette from the  seARTS and Rocky Neck Art groups, Stephanie Cole (Memory Sculpture), Matt Cegelis (Photographer), Chris Williams (metal sculpture), Beth Williams (glass artist), with many more to come!  Spoiler alert – James McCleod, Jill & Bob Armstrong, Leslie Heffron coming your way soon.   Please enjoy and share these wonderful stories in one of several ways.   Follow the 1623 Facebook Posts that are teed up on Sunday night; join the 1623 Studios email list; follow the YouTube Channel and Instagram or just check out my Cape Ann Designs page where I will eventually have all of them posted as well.  You will also see them on seARTS eblasts.   Click through the photos below to see the featured artists!

On local cable channel 12 , the schedule will be

• Mondays, Fridays and Sundays at 2:30 am and 7:30 pm – great for after dinner aperitif and   sleepless nights!
• Wednesdays at 2:30 am – night owls!
• Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 6:30 am and 3:30 pm – early birds and afternoon coffee!

Real communities celebrate each person's unique contribution. They also come together in a crisis and support each other. Now the virtual world and the real world are coming together for artists who have been the foundation of Cape… Share on X