The Cape Ann Museum is pleased to present Four Winds, an exhibition of art and literary work from 1950’s Rocky Neck, from June 15 to September 29, 2013. The exhibit will feature visual work from artists Albert Alcalay, Doris Hall, Vera Andrus and others as well as literary contributions and poetry from Vincent Ferrini and Charles Olson. The opening reception will be held on Saturday, June 15 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Modernists like Tom O’Hara, Helen Stein, Nell Blaine, Mary Shore and Robert Bradshaw headline a cast of Rocky Neck artists whose legacy is that of exploring fresh subject matter and working in new mediums. The list of featured artists includes sculptors, lithographers, painters, enamelists, photographers, poets and writers–many of whom exhibited their work in the annual Cape Ann Festival of the Arts.

The Doris Hall Gallery and Wonsonhurst Studio Apartments, later known as West Wharf, were popular places for the artists and their families to congregate, and a number within the group participated in demonstrations, lectures and exhibits under the organization of the Cape Ann Society of Modern Artists–a group which first met at the Hawthorne Inn in East Gloucester and later at the Redmen’s Hall in Rockport.

The talent and passion of this eager, young group did not go unnoticed by the critics as Hilton Kramer praised the Doris Hall Gallery and its associated artists with collectively transforming Rocky Neck into one of the best art centers on the North Shore.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Museum will present a series of related programs. Lecturers include writer and Gloucester native Peter Anastas on Saturday, July 13, as well as Ammiel Alcalay, son of artist Albert, on Saturday, August 24. They will discuss the post-war art scene on Rocky Neck and its place within the broader landscape of the Cape Ann arts community.

In collaboration with the Gloucester Writers Center, the Museum will host Holy Local: Vincent Ferrini’s Literary Legacy, a panel of writers, teachers and researchers who will introduce new and ongoing scholarship on Ferrini’s literary accomplishments, on June 22 at 1:00 p.m. There will be time for conversation between panelists and audience members. A walking tour of the community’s focal points will also be offered in collaboration with The Rocky Neck Art Colony.

Image: Albert Alcalay (1917-2008), Night Fleet, 1956. Oil on canvas. Collection of the Cape Ann Museum. Gift of the Family of Albert Alcalay, 2013.