De Hirsh Margules, Mother Ann Lighthouse, Eastern Point, Gloucester, 1946. Gouache on paper. Gift of Jean M. Horblit, 2002. [Acc. #2002.004.002]
Gloucester Daily Times: New museum show celebrates Cape Ann Sculptors
By Gail McCarthy
Gloucester is known for its historic art colonies and celebrated painters but the region became a magnet for world-class sculptors in the 20th century.
Cape Ann Museum celebrates this artistic network in its special exhibition, “In the Round: 20th and 21st Century Cape Ann Sculpture,” which opens Saturday, April 6.
“Cape Ann is a special place where sculptors thrive in our community,” said Director Oliver Barker. “The Cape Ann Museum is proud to showcase the accomplishments of these artists and their connections to Cape Ann.”
The skill of the sculptor comes from transforming a solid surface into a three-dimensional work of art, or into relief sculpture.
Charles Grafly (1862-1929), a celebrated American sculptor, influenced the trajectory of many future artists who came in his wake. He first came to Cape Ann in 1902, and a few years later, he made Gloucester’s Folly Cove the site of his summer home and studio, according to the museum.. He taught sculpture at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and in 1917, he began teaching at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Many of his students went on to achieve great success, including Walker Hancock, one of the celebrated Monuments Men, who made Gloucester his home, where he died at the age of 97.
Grafly’s other students included Katharine Lane Weems, George Demetrios and Paul Manship — all of whom established connections to Cape Ann and who are featured in this show.
The exhibition highlights other pioneers in the American world of sculpture, including sisters Harriet Hyatt Mayor and Anna Hyatt Huntington, the latter who gained international renown.
“The Cape Ann Museum’s sculpture collection has only been in existence since the early 1980s when it was started under the watchful eye of renowned sculptor Walker Hancock,” Chief Curator Martha Oaks said. “Since that time, it has grown into an extraordinary asset, incorporating work by a range of artists working in all mediums. It’s our pleasure to share a part of our collection with the public through this special exhibition and the programming being offered in connection with it.”
In regard to the 21st century, among the artists featured in the exhibition is Rockport’s Morgan Faulds Pike, who designed the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Memorial. She created the design concept in 1991, and a decade later the monument was erected along Gloucester Harbor.
Related programming for this exhibition includes the following CAMTalks series: “The Work of Pablo Eduardo” with Pablo Eduardo on April 27, “Creating the Fishermen’s Wives Memorial” with Pike on May 11, and “Producing Large-Scale Sculpture” with Morgan Dummit, an instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, on May 17.
Gallery tours will be offered every Thursday at 2 p.m. starting April 11. Public sculpture walking tours will be offered every other Saturday at 10:30 a.m. from April 13 to June 8.
The exhibit is on view through June 23. For more details, visit capeannmuseum.org.
