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: Around Cape Ann: Celebrating Gloucester on Many Fronts
By Gail McCarthy, April 10, 2025
Gloucester is home to many iconic inventions — among them schooners and a home-grown world-class pipe organ company, which two events this week will celebrate.
In the spirit of highlighting the intersection of the arts and science on Cape Ann, the Cape Ann Museum opens its next special exhibition Saturday at its CAM Green satellite campus at 13 Poplar St. in Gloucester. “Breath of Life — C.B. Fisk, Designers & Builders of Pipe Organs” celebrates the singular Fisk organs, made by a company which details every aspect of the pipe organs, even alloying and casting molten metals it uses to make their own organ pipes.
The free show celebrating the Gloucester-based C. B. Fisk Organ company runs April 12 through June 29, with related programs that include weekly organ demonstrations on Wednesdays at 1 p.m.
“Founded in 1961 by Charles B. Fisk (1925-1983), the firm is one of the most highly regarded organ builders in the world today. The exhibition will focus on a selection of projects using scale models, photographs and carvings. The centerpiece of the show is a selection of 10 scale models created as part of the organ design process,” according to an exhibition statement.
Museum Director Oliver Barker said the museum is delighted to showcase a local business with a national and international reach.
“As an institution dedicated to the interface between the artists and industries encapsulated within the Cape Ann area, Cape Ann Museum is excited to showcase the breadth of C.B. Fisk’s artistry and innovation,” Barker said.
Fisk was the first American organ builder to construct significant tracker organs in the 20th century. Fisk constructed the largest four-manual mechanical action instruments built in America in the 20th century, including at Harvard University in 1967 and again at House of Hope Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. In 2003, C.B. Fisk built a five-manual organ for the Cathedral in Lausanne, Switzerland, the first American organ to be made for a European cathedral, and in 2010 the company installed its first instrument in South Korea, according to a press release.
“While the pipe organ is most often thought of as a kind of music-making machine, its physical appearance adds an element that plays a vital experiential role,” said Michael Kraft, president of C.B. Fisk. “Beyond the music and the use of one’s ears, the visual design of a pipe organ, expressed through our scale models in the exhibit, allows one to use their eyes to delight in these three-dimensional, architectural sculptures.”
The first of three gallery talks will be held Saturday, April 27, at 3 p.m. with Charles Nazarian, a Fisk architectural designer, who will speak about “The Collaborative Design Process.”
For details, visit www.capeannmuseum.org/exhibition/breath-of-life. Due to limited parking, timed parking reservations for vehicles are recommended and available through the website. Or call 978-283-0455 ext. 110.
To read the full Gloucester Daily Times article, click here.
