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: Celebrating Theresa Bernstein: Museum hosts programs with author about artist
By Gail McCarthy | July 24, 2026
The Power of Her Paintbrush: The Story of Theresa Bernstein, by Janice Hechter
Theresa Bernstein, a singular woman artist who had a remarkably long career and lived to well over 100 years old, inspired a children’s picture book about her life.
Bernstein (1890–2002), who married artist William Meyerowitz, was among the many celebrated artists who summered in Gloucester. She made her first visit to Cape Ann in 1916, and she and her husband were familiar faces of the Rocky Neck Art Colony. They had friendships with artists such as Stuart Davis, Edward Hopper and Josephine Nivison, according to her bio.
To celebrate the release of “The Power of Her Paintbrush: The Story of Theresa Bernstein,” and the artist, Cape Ann Museum will host two programs this Saturday, July 25, with Janice Hechter, the book’s author and illustrator.
Hechter first will lead a one-hour family program at 10:30 a.m. at the new Education Studio at Cape Ann Museum’s downtown campus, 27 Pleasant St. in Gloucester, where she will introduce children to the artist and share her own journey about research for the creation of this new book. The session will include a reading and art activity inspired by Bernstein’s work.
In the afternoon, Hechter will present another one-hour program at 1 p.m. in the downtown museum’s Library & Archives. The talk will explore her research process and approach to telling the story of Bernstein, a Modernist painter who lived and worked on Cape Ann during the 20th century.
Bernstein studied at leading schools of art, including the Pennsylvania Academy of Art, the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, and the Art Students League in New York.
Hechter, who lives in central Connecticut, is a writer and illustrator of children’s books. She always planned on creating a book about an artist because she too is an artist.
“When I researched picture books about artists, I noticed that almost all of them were about male artists. I even came upon a picture book series of 20 different historical artists. But out of those, only one depicted a woman,” she said. “It brought me back to when I was an art student in college, and the only historical artists that we learned about were men.”
When Hechter often visited art museums in New York City at the time, she found most most of the historical artworks on display were created by men, and at the time, she never questioned the lack of women artists.
“I just took it as a given that only male artists from history received recognition,” she recalled. “More recently, I wondered, did women artists exist in centuries past? Were they somehow just not as successful as their male counterparts? I did some research and discovered Theresa Bernstein. I was immediately taken by Bernstein’s ability to capture the energy of a moment in time. Her paintings of gatherings of people depicted an excitement that pulled me in. I wanted to learn more about this artist.”
Hechter dove deep into her research for this new book, which included interviews with some of Bernstein’s friends and relatives and watching videos of the artist talking about her work. Hechter read both an autobiography and biography about Bernstein, and poured over articles, reviews of her work, sketches, and went to view some of her drawings and paintings in person — and she knew she had found a consummate artist about which to write for her next book.
This program coincides with the museum’s recent acquisition of a significant work by Bernstein, a self-portrait depicting the artist as a young woman and already a successful artist, likely painted around 1916. The museum’s collection also includes additional works by Bernstein and Meyerowitz.
“Theresa Bernstein’s story is one of remarkable perseverance, creativity, and vision,” museum Director Oliver Barker said. “We are delighted to welcome Janice Hechter to share Bernstein’s legacy with younger audiences in such an engaging and accessible way. This program reflects our ongoing commitment to connecting the community with the rich artistic history of Cape Ann while inspiring the next generation of artists and storytellers.”
Registration is required for both events. For details, visit capeannmuseum.org/events.
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