Rocky Neck Art Colony

2025 Trails and Sails Historic Walking Tour of Rocky Neck
2025-09-14 11:00 - 12:15 (America/New_York) | Rocky Neck, Gloucester, MA, 01930
Join one of our knowledgeable tour guides during Essex National Heritage Area’s Trails & Sails to explore Rocky Neck’s rich history and the contributions and achievements of the present community. All tours are from 11am-12:15pm and free. Registration is required.
Tours begin at the Rocky Neck Parking Lot and end at the Cultural Center, 6 Wonson Street. Tour participants are encouraged to park in the parking lot at the entrance to Rocky Neck where a volunteer tour guide meets the group. Tours are limited to 15 people. Comfortable shoes are encouraged. Be prepared to walk on uneven terrain. For more information email info@rockyneckartcolony.org or call 978-515-7004

2025 Trails and Sails Historic Walking Tour of Rocky Neck
2025-09-13 11:00 - 12:15 | Rocky Neck, Gloucester, MA, 01930
Join one of our knowledgeable tour guides during Essex National Heritage Area’s Trails & Sails to explore Rocky Neck’s rich history and the contributions and achievements of the present community. All tours are from 11am-12:15pm and free. Registration is required.

Tours begin at the Rocky Neck Parking Lot and end at the Cultural Center, 6 Wonson Street. Tour participants are encouraged to park in the parking lot at the entrance to Rocky Neck where a volunteer tour guide meets the group. Tours are limited to 15 people. Comfortable shoes are encouraged. Be prepared to walk on uneven terrain. For more information email info@rockyneckartcolony.org or call 978-515-7004.

An Evening with Local Historian Richard Carlson - Discover Ten Pound Island: A Discovery Through History, Mystery, and Art
2025-09-10 18:30 - 20:00 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Admission: Suggested donation: $10 to benefit the Rocky Neck Art Colony
Join us for an unforgettable evening as speaker and historian Richard Carlson brings to life the rich and storied past of Ten Pound Island, one of Rocky Neck’s most iconic and intriguing landmarks. His engaging presentation promises a journey through centuries of history, mystery, and artistic inspiration.

Ten Pound Island has been a central figure in the area’s story since well before Samuel de Champlain charted the coast in 1606. Rich will explore the island’s many chapters—from its early days as a fish hatchery, to its role as a Coast Guard airfield during Prohibition, to its enduring legacy as home to the beloved Ten Pound Island Light.
This lively talk will also dive into the island’s more enigmatic moments. Expect tales of sea monster sightings, the infamous Great Rat Flood, and the ways in which artists have been captivated by the island’s beauty over the years.
Whether you’re a history buff, maritime folklore lover, or simply curious about Gloucester’s hidden gems, this is an event you won’t want to miss.
Come uncover the captivating history and legends of Ten Pound Island—right in the heart of Gloucester

Premier Play Reading: Copy and Acknowledge
2025-09-07 19:00 - 20:30 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Please join us for a premier reading by Lanes Coven Theater Co. Copy and Acknowledge is the third play in Ken Riaf’s Gloucester trilogy, a four-character play set at-sea in the near future aboard the Gloucester Dragger Jillian Lee and it stands as a fresh parable for the never-ending collisions of tradition and modernity. Think 2001 A Space Odyssey meet The Perfect Storm.
Reserve tickets HERE

Ocean School Collective Opening Talk
2025-09-04 19:00 - 20:00 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
The Ocean School Collective (OSC) is an art collective comprised of artists, philosophers, poets, and musicians from Boston’s North Shore and Cape Ann who have been doing artistic research in the archives of the Ocean Alliance on Rocky Neck since 2022.
OSC’s September residency at at the Ocean Alliance Center on Rocky Neck is supported by the Goetemann Artist Residency which appointed it the 2025 Environmental/Installation artist. For more information, click HERE.
Questions? Contact: oceanschoolcollective@gmail.com

Folk Week: Michael O’Leary, Gary Dolinsky & Jug of Punch
2025-08-28 16:00 - 19:00 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Michael O’Leary, Gary Dolinsky & Jug of Punch bring the party to the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck! Join RNAC for a lively evening of Celtic music and Songs of Cape Ann as part of Folk Week and Culture Splash. Jug of Punch will be doing two 45-minute sets of tunes ’n songs at 4pm and 6:15pm, and Michael and Gary will be doing an hour-long set of maritime songs from 5-6. This free event is the perfect chance to bring your out-of-town guests and neighbors, kick back, and soak up the sounds of local maritime tradition and Irish spirit.

Culture Splash 2025 : Rocky Neck
2025-08-28 16:00 - 19:00, 2025-08-21 16:00 - 19:00, 2025-08-14 16:00 - 19:00, 2025-08-07 16:00 - 19:00 | MA
THURSDAY NIGHTS IN AUGUST, 4PM-7PM | View this week’s itinerary HERE
Now in its 5th summer, Culture Splash is back to celebrate Gloucester’s vibrant cultural districts—Rocky Neck and Harbortown. Dive into this lively weekly series featuring local artists, musicians, performers, and cultural organizations. Hop on the Cape Ann Harbor Tours Water Shuttle (free shuttle service every Thursday from 4pm to 8pm) and easily travel between these two districts while soaking in scenic waterfront views. Don’t miss these unforgettable artful summer evenings by the sea!
Check out what’s happening this week HERE

Navigating Art & Science
2025-08-28 - 2025-10-13 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Curated by Cynthia Roth, Marge Rack, and Ronda Faloon
On display through October 13
Gallery Hours: Thursday-Sunday, 12-5pm
Exhibiting Artists: Resa Blatman, Daisy Braun, Georgie Friedman, Perri Lynch Howard, Michelle Lougee, Michelle Samour, Jessica Straus, and Christopher Volpe.
Navigating Art & Science featuring eight artists who are deeply involved in scientific inquiry and activism. While local scientists search for ways to help ocean species be more resilient to survive the rapidly changing marine environment, these artists, alert to the predicament, are creating art with urgent messages for stewardship and action. The seven-week exhibit shows how art can transform the impact and implications of science into something concrete and relatable.
View and Shop the Exhibit HERE
Michelle Samour – Wired Eye X, 2019, pigmented abaca fiber, gouache, 23” x 23” (detail)

Live Music by Knotted Pine and an Artisan Trunk Sale
2025-08-21 17:00 - 19:00 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Join RNAC for a special Culture Splash live music performance by Knotted Pine and an Artisan Trunk Sale! Enjoy an evening of toe-tapping tunes and feel-good vibes with Knotted Pine, a Boston-area string band serving up a bit of grass-fed Americana and Bluegrass-adjacent sounds.
While you’re there, browse the artisan trunk sale featuring Jane Keddy with her silk scarves, prints, tea towels, sachets, and more; Judy Robinson-Cox with her whimsical “Little People” photography and assemblages; and Diane Slezak with her wheel-thrown stoneware vases and bowls, showcasing carved or wax-resist designs inspired by nature. Great music, great art and great prices!

Opening Reception: Rephrasing
2025-08-21 17:00 - 19:00 | Cove Gallery, 37 Rocky Neck Ave, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Join curator Janice Brand at the Opening Reception for Rephrasing. Meet the artists, view the art, and enjoy lively conversation and light refreshments. This event is free and open to the public.
Rephrasing, an exhibition curated by Janice Brand, encompasses the mixed-media work of Shira Karman, Tobi Klein, Helen Tory, and Patricia Wellenkamp, who utilize the concepts of adaptation and revision. This show, the fifth for the 2025 season at Cove Gallery, takes into consideration memory, family, story-telling, and definitely redefinition, or rephrasing.
Exhibit Dates: August 21 – September 14
Gallery Hours: Sunday & Monday, 12-5pm; Thursday – Saturday, 12-7pm

Rephrasing
2025-08-21 - 2025-09-14 | Cove Gallery, 37 Rocky Neck Ave, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Exhibit Dates: August 21 – September 14
Opening Reception: Thursday, August 21, 4-7 pm
Gallery Hours: Thursday-Monday, 12-5pm
Rephrasing, an exhibition curated by Janice Brand, encompasses the mixed-media work of Shira Karman, Tobi Klein, Helen Tory, and Patricia Wellenkamp, who utilize the concepts of adaptation and revision. This show, the fifth for the 2025 season at Cove Gallery, takes into consideration memory, family, story-telling, and definitely redefinition, or rephrasing.
Shira Karman focuses on fragments that relate to some other time or place, whether known or unknown. She is interested in how these fragments tell a story that she may know or hope to uncover.
Tobi Klein explores mono-printing, collage, and other mixed-media techniques, taking inspiration from the continual shifting of light, color, and pattern of the granite quarries and the sea. She builds a story, inviting viewers to peel back the layers and look below the surface.
Helen Tory uses diverse media to express her connection with birds described in her father’s 1930s nature diaries. A variety of paint, mark-making, torn papers, and string elicit each bird’s particular characteristics.
Patricia Wellenkamp uses a series of carved linoleum blocks to print on cotton and other fabrics. She incorporates embroidery, paper, and other elements to add ornamentation and complexity to images that might come from an ancestor’s dress, dahlias in her garden or imagined landscapes.

A Tribute to Little Friends Little Stories
2025-08-17 17:00 - 19:00 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
A Tribute to Little Friends Little Stories at the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck. RSVP to 978-335-8445.

What's In A Voice | An Artist Workshop with Talya Baharal
2025-08-11 - 2025-08-14 | Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA, United States
Workshop hours: 10 am – 2pm
(Students will have access to the studio from 9am to 5pm)
Join abstract painter and sculptor Talya Baharal, the 2025 Goetemann Distinguished Artist/Teacher, for an inspiring four-day workshop at Montserrat.
Baharal will share her irreverent approach and process to making art and will speak to the role of discovery and growth in non-traditional ways using collage as a dialogue with paint. The workshop will focus on exploring the making of a painter’s voice through experimentation and use of prompts to expand participants’ abstract vocabulary. The workshop will provide a supportive place to review and discuss current work of the participants.
For questions about this workshop, please contact director@rockyneckartcolony.org.

Artist Talk: Talya Baharal, 2025 Goetemann Artist Residency (GAR) Distinguished Artist
2025-08-10 17:00 - 18:00 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Join Talya Baharal, the 2025 Goetemann Artist Residency (GAR) Distinguished Artist, at her Artist Talk on August 10 from 5-6pm at The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck. Baharal will share insights into the creation of her abstract work featured in her exhibit, What’s In A Voice currently on display at the Cove Gallery. This event is free and open to the public.
Featured Image Extract: Talya Baharal, What’s In A Voice #9

Live Music by Karen Ristuben, John Hicks, and Steve Yost
2025-08-07 17:00 - 19:00 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Join RNAC for a special Culture Splash live music performance by Karen Ristuben with John Hicks and Steve Yost this Thursday, August 7 from 5-7pm. Enjoy listening to Jazz, Swing, Americana, and Bossa Nova.

Opening Reception: What's In A Voice, Paintings by Talya Baharal
2025-08-07 17:00 - 19:00 | Cove Gallery, 37 Rocky Neck Ave, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Join Tayla Baharal, the 2025 Goetemann Artist Residency Distinguished Artist, at the opening reception for her exhibit, What’s In A Voice, on display at the Cove Gallery through August 17. Meet the artist, view her work, enjoy refreshments and lively conversation. This event is free and open to the public.
Featured Image Extract: Talya Baharal, I Am Here. Now

What’s in a Voice, Paintings by Talya Baharal (2025 Goetemann Artist Residency Distinguished Artist)
2025-08-07 - 2025-08-17 | Cove Gallery, 37 Rocky Neck Ave, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Cove Gallery Hours: Thursday & Friday, 3-7pm; Saturday, 12-7pm; Sunday, 12-4pm; Monday, 11am-2pm
What’s in a Voice is an evocative exhibition by artist Talya Baharal, the 2025 GAR Distinguished Artist, that explores her evolving visual language through abstract compositions inspired by the overlooked and unexpected—cracked asphalt, broken ice, tangled wires. These works, created over recent years, reflect her ongoing search for personal voice and meaning through the layered processes of painting, disrupting, and rebuilding.
Using acrylic, ink, collage, and mixed media, Baharal uncovers structure within chaos, revealing beauty in what remains. Each piece emerges from a dialogue between destruction and creation, surface and depth—inviting moments of clarity, emotion, and discovery.
This exhibition is a meditation on remnants, resilience, and the power of uncovering meaning through mark-making. Baharal paints not for perfection, but for moments of truth. In her words: “I paint to feel alive.”
RELATED EVENTS
Opening Reception: Thursday, August 7, 5-7pm
Artist Talk: Sunday, August 10, 5pm-6pm | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, Gloucester, MA
Workshop: WHAT’S IN A VOICE: August 11-14 | Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA

Pastels: Painting from Photos with Intent with Susan Ellis
2025-08-05 10:30 - 16:00 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
In this one-day workshop, artist Susan Ellis will guide participants through her creative process for making paintings using soft pastels on sanded paper, working from their own photographs. The morning session will focus on a series of exercises designed to explore artistic “intent”—the essential element that brings depth and individuality to each painting. In the afternoon, participants will apply what they’ve learned by creating a pastel painting based on their selected photo(s).
Susan will provide sanded paper for use during the workshop. Participants are also welcome to bring their own pastel paper or preferred surfaces if desired.
Cost: $125 for RNAC members; $175 for non-RNAC members
More details & register HERE

Closing Event & Artist Talk: Six Ways of Seeing the World
2025-07-31 17:00 - 19:00 | Cove Gallery, 37 Rocky Neck Ave, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Join curator Gabrielle Rossmer and the featured artists at the Closing Event & Artist Talk sharing insights into Six Ways of Seeing the World. This event is free and open to the public.
Six Ways of Seeing the World is on display from July 10 through August 3 at Cove Gallery.
In a time marked by uncertainty and transformation, six artists come together to explore how art can serve as both personal expression and cultural reflection. Six Ways of Seeing the World, curated by Gabrielle Rossmer, offers a compelling look at how visual art helps us process, respond to, and shape our understanding of the contemporary world.
Through diverse media—painting, photography, sculpture, drawing, and collage—these six artists examine the intersections of inner life and external forces. While their approaches and mediums vary, they share a commitment to introspection, craft, and a meaningful engagement with today’s fractured landscape.
Together, these artists demonstrate six unique but interconnected ways of seeing. Their works push the boundaries of their chosen media, reflecting on today’s world with vulnerability, insight, and artistic rigor.

Culture Splash 2025 : Rocky Neck
2025-07-31 16:00 - 19:00 | MA
THURSDAY NIGHTS IN JULY & AUGUST, 4PM-7PM | View this week’s itinerary HERE
Now in its 5th summer, Culture Splash is back to celebrate Gloucester’s vibrant cultural districts—Rocky Neck and Harbortown. Dive into this lively weekly series featuring local artists, musicians, performers, and cultural organizations. Hop on the Cape Ann Harbor Tours Water Shuttle (free shuttle service every Thursday from 4pm to 8pm) and easily travel between these two districts while soaking in scenic waterfront views. Don’t miss these unforgettable artful summer evenings by the sea!
Check out what’s happening this week HERE

Drawing: Double Figure Compositions with Amy Sudarsky
2025-07-29 10:30 - 15:30 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Use dry media (charcoal, pencil) to create two drawings from one model, then combine for a double composition. Led by Amy Sudarsky.
Register HERE

Rocky Neck Historic Walking Tour
2025-07-26 11:00 - 12:30 | Rocky Neck, Gloucester, MA, 01930
Rocky Neck Historic Walking Tour

Rocky Neck Historic Walking Tour are back for the season! This guided public walking tour covers the rich history of Rocky Neck Art Colony, showcasing the many artists who worked here, especially from the late nineteenth century to today. Artists such as Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer, Augustus Buhler, John Sloan, Theresa Bernstein, Stuart Davis, and Emile Gruppe found artistic inspiration and community in this peninsula.
Join one of our knowledgeable volunteer docents on the tour and follow a path that held studios and gathering places of the artists, interspersed with the fishing shacks, sail lofts, and schooner docks of the fishing industry that grew up here over the same period. It will include recognition of the many galleries that contribute to the Rocky Neck community today. The tour also describes the importance of transportation and the proliferation of hotels that encouraged the growth of Rocky Neck as an artist community, as well as other notable historic events.
RNAC’s Historic Walking Tours last from 1- to 1.5 hours and cover approximately .75 miles. Tours begin at the Rocky Neck Parking Lot and end at the Rocky Neck Cultural Center, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA.
Participants are encouraged to park in the parking lot at the entrance to Rocky Neck where a volunteer tour guide meets the group. Comfortable shoes are encouraged. Be prepared to walk on uneven terrain and up a hill.
The 2025 public tours will be take place on Saturdays at 11am:
July 12 & 21
August 9 & 23
September 6 & 20
Tours are limited to 15 people.
Cost: $10 for RNAC members or $25 for nonmembers. Become a RNAC member HERE.
For more information email director@rockyneckartcolony.org or call 978-515-7004. Tours may be cancelled in inclement weather.
Click HERE for more information and to reserve your place!

Culture Splash 2025 Rocky Neck
2025-07-24 16:00 - 19:00 | MA

Larry Volk: Artist Talk & Conversation
2025-07-23 18:30 - 20:00 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Join artist Larry Volk at this Artist Talk for a discussion on how images and ephemera can be used to create expressions and narratives of family history and lineage. In addition, Volk will share his approach to working with photographs and the book format, and how he develops forms that expand the possibilities of image-based storytelling. This event is free and open to the public.
About the Artist
As a visual artist, Larry works with a range of photographic media. His work has been shown nationally and is held in both private and public collections. He is an associate professor at Endicott College and was recently included in an artist profile in Aspect Initiative https://www.aspectinitiative.com/. For complete information, visit larryvolk.com.

Opening Reception: Boundless: The Art of the Book
2025-07-20 17:00 - 19:00 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
View the work, meet the artists, and enjoy refreshments and lively conversation at the opening reception for Boundless: The Art of the Book. This event is free and open to the public.

This dynamic exhibition explores the rich and ever-evolving world of the book as an art form. Featuring artist books, altered books, and book illustration, Boundless: The Art of the Book showcases imaginative approaches to storytelling, visual poetry, personal narratives, and inventive book structures. Visitors will encounter works that range from the traditional to the avant-garde—books that hang, twist, stand, open like advent calendars, or defy conventional forms altogether.
The exhibition presents an array of techniques including letterpress, etching, monoprint, painting, photography, and mixed media. Through these varied practices, artists interrogate themes of memory, imagination, identity, and the contemporary moment. View the online shop and exhibit HERE

Book Talk & Author Signing: Alan Weisman
2025-07-17 19:00 - 20:30 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
HOPE DIES LAST: Visionary People Across the World, Fighting to Find Us a Future
Thursday, July 17, 7-8:30pm
The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester
Free event and open to the public

Bestselling author and environmental journalist Alan Weisman returns with HOPE DIES LAST: Visionary People Across the World, Fighting to Find Us a Future. A decade in the making, this powerful new book follows Weisman across the globe where he meets those confronting the planet’s most urgent crises. Scientists, architects, artists, indigenous elders, Gen Z strategists, and even a Michelin-starred chef share imaginative, solution-driven responses to the climate emergency.
Profoundly human and moving, HOPE DIES LAST is both a literary evocation of our current predicament and a rejoinder to climate anxiety. Through vivid storytelling, he profiles bold thinkers reimagining our relationship with the Earth—offering an uplifting portrait of human resilience, resolve, and the courage to forge a livable path forward against overwhelming odds.

Boundless: The Art of the Book
2025-07-17 - 2025-08-24 | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
View the online shop and exhibit HERE

This dynamic exhibition explores the rich and ever-evolving world of the book as an art form. Featuring artist books, altered books, and book illustration, Boundless showcases imaginative approaches to storytelling, visual poetry, personal narratives, and inventive book structures. Visitors will encounter works that range from the traditional to the avant-garde—books that hang, twist, stand, open like advent calendars, or defy conventional forms altogether.
The exhibition presents a wide array of techniques, including letterpress, etching, monoprint, painting, photography, and mixed media. Through these varied practices, artists explore themes of memory, imagination, identity, and the contemporary moment.
Boundless features contributions from a distinguished group of 29 artists, including local creatives, university faculty, and artists affiliated with book arts communities throughout New England and beyond—Boston, Philadelphia, New York, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Exhibiting Artists:
Ren Barnes, Stevens Brosnihan, Rachel Church, Pamela Courtleigh, Haig Demarjian, Mary Dewey, Madge Evers, Lynda Fatalo, Cristina Hajosy, Hannah Jacoby-Brooks, Linda Kauss, Giles Laroche, Kelle Louaillier, Leslie Lyman, Fred Lynch, Claire B. Marcus, Cynthia Marsh, R. Ellis Orrall, Sarah Parella, Rhoda Rosenberg, Lynne Sausele, Mary Beth Smith, Lorna Stevens, Juni Van Dyke, Anna Vojtech, Larry Volk, Karen Watson, Antoinette Winters, Kyung Eun You.
Other Related Events
An Opening Reception will be held on Sunday, July 20, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. The public is warmly invited to view the work, meet the artists, and enjoy refreshments and lively conversation.
Featured image: Sarah Parella, News Cycle
