Provincetown Art Association and Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Provincetown Art Association and Museum

PAAM entrance
Former name	Provincetown Art Association
Established	22 August 1914 (1914-08-22) (Association)
Location	460 Commercial Street, Provincetown, Massachusetts
Type	Art Museum

The Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) is a cool art museum in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It's like a special club for art lovers and artists! The museum is officially recognized by the American Alliance of Museums.

PAAM started way back on August 22, 1914. Back then, it was just called the Provincetown Art Association. Its main goal was to collect, save, show, and teach people about art made by artists from Cape Cod. This included many different styles, like Impressionism, Modernism, and Futurism.

The main building at 460 Commercial Street is a historic place. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1970, the group changed its name to include "Museum." Today, PAAM has about 700 artist members. It also has a huge collection of over 4,000 artworks. The museum hosts many art shows every year.

History of PAAM

How PAAM Started

Charles Hawthorne teaching an outdoor painting class. This is called plein air painting!

Provincetown has the oldest summer art colony on the East Coast. An art school opened there in 1899, started by Charles Hawthorne. On August 22, 1914, a group of famous artists and local business people created the Provincetown Art Association.

Some of the first leaders included William H. Young and artists like Charles Hawthorne and E. Ambrose Webster. Many other artists were also involved, like Gerrit Beneker and Charles Demuth. For the first two years, the Association met in people's homes. Later, they moved to a church for bigger meetings and lectures.

In the summer of 1915, the artists held their first two art shows. They showed their art at the Provincetown Town Hall. Artists like Beneker and Hawthorne gave their artworks to start the museum's collection. This began a tradition of collecting and showing local artists' work.

By this time, Provincetown had become a popular spot for artists. Many artists came back from Europe because of the war. In 1916, Provincetown was called "The Biggest Art Colony in the World." It was known for new art styles like Impressionism and Futurism. These styles focused on bright colors and light. Famous art schools were led by Hawthorne and George Elmer Browne. Another modern art school was led by Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt. There was even a school for etchers (artists who make prints). Some artists lived in Provincetown all year, but many came just for the summers.

PAAM's Buildings and Spaces

PAAM became even more important when it got its own building. In 1919, the association bought an old house. In 1921, they bought the next-door property at 460 Commercial Street. The old house was taken down, and the building at 460 Commercial Street was made into an art gallery. This building is now a historic landmark. The first art show in this new space was in 1921.

Over the years, the museum added more gallery spaces. The Little Gallery opened in 1930. The Hawthorne Memorial Gallery opened in 1942. In 1960, the large Hofmann Gallery was created. The Ross Moffett Gallery opened in 1978. The Herman and Mary Robinson Museum School also opened in the 1970s. By 1978, the museum even had a special vault to store its growing art collection.

However, by 2001, the building was getting old and needed repairs. A big renovation and expansion project started in 2004. It was designed by Machado and Silvetti Associates. This project made the museum much better for storing and showing art. In 2005, a new wing was added. This doubled the museum's space!

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  PAAM's Hans Hofmann gallery

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  The new wing at PAAM

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  Visitors outside of the front museum entrance

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  A life drawing course in session

Today, PAAM has five galleries on the first floor. They always have new exhibitions (art shows) to see. There are also three sculpture gardens around the building. The Lillian Orlowsky and Willian Freed Museum School offers classes in drawing, painting, and printmaking. The whole building has a special system to control the temperature all year.

PAAM's building is also very eco-friendly! It earned a Silver LEED rating. This means it was designed to save energy and natural resources. The renovation project also won awards for its design. The new part of the museum uses special wood shingles. This design shows how the museum blends old traditions with new, modern ideas.

Art in the Twentieth Century

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  Bror Nordfeldt, "The Art Student", 1921

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  Minnie Rogers Steele, "The Sally Annie", 1923

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  Margaretta Gratz Brown, "Commercial Street"

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  E. A. Webster (1869-1935) , "Anemone, La Gaude, France," 1926

The artists who started PAAM were mostly from the Impressionist style. They didn't always like the new Modernist art movement. So, the museum had to find a way to show both types of art.

Between 1927 and 1937, PAAM had separate shows. They had "Modern" exhibitions in July and "Regular" (traditional) exhibitions in August. The first "Modernistic Exhibition" in 1927 showed artists like Jack Tworkov and George Ault. Later, in 1936, they decided to combine the shows. They would hang both modern and traditional art in the same gallery, but on opposite walls! By 1939, they went back to having two shows each summer.

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  First Annual exhibition cover, 1915

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  Tod Lindenmuth, Annual Exhibition cover, 1916

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  Dorothy Lake Gregory, Annual Exhibition cover, 1921

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  Marguerite Zorach, Annual Exhibition cover, 1922

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  Modern Exhibition cover, 1930

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  Annual Exhibition cover, 1933

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  Second Exhibition cover, 1940 (Twenty-sixth Season)

The 1930s and early 1940s were tough times. This was because of the Great Depression and World War II. Florence Bradshaw Brown helped lead the art association during these years. She helped local artists get federal aid through the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Many artists, like Karl Knaths and Blanche Lazzell, worked on these projects.

The Hawthorne Memorial Gallery opened in 1942. It showed 12 paintings by Charles Webster Hawthorne. The museum didn't have regular annual shows in 1942 and 1943 because of the war. But volunteers still managed to put on some shows despite the challenges.

By 1947, the museum was back to its normal schedule. New artists like Madeleine L'Engle and Adolph Gottlieb were featured. In the 1950s, a new art style called Abstract Expressionism became popular. This style had been started in Provincetown by Hans Hofmann in 1934.

In 1964, PAAM celebrated its 50th birthday! They had a special show of their most important artists. This show helped Provincetown get national attention for its art. It also led to the creation of the Fine Arts Work Center.

For the next 30 years, the museum continued to be led by both artists and community members. It kept its two main goals: collecting art and supporting artists. The collection grew to include over 3,000 artworks by artists from the Outer Cape.

PAAM in the Twenty-first Century

PAAM still collects both old and new artworks. The galleries are also used for concerts, jazz shows, dance, and spoken word performances. The new studio classrooms are great for art programs for kids and teens. They also have classes for adults at the Lillian Orlowsky William Freed Museum School.

Timeline of Art in Provincetown

Here are some important art events in Provincetown's history:

PAAM's Art Collection

PAAM's permanent collection has art by many artists who have lived or worked on the Outer Cape. Some of the artists in the collection include Mary Cecil Allen, Janice Biala, Charles Demuth, Edwin Dickinson, Helen Frankenthaler, Hans Hofmann, Josephine Hopper, Franz Kline, Lee Krasner, Blanche Lazzell, Ross Moffett, Robert Motherwell, Man Ray, John Singer Sargent, Andy Warhol, and Agnes Weinrich.

Art Classes and Programs

Summer 2009 intern Sarah Toscano with kids in an art class.

The Lillian Orlowsky/William Freed Museum School offers many classes and programs all year. In the summer (May to September), they have over seventy studio courses. These include classes in drawing, printmaking, and outdoor painting. They also have computer classes.

You can join life drawing sessions twice a week all year long. The Museum School also has open print studio hours in the winter. During fall, winter, and spring, they offer longer workshops and master classes. These programs show that PAAM wants to offer art learning for everyone. This includes total beginners, experienced artists, and everyone in between!

Besides adult classes, the Museum School also has classes for children and teens. "Art Reach" is a 28-week after-school program for Provincetown High School students. PAAM also helps students curate (choose and arrange) art shows. They offer fun art workshops for children in the summer.

The museum also hosts free educational talks. The Fredi Schiff Levin Lecture Series runs from June through September. Other talks happen throughout the year. Artists, authors, and art historians come to speak. They talk about the history of the Provincetown Art Colony and today's art scene.

See also

• Provincetown Printers, an art colony from the early 20th century