Upcoming Events
Emerging Perspectives - Works by Artists 18-30
This annual show attempts to engage a young population of artists in the history and future of RNAC. We strive to offer emerging artists an opportunity for exposure and experience working with a gallery.
Strum and Sing with the Cape Ann Guitar Society
Join the Cape Ann Guitar Society the third Thursday of the month for Strum and Sing. A no-pressure opportunity to play and sing with members of the community. All levels welcome.
Life Drawing with Live Models
Drawing the figure is not easy, but your comfort and skills will soar with regular practice. These sessions are offered weekly and are drop-in, featuring a different professional model.
Just Looking: A Collection of Drawings and Musings by Linda Kauss
Join multidisciplinary artist Linda Kauss for an evening celebrating Just Looking: A Collection of Drawings and Musings, a deeply personal work rooted in creative exploration and intuition.
Life Drawing with Live Models
Drawing the figure is not easy, but your comfort and skills will soar with regular practice. These sessions are offered weekly and are drop-in, featuring a different professional model.
The Language of Presence
This solo show brings together oil paintings that transform observed nature into imagined scenes, cave-inspired works evoking prehistoric mark-making, and text-based paintings that turn everyday sensory journaling into visual expression.
Workshop: The EYES Have It
A one-day drawing intensive workshop, led by Amy Sudarsky. Finally, learn to master the ins and outs of eyes using a live model and photographs.
Play as Practice
Five artists whose work walks the line of abstraction and representation, and interested in sharing their process of visual investigation.
Rhythm and Rhyme - Works Inspired by Music and Lyrics
The structural pattern of music has long been a muse for the visual arts. Artists are invited to submit up to five works inspired by music or musical lyrics in any media.
Workshop: Hair, Beautiful Hair
A one-day drawing intensive workshop, led by Amy Sudarsky, focusing on how to draw hair -- on top of one's head, underneath it and all around it.
Let Go
A small group show presenting a dynamic body of paintings that explore what can emerge when control is loosened and expectation falls away.
We Hold These Truths…American Stories
Timed for the nation’s 250th, a juried open call exhibit celebrating a breadth of visual American stories.
Interconnected
Works on canvas and paper installed alongside ceramic and mixed-media sculptures will invite viewers to consider their place in a larger, complex, and interconnected world.
Making an Impression - Traditional & Contemporary Printmaking
Making an Impression brings together traditional and contemporary printmakers from the greater Cape Ann region in an exhibition that aims to inspire, educate, and engage visitors through appreciation of the varied and expressive work on display.
Piece by Piece: The Art of Assemblage
Discover the magic when individual objects, no matter how similar or different, are joined into an entirely new work.
YES! Year End Show – All Members
A veritable salon of recent artworks from all our members. A large exhibition of many genres of art, in celebration of the creative spirit alive at RNAC.
Beaux Arts Ball Halloween Bash
Mark your calendars for this year's Beaux Arts Ball Halloween Bash. More details to follow!
Life Drawing with Live Models
Drawing the figure is not easy, but your comfort and skills will soar with regular practice. These sessions are offered weekly and are drop-in, featuring a different professional model.
Gloucester National Honors Art Society Students at Cove Gallery
This three-day exhibition features artwork by talented young junior and senior artists from Gloucester High School’s chapter of the National Art Honor Society. Presented in collaboration with Cape Ann Art Haven.
March Music Month: Andrew Cohen on Blues Guitar Concert
Join Rocky Neck Art Colony and the Cape Ann Guitar Society for the final concert in the March Music Month series featuring Andrew Cohen on Blues Guitar.
March Music Month: Andrew Cohen on Blues Guitar Workshop
Join Rocky Neck Art Colony and the Cape Ann Guitar Society for Andrew Cohen on Blues Guitar Workshop in the March Music Month series.
March Painting: White on White Painting Class with Amy Sudarsky
Amy Sudarsky will teach this three-day painting class from March 25 through March 27. This is a portrait/figure class with a focus on the colors of white (perfect after this winter!).
Beyond Critique: Using our Senses to Experience Art
Can we look and experience the work through our senses, without critical judgment taking over? What possibilities does that open up in our own work? RNAC artist Robin Colodzin will lead this workshop.
Life Drawing with Live Models
Drawing the figure is not easy, but your comfort and skills will soar with regular practice. These sessions are offered weekly and are drop-in, featuring a different professional model.
March Music Month: Steve Lacey on Jazz Guitar Concert
Join Rocky Neck Art Colony and the Cape Ann Guitar Society for the third concert in the March Music Month series featuring Steve Lacey on Jazz Guitar Concert.
Life Drawing with Live Models
Drawing the figure is not easy, but your comfort and skills will soar with regular practice. These sessions are offered weekly and are drop-in, featuring a different professional model.
March Music Month: Jason Ji on Fingerstyle Guitar Concert
Join Rocky Neck Art Colony and the Cape Ann Guitar Society for the second concert in the March Music Month series featuring Jason Ji on Fingerstyle Guitar.
RNAC All Members Meeting
Calling all RNAC members! Join us at our next All Members meeting to learn about the latest and greatest news and happenings.
March Music Month: Daniel Villela on Classical Guitar
Rocky Neck Art Colony in partnership with the Cape Ann Guitar Society is launching its first annual March Music Month at the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck. This new series features four concerts and one workshop this March showcasing a wide range of musical styles. Join us for the first concert in the series featuring Daniel Villela on classical guitar.
Women by Amy Sudarsky: Nude Portraits From the Last Decade
This exhibition features Amy Sudarsky's life-size paintings of women who meet the viewer’s gaze with pride, warmth, and quiet strength. View the exhibit by appointment only or during the March Music Month concert series.
Boxy but Good - Intro to Cornell Boxes
Interested in building a momento mori or memory garden? Belle Carver Struck artist/educator (and Director of Newburyport Art) will lead Class this workshop. She will bring examples and demonstrate options for assemblage.
Life Drawing with Live Models
Drawing the figure is not easy, but your comfort and skills will soar with regular practice. These sessions are offered weekly and are drop-in, featuring a different professional model.
Life Drawings with Live Model
Drawing the figure is not easy, but your comfort and skills will soar with regular practice. Each session is drop-in, featuring a different professional model. Weekly Session: MONDAYS, 1pm-4pm
RNAC Member Showcase - Juried by Shana Dumont Garr
Member Showcase is Rocky Neck Art Colony’s final exhibition of the season featuring seven distinctive bodies of work by RNAC members – John Bassett, Michelle Champion, Eser Costanza, Joanne Hurd, Patricia Scialo, Brian Murphy, R. D. Murphy – selected by juror Shana Dumont Garr.
Dumont Garr selected works that “possess remarkable vibrancy of color, composition, and method. Some of this vibrancy emerges through palette and medium; others through a sense of whimsy or the handmade.” This exhibition celebrates artistic excellence and innovation across a wide range of media and subjects. By featuring more work from fewer artists, Member Showcase invites viewers to engage more deeply with each artist’s vision and process.
Bottom Jaw, Brian Murphy; Mythical Forest, Eser Costanza; Pretty Bug Dance, Joanne Hurd; Y Rise, John Bassett; Summer Bloom, Michele Champion; Shadow Box Assemblage; Patricia Scialo; Lunch Hour at the Boatyard, R D Murphy
Opening Reception
Sunday, October 26, 4-6 pm
Artists’ Talk: Meet the Murphy Bros
Sunday, November 23, 2-3pm
Gallery Hours
Friday-Sunday, 12-5 pm
INTER / PLAY
INTER / PLAY is a group exhibition bringing together five Cape Ann-based artists to explore the dynamic relationships between solitude, nature, and the creative process.
Rephrasing
Rephrasing, encompasses the mixed-media work of Shira Karman, Tobi Klein, Helen Tory, and Patricia Wellenkamp, who utilize the concepts of adaptation and revision.
Navigation Art & Science
Curated by Cynthia Roth, Marge Rack, and Ronda Faloon
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.
While all the work in the exhibition has been created in response to human impact on the environment, in addition, several of the artists have been inspired by expeditions to the Arctic Circle and Greenland and residencies in marine laboratories on Cape Ann and beyond. The seven-week exhibit shows how art can transform the impact and implications of science into something concrete, visible and personal.
The exhibit coincides with a city-wide initiative STAND UP for Art & Science, coordinated by Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute volunteers.
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Resa Blatman, Daisy Braun, Georgie Friedman, Perri Lynch Howard, Michelle Lougee, Michelle Samour, Jessica Straus, and Christopher Volpe
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“Copy and Acknowledge” A New Play by Ken Riaf
A sneak preview of Ken Riaf’s new play, Copy and Acknowledge read by Lanes Coven Theater Co. actors.
Sunday, September 7, 7pmOceans of Uncertainty: Art and the Science of Global Warming
An artists’ panel discussion addressing climate change in their work. Moderated by artist and writer, Chris Volpe with artists Daisy Braun and Michelle Lougee.
Sunday, September 28, 4 pm
Wired Eye VIII, Michelle Samour; The Breaking With Spaces, Resa Blatman; Lost Legends Outbound, Perri Howard; Blood Knot, Perri Howard; Sea Urchins, Michelle Lougee; Souvenir, Footprint, Michelle Lougee; King Cod, Jessica Strauss; Untitled; Georgie Friedman Video with Jessica Strauss’ Fish; Plankton, Daisy Braun
Artists Reception
Sunday, September 14, 4-6 pm
Gallery Hours
Thursday, 12-7 pm
Friday-Sunday, 12-5 pm
What’s in a Voice, Solo Exhibition with Talya Baharal
What’s In A Voice is a captivating 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.”
Opening Reception
Thursday, August 7, 5-7 pm
Artist Talk
Sunday, August 10, 5-6 pm
Gallery Hours
Thursday & Friday, 3-7 pm; Saturday, 12-7 pm; Sunday, 12-4 pm; Monday, 11 am-2 pm
Boundless: The Art of the Book
Boundless: The Art of the Book is a dynamic exhibition exploring the rich and ever-evolving world of the book as an art form.
Six Ways of Seeing the World
Living in a fraught time, the six artists in this show all explore their connections to the wider world within the parameter of their esthetic vision. Visual, creative and ideational points of contact can be seen between the artists.
The Healing of Art
Curated by Rebecca Ann Nagle
The Healing of Art is a thoughtfully curated show explores the four realms of healing—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—through a wide range of media including painting, sculpture, mixed media, and encaustic.
Featuring the work of Ryan Kelley, Judith Brassard Brown, Deborah Gonet, and curator Rebecca Ann Nagle, the exhibition highlights how the creative process itself becomes a path to healing. Working in solitude, each artist draws from the ego, mind, soul, and spirit, channeling personal and collective experiences into powerful visual expressions.
Their work responds to personal surroundings, global events, climate and landscape, and the social and political challenges that shape our lives and communities. Through making, they find a meditative, reparative space—a process that helps to reflect on, process, and heal from trauma or imbalance.
As viewers engage with the artwork, they are invited into this process—connecting to their own stories and struggles. The experience becomes not only personal but also collective: a shared space for empathy, reflection, and renewal.
The Road Ahead, Judith Brassard Brown; Prominence, Ryan Kelley; Ode to Joan Mitchell, Rebecca Anne Nagle; Landscape, Deborah Gonet
Opening Reception
Saturday, June 14, 3-5 pm
Gallery Hours
Sunday, 12-4 pm
Monday, 11 am - 2 pm
Thursday & Friday, 3-7 pm
Sat 12-7 pm
The Shape of Things
The Shape of Things, juried by Adria Arch, showcases the work of 17 artists from the Greater Boston area: Mary Bablitch, Steven Cabral, Cyrille Conan, Monica DeSalvo, Carin Doben, Barbe Ennis, Bette Frank Leahy, Roberta Nigro Hall, Nancy Harrod, L. Marie Lamarche, Ellen Liner, David McCoy, Laura Menucci, Kimberly Quint, Allison Tanenhaus, Amantha Tsaros, and Leslie Zelamsky.
The exhibition featured 47 works, ranging from painting and mixed media to sculpture and video, all united by their innovative use of shape as a central element of design.
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Adria Arch is a Boston-based sculptor, painter, and installation artist who has been awarded residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Sanskriti Foundation in Delhi, and in Auvillar, France. Her work is included in many private and public collections including the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Danforth Art, and the Fitchburg Art Museum, as well as Fidelity Corporation, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. In 2019 her work was featured at the Fitchburg Art Museum, and in 2020 at the Cahoon Museum of American Art. Most recently, Arch was commissioned by Google to create a permanent room-sized installation. Arch has shown at the Boston Sculptors Gallery, Brattleboro Art Museum in Vermont and the Danforth Museum in Framingham, MA. This year, she will present solo exhibitions at Lake George Arts Project and at San Luis Obispo Art Museum in California. Arch taught at Montserrat College of Art, Endicott College and Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She has lectured at the Danforth Museum, the Weston Arts and Innovation Center Women in Installation series, and the Boston Sculptors Gallery.
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The Shape of Abstraction: Tracing a Visual Revolution
presented by Adria Arch
Wednesday, June 25, 2025Boston-based artist and educator Adria Arch gave an engaging image-based presentation exploring the language of abstraction in art. This talk traced the evolution of abstract art in Western art history—beginning with early pioneers such as Hilma af Klint, Wassily Kandinsky, and Georgia O’Keeffe, through the explosive energy of the Abstract Expressionists like Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, and culminated in the work of contemporary artists who continue to redefine and expand abstraction today.
This visually rich presentation traced abstraction’s radical departure from representational traditions, examining how artists began to express emotional, spiritual, and intellectual concepts through non-objective forms, colors, and compositions. Arch highlighted pivotal moments when artists broke from convention to develop a new visual language that prioritized formal elements over literal depiction.
Special attention was given to pioneering women abstractionists whose contributions were often overlooked in traditional art historical narratives. The lecture concluded with an exploration of how contemporary artists continue to push the boundaries of abstraction, incorporating new technologies, cultural influences, and conceptual frameworks that revitalize this enduring artistic approach.
Cha Cha Heels, Amantha Tsaros; Fragile Balance, Nancy Harrod; Acceleration, Monica DeSalvo; Night Fever, Mary Bablitch, Small Study 24, Steven Cabral; Choice, Laura Menucci; High Wire, Kimberly Quint; MADIG Candy, Cyrille Conan; Resilience, Carin Doben; Web 2, Bette Frank Leahy
Opening Reception
Sunday, June 8, 2025, 5-7 pm
Gallery Hours
Thursday, 12-7 pm
Friday-Sunday, 12 -5 pm
Energy of Color
Curated by Nic Bannerman, Energy of Color explores the profound relationship between artists and their environments. The distinct palettes of land, sea, and sky influence both conscious and instinctive artistic choices. The result is a body of work that pulses with life, emotion, and a deep sense of place. Experience a dynamic range of media, including painting, ceramics, and photography, all unified by a passionate engagement with color as a storytelling force.
This immersive and vibrant show features the work of North Shore artists who draw inspiration from the striking hues and natural beauty of Cape Ann and beyond. Whether rooted in the shimmering coastal light or influenced by far-flung travels, each piece in this exhibition offers a unique interpretation of color’s emotional and expressive power.
Energy of Color explores the profound relationship between artists and their environments. The distinct palettes of land, sea, and sky influence both conscious and instinctive artistic choices. The result is a body of work that pulses with life, emotion, and a deep sense of place.
“Color is more than a visual experience—it’s memory, mood, and moment,” says painter and curator Nic Bannerman. “This show invites viewers to feel the world as we do—through the lens of color.”
Visitors will experience a dynamic range of media, including painting, ceramics, and photography, all unified by their passionate engagement with color as a storytelling force.
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Danette English (ceramic artist), Pia Juhl Nadel (painter), Martin Sorger (painter), Jonathan Wilson (photographer), and Nic Bannerman (painter, curator).
Deconstructed Flower Vase, Danette English; Between Us 5, Martin Sorger; Two Boats, Gloucester, MA, Jonathan Wilson; Gloucester Motive 3, Pia Juhl Nadel; Shoreline, Nic Bannerman
Opening Reception
Friday, May 16, 5-7 pm
Closing Reception
Sunday June 8, 2-5 pm
Gallery Hours
Sunday & Monday 12-5 pm
Thursday-Saturday, 12-7 pm
Intelligence of Touch
Curated by interdisciplinary artist and Rocky Neck native Kyle Browne
Intelligence of Touch, showcases six young women artists working in Boston and Cape Ann who challenge artistic conventions in two- and three-dimensional forms. Dominique Nelson, Loretta Park, Alex Stroup, Kate Wildman, H. Wolfe, and Browne investigate concepts of mapping, imagined worlds, corporeal landscapes, and transformation, creating unexpected and emotive visual narratives that highlight the energetic exchange between body, material, and concept.
Light Being, Kyle Brown; Bliss Pearls; Kyle Brown; Kyle Brown, exhibition curator; Untitled, Tan Green Pt. 1, H Wolfe; Untitled, Purple, H Wolfe; Study #26, Dominique Nelson; Study #14, Dominique Nelson; Rainsburg, Alex Stroup; Angel Skate, Alex Stroup
Opening Reception
Sunday, April 13, 4-6 pm
Artist Panel Discussion
Sunday, May 4, 3-4:30 pm
Gallery Hours
Friday–Sunday, 12-5 pm
Rocky Neck Now 2025
Rocky Neck Art Colony (RNAC) kicked off its 2025 exhibition season with Rocky Neck Now, the annual members show. Featuring 92 artists, the exhibition showcased diverse works in painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, and more, reflecting contemporary creativity from bold abstracts to evocative realism.
(Don’t) Drink Me, Paula Borsetti; Birds of a Feather, Susan Guest McPhail; Embellished Nest, Barbe Ennis; Birdland, Kai Vlahos; The Visitor, Claudia Valenti; Cripple Cove Reflections, Tom Robinson-Cox; East Main Street Walk, Vanessa Michalak; Quietude, Helen Duncan; Waiting, Roy McCauley; Just for the Halibut, Mary Salerno; Halibut Point Rockport, Joreen White; Happiness in Spite of it All, Elizabeth Bish; Shoreline, Beth Delforge; Brightest Winter, Ben Herbert; Unsaid, Anne Gilson; A Letter from Home, Ann Lafferty
Opening Reception
Sunday, February 23, 4-6 pm
Artist Talk
Saturday, March 8 & Sunday, March 9, 1-3 pm
Gallery Hours
Friday-Sunday, 12-5 pm
YES! All Members Year End Show
YES! is a year-end celebration of creativity at the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck—where art, community, and inspiration come together. This smorgasbord of artistic endeavor features one recent work each of nearly 70 RNAC members, offering a snapshot of these artist’s individual practice and an overview of this creative community as a whole.
Andy Matlow, Existence and Uniqueness; Don Gorvett, Point of View Beacon Marine; Gross, LA Rising; Otto Laske, The Flame; Paige Farrell, Dance We Three; Pat Alto, Splendor; Sue Funk, Fractured Illusions; Susan Guest McPhail, I See; Tom Robinson-Cox, Orion II; Vanessa Michalak, Halibut Point
Opening Reception
Sunday November 24, 4-6 pm
Gallery Hours
Friday-Sunday, 12-5 pm
Phyllis Feld - A Retrospective
The Rocky Neck Art Colony proudly presents Phyllis Feld—A Retrospective, a three-day exhibition curated by Dina Gomery, showcasing the works of Phyllis Feld (1941–2023).
Phyllis Feld, a Gloucester resident, worked from her studio overlooking the inspiring Cripple Cove. An award-winning artist and cherished member of the Cape Ann arts community, Phyllis passed away suddenly in May 2023 at the age of 81, leaving works in progress and dreams of new creations. She loved painting en plein air, finding the experience both challenging and “liberating.”
A perfectionist with high standards, Phyllis brought the same dedication to her art as she did to her career as a space designer. Her oil paintings are known for their fine detail, tonal depth, and atmospheric quality. She was an active member of the Rocky Neck Art Colony, North Shore Arts Association, Gallery 53 (now The Salted Cod), Central Street Gallery in Manchester-by-the-Sea, and the Marblehead and Concord Art Associations.
This retrospective offers an opportunity to honor Phyllis's memory, celebrate her legacy, and reflect on her contributions to the artistic community.
Phyllis Feld, Cabbage Reflection; The Nichols Homestead; Remembering; Sumac; The Marsh at Cutty Hunk; Rising Clouds; Stage Fort Park
Reception
Sunday, October 13, 3-6 pm
Gallery Hours
Saturday-Monday, 12-6 pm