Artists Association of Nantucket

The Artists Association of Nantucket promotes the visual arts on the island. Through educational programs, exhibits, and special events, AAN is busy year round fostering appreciation of the arts. In 2015, the association celebrates the opening of a new building, the Visual Arts Center, on Amelia Drive. This building allows for expanded class and workshop offerings, events, and exhibitions in the months of July and August for both children and adults. The association’s largest fundraiser of the year, the Summer Art Auction and Gala, takes place on July 11. The Sidewalk Art Shows return this summer on July 2 and August 15. Artists paint throughout the day and visitors can buy paintings directly from the artists. For more information, visit nantucketarts.org.

Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod

The Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod celebrates its 20th anniversary season this year with an exceptional juried show featuring world-renowned New Zealand pastelist Tony Allain as juror. Allain teaches two master workshops in June. The juried exhibition runs June 17 to July 12, located at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod, with submissions coming from artists across the country. President Ed Chesnovitch says of the the show, “People are really surprised by all the variety in the pastel world. It’s often thought of as a way to paint, instead of a medium, and so people are always blown away by the quality of the work.” For more information, visit pastelpainterssocietyofcapecod.com.
Cape Cod Writers Center

The Cape Cod Writers Center has nurtured aspiring writers since 1963. From brainstorming, to editing, to publishing, the Writers Center strives to help writers of all abilities and backgrounds achieve their literary goals. This year, the center hosts its 53rd annual conference, “Inspired Storytelling by the Sea,” from August 6 through August 9, at the Resort and Conference Center in Hyannis. Keynote speakers include Marge Piercy, author of 17 novels, and Claire Cook, author of novel-turned-hit-film Must Love Dogs. For more information, visit capecodwriterscenter.org.
Henry Beston Society

Henry Beston wrote The Outermost House while living on the dunes of Eastham in 1928. The memoir, considered one of America’s most influential environmental movement works, was a major contributing factor to the Cape Cod National Seashore’s creation. The Henry Beston Society works to preserve and promote Beston’s legacy. Co-founder of the society, Don Wilding, produced a documentary based on his book Henry Beston’s Cape Cod: How the Outermost House Inspired a National Seashore. Throughout the summer, Wilding screens the documentary. In addition, the Beston Society partners with the Eastham Historical Society to present, “The Outermost House at the Schoolhouse,” an exhibit in the 1869 Schoolhouse Museum, featuring Outermost House artifacts. For more information, visit henrybeston.org

Creative Arts Center

The Creative Arts Center in Chatham is dedicated to the appreciation of art in all forms, providing workshops and classes throughout the year as well as exhibits and other events. The center hosts workshops taught by master painters during the summer. Guest instructors in 2015 include William Davis, Daniel Keys, and Kathy Anderson, all renowned artists. The center’s 44th Festival of the Arts runs from August 14-16, showcasing a wide variety of art; visitors can purchase art works and crafts at the festival. There is also a children’s tent for activities, crafts, and face painting. For more information, visit capecodcreativearts.org.

Cape Cod Potters, Inc.

Cape Cod Potters, Inc. serves as a hub for local potters. The group is “an educational, charitable organization, whose purpose is to educate people around ceramics and be as charitable as possible.” The potters put on an annual workshop offered at a reduced rate to attract a wide audience, featuring a nationally renowned potter. The potters’ largest charity event is “Soup Bowls for Hunger.” The event is a partnership with Cape Cod Regional Technical High School; members of the potters craft bowls and the tech students make the soup that is then sold at the fundraiser. The 2015 “Soup Bowls for Hunger” raised over $14,000 for the Family Food Pantry. For more information, visit capecodpotters.org

Cape Cod Art Association

The Cape Cod Art Association, located in Barnstable Village, has been providing the community with art appreciation and education since 1948.  The association operates two galleries that feature monthly exhibitions and two studios for classes and workshops. Classes are provided year-round. Join CCAA for their annual “Art in the Village” on June 27 and 28, an outdoor festival celebrating the arts, where vendors from around New England come to sell their arts and crafts.  Festival goers can also take in live music, a silent auction, and activities for children. The Inspiration Performing Troupe will present an exciting musical performance for viewers of all ages in the afternoons. For more information, visit capecodartassoc.org.

Truro Center for the Arts

The Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill features a beautiful locale for all ages to experience hands-on learning about the arts. Castle Hill is currently in the process of a capital campaign to purchase the Edgewood Farms property, about a mile from the center for studio space and to host an artist in residency program. The center offers workshops throughout the year from printmaking, to writing, to jewelry making. In addition to the workshops, the center also puts on exhibitions and hosts special events. Some highlights of the 2015 season include the “Pamet River Float and Family Cookout,” August 1, an opportunity to float down the Pamet River and enjoy a cookout at Castle Hill, and the Full Moon Gala, August 29.  For information, visit castlehill.org.

The Cultural Center of Cape Cod

The Cultural Center of Cape Cod in South Yarmouth serves the entire Cape community and visitors by offering instruction, entertainment, and exhibition in the visual, literary, and performing arts. The Cultural Center’s performance and exhibition schedules feature a balance of emerging and established artists—literary, performing, and visual—of many media, genres, and styles. Teachers lead classes appropriate for a range of ages and all levels of ability. Ticket prices and tuitions are reasonable, and scholarships are available for those without the means to pay. Admission to exhibits, art receptions, and many other events is free. For 2015, the Cultural Center has a full schedule of events and workshops including a “Rapid Painting and Drawing Class with Roberta Silbret” on four Mondays, June 8 to 29, from 10 a.m. to noon and “Wild about Wilde!” on Wednesdays, July 8, 15, 22, 29, August 5, 12, 19, 26, from 3 to 5 p.m., an eight-week study through film and text into the fascinating life of playwright Oscar Wilde. For information, visit cultural-center.org.

Society of Cape Cod Craftsmen

The Society of Cape Cod Craftsmen is one of the oldest craft organizations in New England. The members work in a variety of mediums from wood and metal, to fiber and jewelry, and everything in between. The society is a volunteer-based organization. Members are juried in, assuring that the quality of the artists and artisans is top notch. The society’s biggest event is its 63rd annual “Society of Cape Cod Craftsmen Festival,” taking place August 11-13 at Drummer Boy Park in Brewster. The fair allows visitors to watch demonstrations of artists and artisans making their crafts; original, handmade works can be bought directly from the makers. For more information, visit societyofcapecodcraftsmen.com.

Cape School of Art

Charles Webster Hawthorne founded the Cape School of Art in 1899. Today, the Provincetown school describes its mission as “to educate the artist in the perception and use of color and light in representational painting.” The school seeks to achieve this through workshops, classes and lectures, seeking to encourage and nurture new and longtime artists who attend. There will be a number of en plein air classes offered this summer, including ‘Portrait and Figure Painting on the Beach,” taught by Cedric Egeli, giving participants the chance to work in the classic Cape School style with natural light and the “living” subject of the ocean and the beachscape before the artists. For more information, visit capeschoolofart.com.