Rocky Neck Art Colony Artist in Residence - seARTS Partner Grant Recipient

Alexandra Ludwig selected as first of four
Rocky Neck Art Colony Artists in Residence 2007

The public is invited to meet Ludwig and see slides of her work on Thursday, June 14 at 7 pm at the Bryan Gallery, 53 Rocky Neck Ave.

Alexandra Ludwig, a Northampton, MA,
abstract landscape and conceptual painter, is the first of four Rocky Neck Art Colony Artists in Residence for 2007. A serious musician and conductor, Ludwig became reintroduced to painting while visiting Rocky Neck last year. Her paintings are inspired by local landscapes as well as musical compositions.

Ludwig graduated from Smith College with a BA in music and studio art. She received an MFA in conducting at Bard College and has been a guest conductor in various orchestras on the East Coast including the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra, Woodstock, NY; the Bard Music Festival Chorus; the Capella Festiva Chamber Choir, Poughkeepsie, NY; and the Bronx Opera Company, New York. Her paintings are influenced by her deep commitment to music.

“The residency would benefit me in most of the obvious ways: uninterrupted painting time, discussion and critiques with other artists, and the endless inspiration of the Gloucester environment,” said Ludwig.

During her Rocky Neck Artist in Residency, May 20 until June 16, Ludwig will give two public talks. The public is invited to meet Ludwig and see slides of her work on Thursday, May 24 at 7 pm at the Bryan Gallery, 53 Rocky Neck Ave. On Thursday, June 14 at 7 pm, Ludwig will present work she has completed during her residency at a gallery talk at the Avery Mann Gallery, 77 Rocky Neck Ave.

Ken Beck The second resident is Ken Beck, a Boston plein air landscape painter and adjunct associate professor of painting at the Art Institute of Boston. Beck has been a practicing artist for almost 40 years and had numerous awards and exhibitions in the New England area, but only recently began painting landscapes in the outdoors. “Until the last 5 years or so, I did no plein air painting … Because I believed that painting outdoors was the greatest challenge and a terrific way to learn how to make a painting, I employed and encouraged outdoor painting in my teaching at the Art Institute of Boston. … The opportunity to work and paint for a month in Gloucester would be an invaluable experience and a wonderful opportunity for me to more deeply and directly explore this new direction in my work,” said Beck. Beck will be an Artist in Residence in Rocky Neck from June 25 until July 22. The public is invited to meet Beck on Thursday, June 28 pm at the Bryan Gallery. On Thursday, July 19 at 7 pm, Beck will present work he has completed during his residency at a gallery talk at the Avery Mann Gallery, 77 Rocky Neck Ave.

The last two artists awarded 2007 Rocky Neck Residencies include:

• David Shapleigh,

David Shapleigh an artist whose drawings and paintings explore the plastic meaning of visual perception, is a visiting assistant professor of Fine Art at Bridgewater State College and Montserrat College of Art and a middle school art teacher in Hopkinton, MA (starting July 29).

• Elli Crocker,

Elli Crocker is an associate professor at Clark University, has had numerous exhibitions, awards, and grants including a Rocky Neck Residency in 2005 (starting September 9).

About the Rocky Neck Art Colony
The Rocky Neck Art Colony has always been a vital place to be. At the turn of the last century, American Impressionists, Realists, and Abstractionists, working on the Neck, discussed art theories and experimented with stylistic innovations that became a central foundation for much of our national art history. Artists of all styles worked, demonstrated, and debated before the public.

That same vitality is alive today. Over 50 working artists display their work in Rocky Neck galleries and studios, exhibiting a wide range of styles and media. In addition to the galleries, area restaurants provide gourmet cuisine, waterfront views, and eclectic atmosphere.

Spearheaded by artist Gordon Goetemann, the Rocky Neck Art Colony worked with the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (seARTS) to initiate the Rocky Neck Residency program in 2005. Funded in part by seARTS with funding made possible through the Massachusetts Cultural Council John and Abigail Adams Program for cultural economic development, the Residency Program is now in its third year of funding.

The Rocky Neck Colony Residency program is funded in part by the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (seARTS) made possible through a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council's John and Abigail Adams Arts program for cultural economic development.

About seARTS
The Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (seARTS) aspires to re-establish Cape Ann as a world-class center for working artists—in balance with the unique character of Cape Ann as a maritime community.

seARTS is an incorporated non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, comprised of and operated by its membership. Members include artists in all disciplines, as well as cultural institutions, municipal partners, businesses and individuals that support the arts. As a coalition, seARTS works to galvanize multiple constituencies to advocate for and improve the economic base for the arts on Cape Ann by:

Linking artists and art organizations to each other, and to patrons, sponsors and tourists
Marketing Cape Ann’s thriving arts community and cultural programs
Developing and implementing innovative programs and events to broaden awareness of, and access to, the arts on Cape Ann
Through association with seARTS, organizational and individual members build beneficial community and economic ties that strengthen the cultural economy of Cape Ann.

Other funded programs by seARTS:
Gloucester Committee for the Arts, to showcase Gloucester's nationally acclaimed WPA Murals, The Gloucester New Arts Festival (GNAF) to integrate high-quality, innovative, original performance and time based artwork into the community and public space, Partner with an Artists (PWA), grants awarded to artists to create collaborative and innovative arts projects with Cape Ann's downtown and waterfront businesses, seARTS Salons, to increase members and guests knowledge through conversations about artistic genres that form the fabric of Cape Ann's artistic community, seARTS Lectures, to build an audience for contemporary art of all forms, seARTS Film Series curated by seARTS member and nationally acclaimed film producer, Sarah Green and in collaboration with Gloucester Cinema to bring both viewing and discussion lead by film experts to members of the Cape Ann community. These seARTS newsblasts are also funded in part by the MCC John and Abigail Adams Arts Program helping to connect, promote and bring awareness of our region's cultural wealth and diversity.

Partner organizations receiving seARTS awards have worked diligently to matched their Adams Grant funding. Their own work and dedication to the arts and culture of Cape Ann is to be saluted as major contributions to our region's cultural heritage.

seARTS still needs to match our grants and have till year end to fulfill our obligation. If you feel our programs are making a difference and you support the arts, please consider sponsoring or giving a donation today. Become a member of seARTS today! Contact Sara Young, Executive Director, to find out how to become involved at ed@searts.org or call 978 281-1222 or Get Involved now online.

Rocky Neck Art Colony Artist in Residence 2006

Program funded in part by the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts through the

Massachusetts Cultural Council's John and Abigail Adams Arts Fund for Cultural Economic Development. The goals of the summer 2005 Artist in Residence program are (1) to encourage artists from outside the Rocky Neck Art Colony (RNAC) to come to Rocky Neck to interact in a collegial and mutually beneficial way with the artists and other interested residents of Rocky Neck and Cape Ann, and (2) to extend the range and reputation of the plein air, marine, and landscape traditions of the RNAC and Cape Ann through interaction with artists of other traditions and media.

The 2006 residency artists were selected because they demonstrated high-level accomplishment, originality, and seriousness of purpose. One applicant was selected for each of four one-month residency terms, beginning May 21, 2006. The program includes prime studio, gallery, and living space in Rocky Neck; opportunities to lecture and show their work; and access to the rich cultural community of Rocky Neck and Cape Ann.

The artists selected include:

Stephen Soitos artist's link (May 21 - June 17)
Soitos paints large colorful oil paintings of New England landscapes and owes a debt to such artists as Marsden Hartley, Arthur Dove and John Sloane. He hopes to execute a series of oil paintings of Gloucester motifs in his unique style while participating in the Residency Program.

Aithan Shapira artist's link (June 25 - July 22)
Shapira is an abstract painter and first generation American who lived in Jerusalem, currently residing in Allston, Massachusetts. Her work explores the symbol of the “American dream”: the romantic landscape, imbued with concepts of infinity, opportunity, and fantasy.

Sarah Hardesty artists's link (July 30 - August 26)
Hardesty is a sculptor who investigates skin as a metaphor for protection, comfort, containment, and the fragility and resilience of life, from Tucson, Arizona (starting July 30).

Alexandra Rozenman artist's link (September 3 - September 30)
Rozeman is a bilingual artist who emigrated to American from the Soviet Union, now living in St. Paul, Minnesota. Through immigration, multiculturalism, traveling and rediscovering her own roots, her mixed media paintings turned into nostalgic fairy tales as lines from an unfinished play.

Summer 2005, Program Implementation

One of seARTS' priorities is to revitalize and preserve Rocky Neck Art Colony. Rocky Neck Art Colony is a member and active collaborator of the seARTS coalition which was allocated $4,000 from the MCC Adams Arts Fund to initiate this residency program. Thre Rocky Neck Art Colony was able to leverage the funding additional financial support. Studio space will be provided to four artists at no cost, as well as a grant of $1000 to each artist toward living and other professional expenses.

Studio space was provided through a partnership between the RNAC and the Gloucester Marine Railways located on Rocky Neck. The Gloucester Marine Railways is the oldest continually operating institution of its kind in the United States. It repairs, services, and fuels large commercial vessels and provides space for much of Gloucester's fishing fleet. Discussions between these partners concerning studio space for the visiting artists have expanded to other possible areas of mutual benefit including a year-round center for the RNAC.

The program was originally intended for two artists each in residence for a six-week term, roughly June 15 through July 31 and August 1 through September 15. At the end of his or her term, each artist will give a presentation concerning his or her work to the RNAC and others. The artists' studios will be open to the public for a certain amount of time each week and the artists will engage in the events of the RNAC as well as other events of the Cape Ann art community.

As a consequence of the excitement generated within the Rocky Neck community by the prospect of the Artist in Residence Program, the RNAC received a benefactor level donation for the specific purpose of extending the program from two to four artists. Additional studio space was arranged with the Gloucester Marine Railways.

The program's availability was advertised through over 150 email correspondences to art associations, college and university fine art departments, galleries, and individual artists. Over 60 serious inquiries were received by the program director, artist Gordon Goetemann. A committee of four artists was approved by the RNAC and led by Gordon Goetemann to select the Resident Artists. They developed the criteria of (1) quality of artistic work, (2) potential to increase the range of traditional RNAC artistic work, (3) seriousness and specificity of purpose for the residency and (4) other potential contributions to the RNAC and to the Cape Ann art community. A numerical evaluation system was developed and employed.

The committee reviewed the \ applications and unanimously selected four of the sixteen applicants and one alternate. All four selected applicants accepted the offer of residency. The Rocky Neck Art Colony Artists in Residence for summer 2005 will be:

Term I

Marilyn Ranker is a sculptor working often in wood with pieces inspired by the natural beauty of rivers, bridges, coastlines, and the sea. Ms. Ranker has been a faculty member at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH.

Marguerite White spent most of the 1990s documenting waterfronts on the East Coast and in Europe working mainly in oil painting. Since that time she has moved into drawing installations, shadow theatres and wall murals. Ms. White is presently working with a grant from the University of Rhode Island's Sea Grant program. She has MFA degrees in both painting and textile design.

"Limbo Story " was installed at The Vault Project Room, Newton, MA. This carnivalesque comic strip is a reflection on the nature of waiting; an absurdist look at the in between spaces one inhabits after events of large impact, like dancing or death.

Term II

Elli Crocker is a professional artist and associate professor of art at Clark University in Worcester, MA. Her most recent drawings explore the human relationships to the natural world with reference to myth, folklore, religious texts and the bestiary books of fantastic creatures. She has recently returned from an intensive teaching experience in Luxembourg.

Ariya Martin is an artist who has drawn inspirations from Robert Rauschenberg in his efforts to "close the gap between art and life." She has recently been working with words as images and the challenge of "writing pictures." Her work has ranged from video, audio and words, and photography, exploring whether a life can be put into a format where it can be viewed from outside of itself.

Untitled. 10’ x 4’ detail of a 30’ wall covered with text, paint, ink, and other media. From "In Search of Delicious,” SPAS Gallery, Rochester Institute of Technology, March 7 – March 20, 2005.

The Artist in Residence Program will be evaluated using its goals as the standard through objective and quantitative outcomes.

The Rocky Neck Art Colony Artist in Residence Program was funded partially by the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, made possible by The Massachusetts Cultural Council John and Abigail Adams Arts Program