COSMOS Insider
News Behind the Culture Scene
A hive of busy people exists behind the scenes of the cultural community. Their invisible activities - driven by deadlines, budgets, and continuous content flux - make the culture scene happen.
COSMOS receives frequent news items from organizations and publicists, which do not fit into the editorial guidelines of our events newsletter, Cape Ann COSMOS.
Thus – the launch of our new page, the COSMOS Insider, where we will publish the “News, Views, People & Flux” happening behind the scenes. The page will reside on our website, with frequent updates.
We also invite submissions to COSMOS Insider. We are interested in cultural news items, management press releases, forward publicity pieces, background feature articles, season schedules, and such. While well-founded rumors are of interest, please, no gossip or politics. Send your good stuff for consideration to: editor@capeanncosmos.co.
AUGUST 2024
CAM Futures
The news has spread through the Cape Ann cultural cognoscenti – Cape Ann Museum’s downtown location is closing on October 7. But fear not, an upgraded venue will reopen in 2026, with extensively renovated galleries and improved infrastructure. During the necessary shutdown on Pleasant Street, the Museum’s public epicenter will shift to their CAM Green campus, with continuous exhibitions cycling through the architectural elegance of the Janet & William Ellery James Center.
The CAM-150 Campaign is now underway to fund this epic reconfiguration and various upgrades to the museum’s operations. Why designated150? The campaign honors the 150th anniversary of the Museum’s founding in 1875, with the funded project to meet these objectives:
Revitalize the Downtown campus with world-class gallery space, to better showcase Cape Ann’s rich history, culture, and artistic traditions.
Expand the CAM Green campus to serve as a Cape Ann gateway for the community, as well as a resource for the collection’s care, storage, and access.
Amplify community and cross-generational engagement at both campuses, with K-12 education modules and general community discourse and engagement.
Fuel the growth of the Museum’s endowment, ensuring the efficacy of its collections, exhibits and programming for future generations.
The CAM-150 Campaign is now in active mode and led by Tri-Chairs Henrietta Gates, Caroline Hovey, and JJ Bell. As of this dispatch, the campaign has $18 million committed to the target of $20 million. If you should receive a phone call from one of the Tri-Chairs – be generous! Or you can reach out to Pat Layman, Director of Development, at patlayman@capeannmuseum.org, and discuss a contribution.
Architectural rendering of renovated 20th and 21st century art gallery to be known as the James Gallery after construction. Courtesy designLAB & Cape Ann Museum.
Future CAM Exhibits
Umberto Romano
October 11 – December 29, 2024
CAM Green
The first interim exhibition at the Janet & William Ellery James Center at CAM Green campus will feature the work of Umberto Romano (1905-1982), The artist was part of an early group of more progressive men and women artists working on Cape Ann. He was also a revered instructor and in 1938 he opened the Romano School of Art on Ledge Road in East Gloucester.
Milton Avery, Mark Rothko, and Adolph Gottlieb
Summer 2026
CAM Pleasant Street, reopened
Looking to 2026, the first exhibition in the new galleries will feature loans from the National Gallery of Arts in Washington D.C., with works that focus on the role Cape Ann played in the lives of 20th century artists Milton Avery (1885–1965), Mark Rothko (1903-1970), and Adolph Gottlieb (1903–1974).
AUGUST 2024
Fireside Chats Launch at Peabody Essex Museum
Building on the trend to audio and video communications, PEM has launched a new Fireside Chat series with Executive Director Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, engaging an invited guest for a conversation. And her first guest could not have been more consequential to PEM’s future, and that was Jennifer Borggaard, the museum’s new Chair of the Board of Trustees. For those unfamiliar with a non-profit organization, the Board Chair and the Executive Director represent the nexus of power, with one signing off on the organization’s plans and funding, and the other executing on the plan.
The objectives of their conversation were “to discuss women in leadership, the nature of curiosity and the changing face of PEM as a beloved local institution, and it began with this exchange:
Lynda: This feels like a momentous moment. You're taking on this new role as the chair of our board. What's got you excited about stepping into this role?
Jen: I feel like the museum's at such a great place right now. We, as a group, have come out of the pandemic and are poised to take advantage of people's need to reconnect in real spaces. The museum is a place that really fosters that and encourages that. I'm looking forward to how we as a museum can help people reengage. I'm excited about the next phase of growth for the museum in that way.
Lynda: You mentioned growth, and we just happen to have a strategic plan that is called PEM FORWARD. The plan has just been approved. What aspects are you most excited about?
Jen: I'm so proud of the work that was done to get to this place with this strategic plan. It was a lot of hard work and a lot of deep thinking on what makes PEM what it is and what makes it special.
To hear their entire conversation which is housed on YouTube: Fireside Chats with Lynda Roscoe Hartigan - Episode 1 (youtube.com).
AUGUST 2024
Donald Palma, Music Director and Conductor, Symphony by the Sea.
Symphony by the Sea 2024–2025 Season
One of our local musical treasures, the Symphony by the Sea (SBS), has announced their upcoming season of four concerts, to commence on November 17 with “Opera by the Sea”, and a selection drawn from the operatic composers: Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Mascagni, and Puccini. The SBS concerts always include superb guest artists, with this one featuring two young voices described as extraordinary, Megan Hull, soprano, and Min Sun Im, tenor.
The SBS Music Director and Conductor is Brian Palma, maintains a busy schedule of conducting, performing, and teaching throughout the northeastern United States and the world. LINK TO BIO The orchestra performs at The Cabot in Beverly, typically on Sunday afternoons. $180 for the season subscription includes four concert tickets and one guest ticket. For the entire schedule: Symphony by the Sea LINK. Symphony by the Sea – SBS
Casey Soward bids farewell to the Cabot Theater, after enriching the venue and its programs. Well done!
AUGUST 2024
Casey Moves On
Executive Director Casey Soward, the supreme and cool leader of The Cabot theater in Beverly since 2015, has announced he is stepping down, effective October 14th. According to a Cabot insider, the news was a surprise to the organization. But, given the status of Casey’s next gig, it should be no surprise that he has accepted the position of President & CEO of the Boch Center in Boston, one of the largest, most prestigious performance centers in New England. He will be catering to a new level of star power and theater size. In the pending season, Casey’s backstage pass will have him mingling with Kevin Hart, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Boy George, Smoky Robinson.
Casey will leave a legacy at The Cabot, especially for the completion of more than $8 million in capital improvements to the theater, preserving its exquisite historic architecture. As he makes his exit stage right, Casey has likely booked his final tribute band. The search for Cabot’s next leader is underway, as one of the North Shore’s most plum entertainment management jobs is now open.
Lynda Roscoe Hartigan and Jennifer Borggaard. Photo by Kathy Tarantola/PEM.
AUGUST 2024
Jennifer M. Borggaard, New Chair of the Board of Trustees, Peabody Essex Museum
New Board Chair Jennifer M. Borggaard began her term on July 1, 2024, succeeding Stuart W. Pratt and his 40 years of service to PEM. With her election, this is the first time since the Museum’s founding in 1799 that women hold the executive director and board chair positions. Prior to her election, Borggaard served as Secretary and Chair of the Governance Committee. Her new charter will be collaborating with Executive Director and CEO, Lynda Roscoe Hartigan to help enact the ambitious PEM FORWARD strategic plan that will define the museum’s impact over the next five years.
Borggaard brings impressive credentials to the custody and growth of PEM’s future. As a co-founder and partner of AlderBrook Advisors, she is an accomplished financial services executive and board member with global experience guiding boutique asset management companies. Her experience also includes boards of several for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, providing guidance on diverse business issues, including strategy, crisis management, C-suite succession planning, governance, finance, and compliance. Borggaard has been on PEM’s Board of Trustees since 2018 and has been a member of the Finance Committee since 2012, serving as its committee chair from 2018–2022.
To those unfamiliar with the PEM budget and magnitude of fiduciary responsibility under Borggaard’s control, this public information is available at: Peabody Essex Museum Inc - Nonprofit Explorer - ProPublica.
The ProPublica site reports 2023 PEM Revenues: $40,068,782 with a 2023 Net income loss: ($2,725,875). For comparison with the prior year: 2022 PEM Revenues: $46,598,618 and 2022 Net income: $1,499,050. Based on the ProPublica statement, the decrease in net income between 2022 and 2023 appears to be due to the sale of assets. Financial contributions n 2023 doubled those received in 2022.
AUGUST 2024
Center for Maine Contemporary Art Announces Robert Wolterstorff as Executive Director
Robert Wolterstorff. Courtesy of CMCA.
One might not expect that the rustic state of Maine, with Wyeth and other representational influences, would champion contemporary art. Wrong. The Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA) operates in a spacious and very modern facility located in Rockland Maine, about the midpoint between Portland and Bar Harbor. Center for Maine Contemporary Art | Advancing contemporary art in Maine through exhibitions and educational programs (cmcanow.org)
The museum has recently announced the appointment of Robert Wolterstorff as their new Executive Director, to “spearhead organizational direction, fundraising initiatives, community engagement, and exhibition planning and programming.”
Assuming his role on July 20, Wolterstorff comments, "Returning to Maine holds a special significance for me, having frequented the mid-coast region for more than three decades. Witnessing CMCA's evolution from its days in Rockport to its relocation to Rockland and the unveiling of its stunning new building, has been truly inspiring to me. The museum's rebranding to reflect its commitment to showcasing contemporary art from across the state is a testament to its progressive vision.”
Following a national search conducted by Arts Consulting Group, Wolterstorff joins CMCA from the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he served as The Susan E. Lynch Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer from 2019 to 2024. Wolterstorff holds a Master of Fine Arts and a PhD in art history from Princeton University, a master’s degree in art history from Williams College, and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
JULY 2024
Youth Photography Exhibit
Are you a young person, under 18, that likes to go out on walks or adventures with your camera and take photographs? If so, the Marblehead Arts Association would like to exhibit your photographic work.
The Marblehead Arts Association is excited to announce its first Open Youth Photography Art Exhibit. The exhibit will be September 28 – November 3, 2024 in the Cushman Gallery at the Marblehead Arts Association, 8 Hooper St, Marblehead, MA. An Opening Reception will be on Sunday September 29th from 2-4 PM.
There is no Theme to this exhibit, so have fun creating your own unique photographic artwork to submit for this exhibit.
The photographs must be the work of the maker and must be made using a light capture process either with film or digital capture. Alternate processes like cyanotype are also acceptable. Any manipulation or editing of the image must be done by the maker. The use of AI in editing the image is not permitted. Printing of the photograph may be done by a third-party printing lab.
Take in will be on Tuesday September 24th with one submission per artist. In case we cannot hang all the submitted artwork, artists will be notified by Thursday September 26th if their work was not accepted. Non-accepted artwork will need to be picked up by Sunday September 29th.
All work must be wired to hang and no larger than 16x20” and weigh less than 15lbs.
If your art work is “For Sale”, please list the price on the registration form.
If you have any questions, please contact either Larry Dunn, ldunnvt@gmail.com, or Xhazzie Kindle, xhazzie@marbleheadarts.org.
Deadline for online registration is Monday, September 23rd, 5:00 PM. Work must be dropped off no later than September 24th, 8:00 PM. Register online here: marbleheadarts.org.
JUNE 2024
Rockport Music announces the 2024-2025 season of concerts
Rockport Music is thrilled to announce a lineup of remarkable talent for its 2024-25 season.
The classical season, curated by Artistic Director Barry Shiffman, will feature world-class vocal performance, fan favorite orchestral compositions and music from a broad range of cultures. The first concert will come courtesy of violist Ettore Causa and pianist Boris Berman in October, followed by legendary vocal quintet Amarcord. Closing out the year mid-December will be Handel & Haydn Society's special chamber arrangement of Messiah, a cherished holiday tradition. Then, the "fresh and full-blooded" (Washington Post) Musicians From Marlboro will take the stage in February, followed by Orpheus with Jason Vieaux and the Martin Fröst Trio in March.
The season's non-classical offerings are as diverse as they are prolific. Jazz programming includes performances by hyper-versatile vocalist Veronica Swift, five-time Grammy-nominated pianist Christian Sands and Somi, whose musicality traverses the cultural bridge between Africa and America. On the folk, pop and global side of things, the calendar is highlighted by acts such as two-time Grammy winner Rickie Lee Jones, roots-rock trailblazer Steve Forbert, an Irish solstice celebration courtesy of folk supergroup Lúnasa, folk icon Livingston Taylor and leading Irish ensemble Danú.
Rockport Music's culture-crossing Global Journeys Series, curated by cellist Mike Block, will also continue with performances from artists such as the Arun Ramamurthy Trio, which fuses South Indian Carnatic music with contemporary jazz, and the American Patchwork Quartet, which lives up to its name by combining jazz sophistication, country twang, West African hypnotics and East Asian ornamentation.
The Rockport Music Education and Community Engagement program, which presents numerous concerts and talks to the community at little or no cost, will also continue its mission making music more accessible to students in local schools. This season's performances come courtesy of the Castle of our Skins Inter-Collegiate Black Student Union Fellowship, Rockport Music's newly-founded Cape Ann Youth Chorus, Race and Song: A Musical Conversation, the multi-sensory Ocean Music Action project and more.
Ticket sales open to the general public on Tuesday, July 30. This includes both single tickets and subscriptions, which provide a 10% discount upon the purchase of tickets to four or more concerts.
All performances are held at Rockport Music's Shalin Liu Performance Center at 37 Main Street, Rockport, MA 01966. Visit our website at rockportmusic.org for the full schedule and more details. The Box Office is open Tuesday-Friday, 10am-4pm at 978.546.7391.
MAY 2024
Gordon Massman Relocates to the Gloucester Harbor
Those who attended Gordon’s Open Studio event in Rockport are aware of the immense scale of his paintings. Well, it finally happened – he needed more space. And the perfect space happened right behind Oak & Ember Restaurant, on the harbor in the heart of Gloucester. Gordon’s entire operation and inventory relocated in one week, and he is now blissfully painting away in the rear part of the space, with dock and view of the ocean. Painting dimensions remain immense. This summer Lab Central in Cambridge Massachusetts will be exhibiting 12-14 of his works, on three floors, with the impetus to give the scientists in the building a visual splash, to help think new things!
May 2024
New Team Members at Marblehead Arts Association
Joining the staff of this wonderful art destination in Marblehead, Lisa Boemer will serve as Director of Development and Amy Bedell as the Gallery & Shop Manager. The MAA is in a growth phase, with 17 new artist members and expansion to include a more diverse audience. Per Xhazzie Kindle, Director of Operations, “Lisa is well-known on the Northshore as a practicing artist and instructor. She is the right person to expand on our offerings of programming and community-based education such as our monthly jazz concerts.” Amy Bedell, new manager of the MAA retail shop, is a fiber artist and will be “collaborating with local creators to expand our inventory of one-of a-kind creations. From hand-poured candles to glass infused bowls, hand-thrown pottery, and more.”
MAY 2024
June Pride Month at Hammond Castle Museum
In conjunction with 2024 June Pride Month, the curators at Hammond Castle Museum are putting on a major series of talks and exhibitions, a first for the organization. This acknowledgement of the queer community is also a formal recognition that the original owner of Hammond Castle and his friends were of the community, as it was known to exist in their historical framework. This identification is not news to the residents of Gloucester and to the cultural community who have long embraced these highly creative residents.
A sample of the planned events include the May 28 lecture: Lotta Dames, No Horses-The Life, Death, and Legacy of John Latouche, Presented by: Caleb McMurphy, Director of Visitor Services and Education, Hammond Castle Museum.
An exhibition will run May 31-June 6, titled The Innocents at Home: Harry Martin and John Latouche. The description includes: “Harry Joseph Martin Jr. (b.1927 - d.1984) may not have been the most famous of the many gay men who came to Hammond Castle Museum during John Hays Hammond Jr.'s lifetime, but he was certainly one of the most significant. Described as “a poet, artist, raconteur, and teacher,” Martin first visited the Museum in 1950 as the young lover of Hammond’s friend, the magnetic Broadway librettist John Latouche, and the couple stayed for a summer in Gloucester, first as guests of the Hammonds and later in a cottage near Wingaersheek beach.”
For complete listings of June Pride Month at Hammond Castle Museum: COSMOS Culture Calendar.
MAY 2024
Cape Ann Plein Air 2024
The Events Judge, Lori Putnam, and the 35 artists are now selected for CAPA ANN PLEIN AIR 2024, one of the regions most prolific weeks of art creation, collection, and celebration.
COSMOS recently met with Mike Storella, President of the CAPA Executive Committee, and learned more about CAPA week, October 5-13. This year, rather than a Saturday night GALA, the completed works will be put on display and for sale on Friday night at the Preview Party, to be held at the North Shore Arts Association. The works will be available through the weekend, offering collectors more time to make their decisions. The selected artists include some local names: Susan Lynn, Vanessa Michalak, Valerie Craig, and Jeffrey Marshall in the run up to October, CAPA is sponsoring a program Palate to Palette at restaurants, where artists paint while diners have the experience of watching a painting come into focus.
APRIL 2024
M/N Gallery Opens on Pleasant Street, Gloucester
Two artists, Vanessa Michalak and Rebecca Nagle, have combined energy and talent to open the M/N Gallery of Contemporary Art, on Pleasant Street, Gloucester. The gallery is located near Cape Ann Museum, the Charles Fine Arts Gallery, and the Matthew Swift Gallery, intensifying this neighborhood as an art destination in Gloucester. Rebecca was once a professional figure skater, and after discovering her inner artist went back to school and completed a degree with Montserrat College of Art. Vanessa is a professional nurse but increasingly spends her time in the art studio. As one of the selected artists for CAPA 2024, it will be fascinating to see her contemporary take on the region’s scenic vistas. The M/N Gallery will also show other artists’ work. See the COSMOS Culture Calendar for future listings.
MARCH 2024
Charles Guiliani on Cape Ann Museum’s 2024 Season
Charles Guiliani, a long-time art journalist and observer of the culture scene, has posted a commentary on the Cape Ann Museum 2024 Season, with his concerns about the thin season ahead, and one in contrast to the Hopper splash of 2023. Charles’ opinion piece begins: “In 2023 the venerable seaport celebrated Gloucester 400th Plus. Cape Ann was overrun with tourism. There was a lot to see and do, inducing traffic jams with crowded restaurants.
The Cape Ann Museum was the focus of national media coverage. A major exhibition, the first dedicated to Hopper’s formative development on Cape Ann, marked the pivotal summer of 1923 when Edward Hopper and his future wife, Josephine “Jo” Nivison, visited Gloucester Edward Hopper & Cape Ann. It opened on Hopper’s birthday, July 22, 2023, and ran through October 16, 2023. It was presented in collaboration with the Whitney Museum of American Art, the major repository of the Hoppers’ work.”
But Charles then goes on to lament the lack of traction gained from the Hopper exhibit: “Following that burst of attention the museum slid back under the radar as an interesting but all too modest regional museum.”
To read Charles’ entire piece: Cape Ann Museum 2024 - Charles Giuliano - Berkshire Fine Arts
MARCH 2024
Brian Pellinen named President of Montserrat College of Art
Congratulations to Brian Pellinen, named as the 8th President of Montserrat College of Art, after the search committee realized they had the right person serving as Interim President. He replaces Kurt T. Steinberg who moved to Peabody Essex Museum as Chief of Operations. Per Trustee Chair Mercedes Sherrod Evans for “Brian has shown his effectiveness as a leader during the past year through his careful attention to the student-centered mission of Montserrat, his receipt of a $2.1 million federal grant, his push to launch new degree programs and opportunities for adult-learners, and his relentless community-wide efforts to raise the profile of Montserrat.”
In accepting the role President Pellinen said. “I first started at Montserrat in 2005; I immediately fell in love with the incredibly creative students, the small, personalized education model that allows for students to be themselves and find themselves, and the way faculty and staff pull together to help ensure our graduates find success. It is an absolute honor to be able to lead this college into its bright future. I’m grateful to the community that put its trust in me. Montserrat is transformative to the people who study and work here and transformative to the City of Beverly. I’m excited to launch the college into its next chapter and see how our future graduates will shape their world.”
An accomplished higher education administrator, he has served in academic leadership positions for 30 years. President Pellinen served as Academic Dean of Montserrat since 2017 and before that, as Associate Dean from 2005 to 2009 having also worked as the Academic Dean of Professional Studies at Endicott College, Vice President of Academic Affairs at Nashua Community College, and Chair of Language and Letters at Northern New Mexico College. He has also been a teaching faculty member at several of his prior institutions.
He holds a master’s degree from the York University, in Toronto, Ontario and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Pellinen is also an active visual artist and writer with recent shows in Massachusetts and theater performances produced in Washington DC’s Fringe Festival.