CAPE ANN PLEIN AIR:
CELEBRATING THE ARTS AND OUR COMMUNITY Neal Levy
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020 WAS QUITE A YEAR, WASN’T IT? THE CHALLENGES BROUGHT ON BY THE COVID-19 pandemic meant that the Cape Ann Plein Air (CAPA) team needed to change direction in their planning. In 2020, CAPA held a small virtual week, with online sales and “Zoom Conversations with the Artists,” a unique opportunity to hear directly from our artists as they visited remotely from their kitchens, studios and living rooms. The online event also featured demos, lectures, gallery tours and the opportunity to purchase paintings from the featured artists. The website was brimming and social media played an important role in bringing the artists to our audience.
“2020 brought a whole set of issues and with them we created new opportunities for the artists and arts patrons,” said Cape Ann Plein Air Executive Director Susan Gould-Coviello. “By having our online event during the traditional week of CAPA in October 2020, we stayed in the minds of art enthusiasts, and waiting to hold our live event in
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CAPE ANN GUIDE & DIRECTORY 2021–2022
October 2021 ensures we will be able to hold events safely.” Our 2020–2021 slate of artists is as follows: Ken DeWaard, Charles Newman, Neal Hughes, John Caggiano, Debra Joy Groesser, Christopher Leeper, Tim Kelly, Charlie Hunter, Richard Sneary, Robin Roberts, Russell Jewell, Susan Lynn, Ann Larsen, George Van Hook, Garin Baker, Doug Clarke, Leonard Mizerek, Jill Basham, R. Gregory Summers, Maria Marino, Paul George, Mat Barber Kennedy, David Drinon, David Bareford, Jim Laurino, Tara Will, Daniel DeLouise, Jonathan McPhillips, Michael Compton, Jay Brooks, Mitch Baird, Antwan Ramar, Beth Brownlee Bathe, Alison Menke and DK Palecek. Community partners include The Cape Ann Chamber, Art Haven, Maritime Gloucester, Essex Shipbuilding Museum and Cape Ann Museum. All 35 2020–2021 artists will be on Cape Ann for a full, live and in-person
event from October 3–11, 2021. It will be a complete plein air event with a week of painting, demos, dinners and celebrations, culminating with a Gala sale and Quick Draw. Like years past, this is an opportunity to meet the artists, enjoy a meal with them, watch them create their art and buy their completed works. The whole art community is invited to participate in the Quick Draw. “CAPA is a remarkable experience for everyone—artists, art lovers, the Cape Ann cultural community, local residents and visitors to the region,” said Mike Storella, CAPA Board President. “It is especially encouraging to see the participation of local businesses and others throughout the community,” added Ken Riehl, CEO of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and a CAPA Board member. With our unique approach to CAPA 2020–2021, one will experience the next exciting milestone on this journey, as the Cape Ann community comes together to welcome these artists and visitors to the region, to preserve and promote our arts legacy and to support our vibrant creative economy.
u For more information, visit capeannpleinair.com or check out the CAPA Facebook page. CAPEANNVACATIONS.COM
