Nothing says spring on Cape Ann like two annual events —Rockport Art Association & Museum’s annual art auction and Cape Ann Museum’s Cape Ann Blossoms event — that attract art lovers from near and far.
For the 39th year, the Rockport Art Association & Museum will host the art auction, online only, this Saturday, May 4, at 2 p.m., which features masterworks by historic Cape Ann artists as well as other prominent American artists, including John Marin, Paul Dougherty, Harrison Bird Brown and Daniel Ridgway Knight.
With a history spanning more than a century, the art association presents this event as a yearly benefit, and it now attracts serious collectors from around the country as well as those thinking about starting an art collection.
The preview exhibition is on view this week with the final hours on May 4 from 10 a.m. to noon. at the art association, at 12 Main St., Rockport.
Bidding is available via LiveAuctioneers.com (with advanced registration), or by submitting an in-house absentee bid in advance. There are auction Sneak Peek videos with Cape Ann historian and author Judith A. Curtis, which are featured on the association website, www.rockportartassn.org, and YouTube channel.
The auction will be live online from the Hibbard Gallery. Some noted artists in the 198 lots are: Aldro T. Hibbard, Emile Gruppé, Anthony Thieme, Antonio Cirino, Jane Peterson, W. Lester Stevens, Paul Strisik, Charles Paul Gruppé, Gordon Grant, Carl W. Peters, William Meyerowitz, Emma Fordyce MacRae, Frederick J. Waugh, Wayne Morrell among many others.
To view the online catalog, visit: www.rockportartassn.org/auction
Floral interpretations of Cape Ann Museum artworks will be on view for three days during the popular Cape Ann Blossoms event, which opens with a ticketed preview party Friday, May 3, and continues during regular museum hours Saturday, May 4, and Sunday, May 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In this event, 20 designers from the North Shore are inspired by artworks to create a floral design paired with specific paintings.
“Cape Ann Blossoms is a weekend of spectacular floral displays that highlight the relationship between art and our natural world,” said Oliver Barker, director of Cape Ann Museum. “Whether you are an art lover, a keen gardener or someone looking to be inspired, Cape Ann Blossoms is a must-attend event.”
Friday’s opening party includes light fare, festive drinks, and an opportunity to have the first look at the floral creations. For details and Friday tickets, visit “events” at capeannmuseum.org. Cape Ann Blossoms is part of regular museum admission on the other two days.
Music, In Bloom
Flowers are not the only thing blooming. This week’s installment of the “In Bloom” listening series at The Cut Gloucester, 177 Main St., brings together musicians from near and far. Featured musicians this Thursday, May 2, are Steve Lacy, Adam Miller and Mónica Giraldo, a Colombian singer-songwriter whose career includes a Latin Grammy nomination. Doors open at 7 p.m., and show starts at 8 p.m. Ticket and details at thecutlive.com.
Silent Voices Remembered
The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation and Temple Ahavat Achim will jointly host the Essex Piano Trio in a concert Thursday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. called “Silent Voices Remembered” in the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church. This is the third in a semi-annual series for Yom Hashoah, the worldwide day of commemoration of the Holocaust.
“Although the subject is dark, the music is gorgeous, representing the work of five composers. The concert is offered as an inspirational musical remembrance, which portrays and mourns the atrocities of the Holocaust, celebrates the courage and resilience of those who survived, and recognizes the tragic loss of all people targeted by senseless hatred and violence,” according to a program statement.
Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2 is the core piece around which this program was created. The concert begins with a movement by Weinberg, a Polish refugee to the Soviet Union and a good friend of Shostakovich. The end of this movement sets up the Shostakovich piano trio. There is also a suite by Yitzhak Edel, and the concert ends with a cheerful Yiddish dance from New York City composer David Ludwig.
The venue is at 50 Middle St. in Gloucester. A side entrance with an elevator for persons with disabilities is located at 10 Church St. Tickets are available at the door and online at www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org
A Shakespeare celebration
Cape Ann Shakespeare Troupe presents “A Shakespeare Celebration: The Play’s the Thing” this Saturday, May 4, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at Rockport Public Library, 17 School St., Rockport. The public is invited to a free interactive afternoon of Shakespearean play, improv, scenes, sonnets and songs in (a somewhat belated) tribute to the Bard’s 460th birthday.
“Come play with us ‘As You Like It’ with ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’ It might be a ‘Comedy of Errors,’ but ‘All’s Well that Ends Well’ because, you see, ‘The Play’s the Thing…’.” according to a program note. Space is limited; to register, go to https:Rockportlibrary.org/events.
From Star Wars to D&D
For Cape Ann Community Cinema, this is a special week as noted by the phrase “May the 4th be with you.” In that spirit, the Rockport living room cinema is offering up a related schedule of films marking the arrival of “Star Wars Day.”
The cinema, at 37 Whistlestop Mall in Rockport, is premiering three new films “on this unofficial holiday for fans of the Force,” founder Rob Newton said.
They are: “William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill,” during which Star Trek icon William Shatner shares his journey over nine decades on this planet; “A Disturbance in the Force,” about the “Star Wars” craze that included producing a variety extravaganza; and “The Dreams in Gary’s Basement,” which follows high school dropout Gary Gygax as he births the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, capturing the imaginations of millions, but he also faced lawsuits, death threats, and even betrayal.
“This weekend is a chance for not only seasoned fans to gather and pay tribute to the things they love, but also for newbies to come and have a look at what all the fuss is about. Everyone is welcome,” said Newton.
Three additional fan-fueled favorites will screen during “Dorkapalooza”: the 40th anniversary of Rob Reiner’s 1984 cult smash “This Is Spinal Tap”; the LGBTQ Batman parody “The People’s Joker”; and the new documentary about the quest to rescue a famous store’s massive library, “Kim’s Video.”
For screening times and tickets, visit www.CapeAnnCinema.com.
Berry returns to Gloucester
Singer-songwriter Chelsea Berry returns to Gloucester for a concert this Saturday, May 4, at 7:30 p.m. at The Cut. In addition to Berry, there is a large band that includes local musicians Dennis Monagle, drums; Kristin Miller, cello and vocals; Brendan Burns, lead guitar; Adam Saylor, bass; and special guests Kiva Trumbour, Emma Marino, Chris Langathianos and Joe Wilkins.
Berry, who spent a decade living on Cape Ann that nurtured her music, has traveled to many places but this will be a homecoming for her. This show will feature songs from her extensive repertoire, spanning 25 years and 11 albums.
“What attracted me to Gloucester? Art, music, the ocean, the woods, and people who love to work and play outside during the day and play music at night,” Berry said . “This show feels a lot like old home week … Everyone in the band — or is working the show —i s a friend and someone I’ve collaborated with before. They are all great humans and I’m thrilled they wanted to be part of this.”
Details and tickets, thecutlive.com.
Spring gallery opening
Jane Deering Gallery, at 19 Pleasant St., Gloucester, opens for the 2024 season with the show “life /capsules,” which has a public reception Saturday, May 4, from 3-6 p.m.
Born in the Czech Republic, artist Renata Fryshara now lives on Cape Ann.
“The artist has a lot to say. About the timeline of life, personal experience, the world … Look closely at her work. There is a range of emotion — curiosity, contentment, uncertainty, sadness, independence, loneliness, joy, loss. The universal psyche and the private perception,” according to an exhibition statement.
Details, visit janedeeringgallery.com.
Around the corner
Rockport Music brings indie singer and songwriter Margaret Glaspy for her debut performance at Shalin Liu Performance Center next Thursday, May 9, at 8 p.m.
Her solo acoustic show will be filled with songs from her past and present. Originally from northern California, Glaspy draws from an eclectic mix of inspirations from diverse sources. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked her work among the “Top 40 Best Indie-Rock Albums of 2023.” For details, visit rockportmusic.org.
In another event, Gloucester Writers Center will hold a poetry reading next Thursday, May 9, at 7 p.m. at 126 E. Main St., featuring Fanny Howe and Suzanne Mercury.
Mercury is the author of “Hive,” as well as two chapbooks, “Sassafracas”, and “Hand to Earth.” A graduate of Smith College and of Syracuse University’s MFA program in creative writing, she
lives in Boston. Howe is the award-winning author of more than 20 books of poetry and prose. Her works include “Beauty Will Save the World,” “Manimal Woe,” “Night Philosophy,” and “Second Childhood”. Howe is the recipient of the 2023 Griffin Lifetime Recognition Award. For details, visit gloucesterwriters.org.
Around Cape Ann is a column devoted to events happening on Cape Ann and artists from Cape Ann performing elsewhere. If you would like to submit an item, contact reporter Gail McCarthy at 978-675-2706 or gmccarthy@gloucestertimes.com at least two weeks in advance.
Gail McCarthy may be contacted at 978-675-2706, or gmccarthy@northofboston.com.