CAM Talk: To Live like an Artist, Cape Ann of the 1920s, by Martha Oaks
Date and Time
Wednesday Apr 22, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Location
Janet & William Ellery James Center, CAM Green
13 Poplar Street, Gloucester, MA 01930
Fees/Admission
CAM Members $5, Non-Members $10.
Registration Required. Parking is first come, first served and carpooling is encouraged.
Description
This talk by Martha Oaks, the Museum’s Chief Curator and contributing author to the upcoming Avery, Gottlieb, & Rothko: By the Sea exhibition, will explore Milton Avery and Sally Michel’s earliest visits to Gloucester, setting the stage for future stays with artist friends. What was it that drew the couple here and inspired them to keep coming back? Who did they rub shoulders with on Cape Ann and who was taking note of their work? Learn what has changed in the local art colony over the past century and what has stayed the same.
This lecture is presented in conjunction with the museum’s upcoming exhibition, Avery, Gottlieb, & Rothko: By the Sea, offering context and insight into the artists and themes in the exhibit. For more information about upcoming lectures for the exhibition, please visit the Events Calendar.
Martha Oaks is the Henrietta Gates and Heaton Robertson Chief Curator of the Cape Ann Museum. She has written extensively on the art, artists, history, and culture of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and Cape Ann, contributing catalog entries, articles, and essays. Oaks has curated numerous exhibitions exploring the history and the artists of Cape Ann and has contributed to Fitz Henry Lane Online, a digital resource and catalog to the American marine artist. She holds an MA in American and New England Studies from Boston University and a BA from Colby College.
