Next Gen Virtual MeetUp Monday, April 5 | 6 – 7 PM
Cape Ann Young Professionals are invited to join the Next Gen Committee as we check in, catch up, and connect with young professionals from all industries!
Next Gen will be hosting virtual meetups on the 1st Monday of each month from 6-7 PM until we can meet in person again. We have missed connecting with the next generation of Cape Ann and hope to see you there!
Drawing of Cassie the Sea Serpent by Gloucester-born Michael Grimaldi of Grimdrops
GLOUCESTER, MASS. (April 2021) – To engage and involve more children and families at the Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester-born artist Michael Grimaldi has created a family-friendly guide, Cassie the Sea Serpent, for a series of programs, a virtual lecture, and events this spring. Grimaldi, a local muralist, graphic designer, and Monserrat College of Art graduate who now lives in Beverly, will be live painting Cassie throughout the galleries in the coming weeks so that visitors can see him at work.
Inspired by the legendary story of the Cape Ann Sea Serpent, a creature that was seen in Gloucester Harbor between 1817-1819 by hundreds of residents, Cassie will be the centerpiece of activities, a socially-distanced scavenger hunt through the Museum, and a series of programs over April School Vacation Week (April 22-25). Families with children under 18 are invited to visit the Museum for free during the school vacation week.
“The importance of this initiative is that we are introducing a new youth narrative throughout our galleries – an interactive and engaging new voice to engage younger audiences in the important stories behind the art and industries that so define the seminal role that Cape Ann has played in both American art and history,” said Museum Director Oliver Barker.
In 2019, a nine-foot bronze sculpture of the Gloucester Sea Serpent was installed at the Museum’s front entrance. It was designed by Essex artist Chris Williams who has created a scaled-down version of his serpent for families to take home during the vacation week.
Beginning Friday, April 16, visitors can watch Grimaldi as he paints Cassie in the Maritime and Fisheries Gallery from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Museum Members are invited for a special after-hours event that day from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. while Grimaldi paints Cassie in the Central Gallery, and light refreshments will be served.
Here are more details about the Cassie the Sea Serpent programs and events:
Explore the Cape Ann Museum through the eyes of our new family-friendly gallery guide, Cassie the Cape Ann Sea Serpent. Cassie, inspired by the legendary story of the sea serpent that visited Gloucester Harbor from 1817-1819, will be painted at child height throughout the museum by local artist Mike Grimaldi of Grimdrops. Visitors of all ages will be able to follow in Cassie’s wake to discover and engage with the Museum’s collections.
Grimaldi, a graduate of Montserrat College of Art, is a muralist and graphic artist with pieces all over Beverly and Salem. Although a Gloucester native, these paintings of Cassie the Sea Serpent will be Grimaldi’s first works on display in his hometown. See Cassie for yourself during this virtual gallery tour of the Cape Ann Museum with Grimaldi and CAM’s Education Manager, Miranda Aisling. During the tour, learn more about CAM’s new efforts to bring accessible family friendly activities directly into the galleries.
Free Museum entrance to all families with children under 18
Take a break from the screen and come visit the Cape Ann Museum with your kids during April Vacation Week! Reserve timed entrance for you and your family to follow the Museum’s new family-friendly guide, Cassie the Sea Serpent, through the galleries. Inspired by the Cape Ann Sea Serpent, which was seen by hundreds in Gloucester Harbor between 1817-1819, Cassie poses questions and activities for students of all ages to engage with the collection. During April Vacation Week, all visitors will receive a free copy of Cassie’s Scavenger Hunt with activities and crayons included.
For more information about the Museum, its programs, exhibits, and collections, visit www.capeannmuseum.org.
The Cape Ann Museum, founded in 1875, exists to preserve and celebrate the history and culture of the area and to keep it relevant to today’s audiences. Spanning 44,000 square feet, the Museum is one of the major cultural institutions on Boston’s North Shore welcoming more than 25,000 local, national and international visitors each year to its exhibitions and programs. In addition to fine art, the Museum’s collections include decorative art, textiles, artifacts from the maritime and granite industries, three historic homes, a Library & Archives and a sculpture park in the heart of downtown Gloucester. In Summer 2021, the Museum will officially open the 12,000 square foot Janet & William Ellery James Center at the Cape Ann Museum Green. The campus also includes three historic buildings – the White Ellery House (1710), an adjacent Barn (c. 1740), and the recently acquired Babson-Alling House (c.1740), all located on the site at the intersection of Washington and Poplar Streets in Gloucester.
The Cape Ann Museum is located at 27 Pleasant Street in Gloucester. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, operating hours have been reduced to better protect the safety and well-being of visitors, staff and volunteers. The Museum is currently open Thursday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Timed tickets are required for all visitors at this time and can be reserved online at www.camuseum.eventbrite.com. Admission is $12.00 adults, $10.00 Cape Ann residents, seniors and students. Youth (under 18) and Museum members are free. Cape Ann residents can visit for free on the second Saturday of each month. For more information please call (978)283-0455 x110 or visit www.capeannmuseum.org.
What is the role of the artist when when faced with the climate crisis? This webinar produced by the Cape Ann Coalition’s Climate Arts Group explores the artist’s role. It begins with a video of Rockport artist and environmental activist Elaine MacGray Starrett “Without Just Grounds”. Following the screening, Starrett’s daughter, Dr. Amy Bower, an oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, is joined in a conversation about art, science and climate change, with Cape Ann environmental 3-D artist Sinikka Nogelo and the nationally-known public artist Mags Harries.
If you would like to volunteer or learn more about the Cape Ann Climate Coalition, please visit www.capeannclimatecoalition.org.
About Us: Backyard Growers (BYG) is a grassroots community-based organization in Gloucester, MA. We are a small but mighty group of committed people who love what we do, and have fun while we work hard. Our mission is to cultivate healthy, connected, environmentally sustainable communities and to fight for food justice by teaching people how to grow their own food. BYG provides resources and support to establish vegetable gardens at homes, housing communities, organizations, and schools, and offers learning opportunities in growing and preparing fresh produce.
We serve public school children and low- to moderate-income residents in Gloucester, and share our program models regionally through a consulting practice to increase our impact. Our goals are to increase access to healthy, affordable foods, mobilize attitude and behavior changes around healthy food choices, reactivate neglected urban spaces through food production, and build community and support self-sufficiency within diverse populations. We believe that by growing our own food, we are empowered, connected, and strengthened.
About the Garden Educator: This position is our lead school program staff person responsible for the implementation and execution of all Backyard Growers’ School Program activities. The Garden Educator also supports community garden programs with a focus on educational programs, community outreach, volunteer and service population engagement, and physical garden site maintenance. This position reports to the Program Director and works closely with the Program Coordinator.
This role is our lead school garden educator and implements all of Backyard Growers’ school program deliverables. At the elementary school level, this includes Salad Days & Fall Harvest Days—a program that involves growing two crops each year with K-5 students and hosting district-wide harvest celebrations. Job duties also include teaching in-class food systems lessons, leading monthly cafeteria taste tests, and developing special events and initiatives to promote food system literacy and healthy school food culture.
The Garden Educator will deliver our middle school programs at O’Maley Middle School, including our 6th grade Popcorn, 7th grade Wheat, and 8th grade Soil Health programs. Job duties include collaborating with teachers to integrate the school garden into their lessons, designing and leading lessons, and strengthening connections with other academic departments to make the program truly interdisciplinary. This role will be responsible for our pre-school Stone Soup program at Gloucester’s public pre-school and Pathways for Children. This position will also work with Gloucester High School students, staff and administrators on the integration of the high school permaculture garden into student life.
Apply by 4/25/21; Tentative start date is Tuesday, June 1, but there is flexibility to start later in June
Send resume, cover letter, and contact information for two references to info@backyardgrowers.org (include “Garden Educator” in the subject line)
We will review all submissions, identify viable candidates, and contact only those individuals selected to continue in the search process — No calls please.
The Cape Ann Community Foundation is hosting its annual low number Cape Ann License Plate Online Auction from March 22nd–March 29th 2021. We don’t want you to miss out on the fun! Register in advance today, visit cacf2021.ggo.bid & click “Get Started”. Since 2015, the Foundation has granted over $50,000 to Cape Ann non-profits, join us in making a difference.
Already have a plate? You can still help us spread the word to support our community! All donations of $25 or more will receive a limited edition “I Love Cape Ann” Koozie.
Join Backyard Growers and local historian & anthropologist Mary Ellen Lepionka on April 8 at 12 pm for a FREE online Lunch & Learn, Frontyard Growers: Algonquian Farmers of Cape Ann, comparing the practices of indigenous and colonial farmers on Cape Ann during the 17th century. Click here to register for this event and discover:
Who were the indigenous and colonial farmers of Cape Ann? How and where did they plant? What did they grow? How did land pass from Algonquians to colonists on Cape Ann? What role did enslaved people and freed slaves play in the Cape Ann farm economy? Was Dogtown farmed? What can we learn from indigenous growers about conserving land, managing trees, using our soil and water, cultivating crops for food and medicine, preserving harvests, and saving seed? What inspiration can we draw from Algonquian garden designs and community feasting?
Mary Ellen Lepionka of Gloucester is a retired anthropologist, college instructor, author, and textbook editor who embarked on a study of the archaeology and early history of Cape Ann and Essex County from the last Ice Age to around 1700. Her articles on indigenous history here appear in the Bulletin of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society and at www.capeannhistory.org, www.enduringgloucester.com, and www.historicipswich.org. When not researching and writing, Mary Ellen enjoys gardening and is continually inspired by her amazing daughter Lara (Backyard Growers’ founder & executive director) and Backyard Growers.
Thanks to Backyard Growers’ Cultivator & Harvester Sponsors for making this programming possible:
Spring is here! Backyard Growers is thrilled to welcome the community to a series of Spring Gardening Workshops and Events with the mission of helping more people successfully grow their own fresh, healthy produce this year.
Plus, support Backyard Growers’ programs that increase fresh food access among low- to moderate-income families, seniors, and kids through vegetable gardens in backyards, public parks, housing developments, schools, and more. Join us for our virtual fundraiser, a Cook-along with Ken Duckworth on March. 25.
Select low number Cape Ann license plates between 2-100 will be available to the highest bidders through an online auction beginning Monday, March 22, with all proceeds going the Cape Ann Community Foundation which supports local charitable inititives and organizations.
The auction will conclude on Monday, March 29. Every Massachusetts resident who wants to display their love and support for Cape Ann will have a chance to secure a coveted lo-number Cape Ann license plate.
“Since its inception in 2015, the Foundation has granted over $50,000 to Cape Ann non-profits, and the sale of these license plates have made this possible,” said Ruth Pino, president of the Cape Ann Community Foundation. “Now people have even more reason to show their pride in Cape Ann, with the funds raised through this low-number plate auction helping to build the Foundation’s reserves and enable us to do even more for our local communities.”
Community members may join the Cape Ann Community Foundation for their kick off event on Facebook Live on Monday, March 22 at 5:00pm. Those who already have a Cape Ann License Plate may still support the Foundation by making a donation on lovecapeann.com; any donation of $25 or more will recieve a limited “I Love Cape Ann” Koozie.
For more information about the low-number plate auction and for assistance in obtaining a Cape Ann License plate, call the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce at 978-283-1601 or visit the Chamber office at 24 Harbor Loop in Gloucester. To preview and pre-register for the auction visit the Cape Ann Community Foundation website at lovecapann.com.
Let food be one less thing to worry about. The Open Door is hosting a Special Drive-Thru Food Pantry on Saturday, March 13, at The Open Door on Emerson Avenue in Gloucester from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
Bags include all the basics and milk, eggs, meat, fruits and veggies, coffee, olive oil, baking mixes and more.
The Drive-Thru Food Pantry is open to anyone who registers–it might be your first time, or you may have already used the pantry. We are asking for a registration so we know how many people are coming. https://bit.ly/3i0wqrI (FOODPANTRY.org) 978-283-6776
Cape Ann Community 