The Manship Residency is a 501c(3) governed by a Board of Trustees. The founding Board and its advisors dedicated their time, energy, and resources to establishing a viable nonprofit capable of launching the Manship Residency. Having accomplished this goal, we look to expand this pool of volunteers to meet developing opportunities and challenges.
Jo-Ann Castano
Chair, Founder
A sculptor, arts educator, community cultural organizer with 39 years experience as an arts administrator and activist, Castano co-established Gloucester’s Committee for the Arts, the Society for the Encouragement for the Arts (seARTS), and the Gloucester Arts & Culture Initiative. She is the Founding Vice-President of Manship Artists (2015-2019).
An international public artist, who has completed over 30 major public commissions, Harries is a professor at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and a Gloucester summer visitor for over 20 years. She has been the recipient of prestigious artist residencies.
As head of the Buildings and Grounds Committee, Groff brings over forty years experience as an architect and project manager of important historic sites such as Boston’s Fenway Park. Groff consulted for the Manship Residency as a volunteer, overseeing the renovation of the Manship residence before joining the board in 2019.
Reynolds is a museum professional and arts administrator with some 30 years experience. She served as a curator and art consultant specializing in American sculpture, as the founding director of Forest Hills Educational Trust and its public art program, and as a member of Gloucester’s Committee for the Arts (2016-2019).
The great grand-daughter of Paul and Isabel Manship and the grand-niece of Margaret Cassidy and John Manship, Diana Natti is a former Gloucester resident who grew up playing on the Manship estate. She has degrees in art and art history and has studied abroad at an artist residency in France.
Harry served several Presidents over the last 16 years and brings both governmental and political experience to the Manship Residency Board. He served as a legislative specialist and campaign manager for Congressman John Tierney and has consulted on multiple political campaigns throughout the country.
As a Lanesville native and distant relative of the Manship Family, Babson brings an unique dedication to this project as he literally grew up playing and working on the grounds. As the proprietor of the full service accounting firm, Babson and Company, and as the Chair of the Manship Residency’s Finance Committee, Babson provides valuable expertise and resources to the Manship Residency.
A former Assistant Attorney General in Massachusetts and New York, Whittey is now in private practice in Gloucester. Her expertise is in civil litigation, regulatory process, administrative law and consumer protection. She was a close friend of Margaret Cassidy Manship.
Cuban-born choreographer José Mateo is the recipient of the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s 2017/18 Commonwealth Award for Achievement – the state’s highest honor in the arts, sciences and humanities. He is the Founder and Director of José Mateo Ballet Theatre, one of America’s leading producers of new ballets and the area’s most innovative school for quality ballet training, and the creator of Dance for World Community.
