Manship Artists Residency’s public programming is an extension of its core mission, the continuation of the Manship artistic legacy as an Artists Residency. Our primary focus is providing time in an inspiring setting to working artists as they pursue new ideas, explore their materials, make discoveries, and create. Manship offers the public the opportunity to experience the creative process and engage with current and former residents through a range of programming.
Public programming offers vital opportunities for artists to engage with our community.
Manship presents significant outreach programs, including enrichment in the local schools. In 2017, Manship loaned its Folly Cove Designer Acorn Press to the O’Maley Innovation Middle School to support the Folly Cove Designer curriculum developed by the Cape Ann Museum and still being taught today with support from the Gloucester Education Foundation.
Since 2019, Manship Artists Residency has offered Gloucester art teachers professional development programs. Teachers have attended trainings and workshops that have included painting bowls for Open Door’s Empty Bowl fundraiser for the regional food pantry, learning about outdoor installation work through ALight on MARS, creating using squid ink, blowing glass at the Bubble Factory and more.
During the COVID pandemic, in response to the needs of visual and performing artists, as well as our local community, Manship explored several ways the natural environment at Starfield could be used for safe outdoor activities. Starfield proved to be an ideal venue for social distancing. Artists were invited to work on the property, a program that became known as “Outside @ Manship.” The success of this program cemented the need for outdoor spaces to create, and has since become an established element of our outreach.
An important part of our public programming is a seasonal exhibition schedule of work by Manship Artists. Our exhibition focus is on past and present artists who have participated in the residency program. Occasionally presentations of work by departed artists who had a connection to the Manship family or our community are shown in the barn studio for the benefit of the residency.
Help us provide public programming to the community.
Our ability to offer opportunities to experience creativity in action is funded by generous donors like you.
