Rocky Neck is one of the oldest continuously operating art colonies in the United States. Located on a rocky peninsula within Gloucester's working harbor, Rocky Neck is known for its quaint neighborhood, geographic beauty and many art galleries and studios. Artists including

Winslow Homer Winslow Homer (February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and illustrator, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th-century America and a preeminent figure in ...

Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realist painter and printmaker. While he is widely known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching. Hopper created subdued drama ...

, and many others working on Rocky Neck in the 19th and early 20th centuries inspired the

Cape Ann Cape Ann is a rocky peninsula in northeastern Massachusetts, United States on the Atlantic Ocean. It is about northeast of Boston and marks the northern limit of Massachusetts Bay. Cape Ann includes the city of Gloucester and the towns of ...

style of

American Impressionism American Impressionism was a style of painting related to European Impressionism and practiced by American artists in the United States from the mid-nineteenth century through the beginning of the twentieth. The style is characterized by loose ...

. Artists still work and display their art in the many Rocky Neck galleries during the summer months. It was also frequented by well-known writers such as Louisa May Alcott and

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

. Judith A. Curtis published a book title
Rocky Neck Art Colony 1850–1950
which features more than 130 photos of artwork, artists and the location, and was designed by Stephen Bridges, in 2015. Rock Neck Art Colony publishes a
informative newsletter

Gloucester Marine Railways Gloucester Marine Railways (established 1859) is one of the oldest continuously operated shipyards in the U.S. And is located on the northern tip of Rocky Neck, Gloucester, MA, Rocky Neck in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Originally an extension of th ...

, located at the very end of Rocky Neck, was established in 1859,Gloucester Marine Railways History
/ref> making it one of the oldest working shipyards in the country. The Rocky Neck area was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2017. Rocky Neck Art Colony (RNAC) continues to accept members. The organization’s website host
information and registration on RNAC memberships

References

{{reflist

External links

Rocky Neck Historic Art TrailRocky Neck Cultural DistrictRocky Neck Art ColonyOcean Alliance, Rocky Neck
Gloucester, Massachusetts Artist colonies National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, Massachusetts Historic districts in Essex County, Massachusetts