The Cahoon Museum of American Art is an art museum located in

Cotuit, Massachusetts Cotuit ( ) is one of the villages of the Town of Barnstable on Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on a peninsula on the south side of Barnstable about midway between Falmouth and Hyannis, Cotuit is bounded by ...

. It features fine art, folk art and American art from the 1800s through the present. Public programs include a series of annual changing exhibitions, tours, artist's talks and workshops, and family activities.

History

The Museum's historical building was completed between 1775–1782 by Zenas Crocker. Through its years it has been used as a home, a tavern, an art studio/ gallery, and renovated back into home. It is one of six Crocker homes situated off RTE 28 in present day Cotuit, Massachusetts. The museum was founded in 1982 by Cotuit art collector, Rosemary Rapp. In 1945, artists

Ralph Cahoon Ralph Eugene Cahoon, Jr. (1910 - 1982) was an artist and furniture decorator. Early life Cahoon was born in Chatham, Massachusetts in 1910 to a family directly descended from the first Dutch Settlers of Cape Cod. Growing up close to the Atlantic ...

and Martha A Farham Cahoon bought the house, and used the lower level of their home as their gallery and studio . The couple had one child in 1935 whom they named Franz. The Cahoons rose in popularity in the 1950s and credited their fame to

Joan Whitney Payson Joan Whitney Payson (February 5, 1903 – October 4, 1975) was an American heiress, businesswoman, philanthropist, patron of the arts and art collector, and a member of the prominent Whitney family. She co-founded, and was the majority owner of, ...

, an American heiress, businesswomen, philanthropist, and art collector. In 1982 Rosemary Rapp bought the property located at 4676 Falmouth Road, Cotuit Ma. In 1986 the Cahoon Museum was opened. The museum was extensively expanded and renovated in 2014–2015. The museum reopened in May 2016.

Collection

The museum hosts an array of exhibitions each year including contemporary artists, as well as historical exhibits. The museum's collection of art continues to grow through donation and purchase. The collection includes work by

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

folk artists

and

Martha Cahoon Martha Cahoon (Jan. 11, 1905 – Dec. 7, 1999) was an American artist. She was the wife and business partner of artist, Ralph Cahoon, Ralph Eugene Cahoon, Jr. Early life Martha Farham was born in Boston's Roslindale, Boston, Massachusetts, Rosli ...

, 19th century paintings by Ralph Blakelock, William Bradford,

James Buttersworth James Edward Buttersworth (1817–1894) was an English painter who specialized in maritime art and is considered among the foremost ship portraitists in the United States of the nineteenth century. His paintings are particularly known for the ...

, John J. Enneking,

Alvan Fisher Alvan Fisher (August 9, 1792February 13, 1863) was an American landscape and genre painter. Early years Alvan Fisher was born in Needham, Massachusetts, the fourth of Aaron and Lucy (Stedman) Fisher's six sons. He moved with members of his fam ...

Levi Wells Prentice Levi Wells Prentice (December 18, 1851 – November 28, 1935) was an American still life and Landscape art, landscape painter. Prentice was associated with the Hudson River School. Prentice grew up on a farm in Lewis County, New York By 1872, P ...

and

William Matthew Prior William Matthew Prior (May 16, 1806 – January 21, 1873) was an American folk artist known for his portraits, particularly of families and children. Biography The son of Captain William, a shipmaster, and Sarah Bryant Prior, William Matthew Pri ...

, 20th century paintings by Margaret Patterson, Daisy Hughes,

Scott Prior Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Sask ...

and multiple contemporary artists.

References

External links

Cahoon Museum website
{{authority control Museums of American art Museums in Barnstable County, Massachusetts Art museums and galleries in Massachusetts 1984 establishments in Massachusetts Art museums and galleries established in 1984