AAN | Permanent Collection

Though no museum of Nantucket art exists to date, there is certainly an equivalent to such an institution -- the Permanent Collection of the Artists' Association of Nantucket. The collection started with the '45 Group of modernists and their involvement in the Kenneth Taylor Galleries. This core group of artists melded with patrons and traditional artists of the time to form the AAN in 1945.

From Monomoy, 1940
Anne Ramsdell Congdon

Beginning in the forties, the organization began to gather artwork in a loose system, some pieces donated and some acquired by purchase awards at AAN functions. At first the art was stored under the attic eaves at the Macy Warehouse building, where the Taylor Galleries and the offices of the Association resided. When the Taylor Galleries closed, and the Association began its search for a permanent home, the collection moved around until it found its present, climate-controlled storage location.

The Permanent Collection now consists of over 600 pieces covering the modern era, from the founding members to young artists active today. Media include sculpture, paintings, collages, drawings, prints, photographs, and even sketch books. The art is catalogued, watched over by committee, and since 1992, it has been actively guided into an ever-expanding entity.

Kenneth Taylor Galleries, c. 1950.