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The mission of the Artists Association of Nantucket is to foster the visual arts on Nantucket. We create a vibrant arts community by promoting, supporting and encouraging the work of Nantucket artists, providing educational programs in the arts, and preserving the legacy of Nantucket artists.

A Legacy of Creativity

AAN was born of necessity. The art colony on island bloomed throughout the 1920s, grew into a staple of the 1930s, and faced a crisis in 1943 when the lone exhibition gallery closed. A visionary patron spearheaded the transformation of an abandoned whaling-era warehouse on Straight Wharf into a new gallery space by the summer of 1945. The core of the art scene, both artists and dedicated patrons, formed the association that year, and our dynamic mission of promoting island artists, providing art education, and collecting Nantucket’s art history has insured the art colony’s future.

During the decades that followed, AAN has showcased fine art in a range from projects by school-aged students to exceptional works by professionals. The association has developed a museum-quality collection of historical island art, built and expanded its educational reach with the construction of the Visual Arts Center, and provided a kick start for many generations of artists.

After three quarters of a century, AAN remains dedicated to supporting and promoting the visual arts and the artists of Nantucket.

1920
The art colony’s roots can be traced to the arrival of Frank Swift Chase (center), who is supremely influential as a plein air art instructor well into the 1950s.
  • 1920
  • 1930
  • 1945
  • 1950
  • 1960
  • 1970
  • 1977
  • 1988
  • 1997
  • 2005
  • 2015
  • Leadership & Staff

    • Tracey Sears
      Executive Director
    • Robert Frazier
      Artistic Director
    • Elizabeth Buccino
      Director of Education
    • Lizbet Carroll Fuller
      Programming Manager
    • Olivia Wells
      Development Manager
    • Liz Hunt O'Brien
      Public Programs Director
    • Nicci Aguiar Peña
      Digital Arts and Technology Manager
    • Angel Evering
      Front Desk Administrator
    • First Lastname
      Position
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      TBD
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  • Board of Directors

    • Patty Keneally
      President
    • Peter Steingraber
      Vice-President
    • Robin Wolpow
      Vice-President
    • Kristie Ferrantella
      Treasurer
    • Meghan Weeks
      Clerk
    • Leslie Bresette
    • Barbara Stern Burke
    • Barbara Clarke
    • Laurie Champion
    • Maryann Jones
    • Janet Joseph
    • Robert Miklos
    • Jennifer Pincince
    • Brian Sager
    • Erika Christensen Scully
    • Tracy Ulmer
    • Jim Waterbury
      Jim Waterbury
    • John Lochtefeld
      Director Emeritus
    • Lynn Nicholas
      Director Emerita
    • Barbara Spitler
      Barbara Spitler
      Director Emerita
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      Position
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      TBD
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