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Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

Cape Ann Museum

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Gloucester, MA
Cape Ann Museum

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⛵️ Celebrating Cape Ann’s place in American art & history since 1875. The Cape Ann Museum tells multiple stories, all relating to a single remarkable place.
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One museum, two campuses in Gloucester, MA.
🟩 CAM Green - 13 Poplar St.
🖼️ Downtown Campus - 27 Pleasant St From its earliest days as a fishing and shipping port, to its mid-19th century role in the granite industry, to its singular charms of light and sea that have attracted countless artists from the 19th century to the present, Cape Ann boasts a rich and varied culture of nationally significant historical, industrial, and artistic achievement. The Museum's fine art collection includes the largest grouping of works by native son and renowned marine artist, Fitz Henry Lane, as well as work by other prominent painters and sculptors who lived on, visited or were inspired by Cape Ann. The work of contemporary Cape Ann artists is also collected and exhibited. The permanent collection includes fine and decorative arts, artifacts from the major industries of the area - the fisheries and granite quarrying, two historic houses and an extensive library and archives.

11/05/2026

Cape Ann families are invited for Second Saturdays on Saturday, November 14, from 10 am-5 pm!
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Join us for the second Saturday of each month, when the Cape Ann Museum is free for all Cape Ann residents (Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Essex).
Visitors of all ages are invited to visit the CAM Education Studio to enjoy a new hands-on art project each month, then grab a Cassie the Sea Serpent Scavenger Hunt and explore the galleries.
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Free for Cape Ann residents. The next Second Saturdays event will be on December 12.
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Photo by Cory O’Leary

11/04/2026

Don’t miss the last chance of the season to go on the Walking Tour: Historic Dogtown – A Walk Back in Time on Sunday, November 8 at 10 am!
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On Cape Ann, the name “Dogtown” conjures up many things—vast woodlands and trails; stone walls and cellar holes; tales of witches and widows; an ill-fated bullfighter; pastures, picnics and blueberries; a sea of rocks. Dogtown is all of these things and more. But first, it is a place where proud people once lived and worked, at the center of Gloucester, for nearly 150 years—until it became “Dogtown” and died out.
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This tour will take you down the main roads of this early settlement, to meet some of the people, see where they lived and hear their stories. You will learn how Dogtown got its name, why people left, and how it has changed in the 200 years since the last house came down. You will hear about writers and artists who were inspired here, and reservoirs that were built here. Finally, you will see some of the inspirational word-boulders along the trails that are the lasting legacy of entrepreneur Roger Babson (1875-1967), and a symbol of the enduring nature of this special place called Dogtown.
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The Historic Dogtown walking tour is almost three miles and will take approximately two hours. The route is over hiking trails that are generally easy, but uneven, with rocks and roots underfoot. Please note that this tour is not suitable if you have mobility concerns.
📍Babson Boulder Parking, Cherry Street, Gloucester, MA 01930
🎟️ Registration required. Learn more and register at https://www.capeannmuseum.org/event/walking-tour-historic-dogtown-a-walk-back-in-time-6/.

11/04/2026

Highlights Tours are back as of November 3, 2026! Get an introduction to the galleries with a CAM Docent on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 11 am.
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Look closely. Think together. Discover more.
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Discover the stories, people, and ideas that make Cape Ann a remarkable place. This docent-led tour offers an engaging introduction to the Museum’s collections, exploring selected works of art and objects that illuminate the region’s artistic traditions, maritime and industrial history, and enduring connections to land and sea.
Rather than trying to see everything, each tour invites visitors to slow down, look closely, ask questions, and make connections across the collection. Highlights and routes may vary, making each tour a fresh opportunity to discover Cape Ann through the objects and stories held by the Museum.
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Free with General Admission; registration is recommended.
To schedule a private tour (or for groups of 10 or more), please contact Visitor Services at 978-283-0455 ext. 110, or email [email protected].
Learn more about Museum tours at https://www.capeannmuseum.org/programs/tours/.
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Photo by Steve Rosenthal

11/02/2026

Join us for an Artful Conversation about “Scavenger Rocks” by John Sloan on Thursdays, November 5 and 12, from 12:30–1:30 pm.
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Take a midday pause and experience one work of art in depth led by Docent Dan Duffy. Artful Conversations are informal, docent-led gallery experiences that invite visitors to slow down, look closely, and engage in thoughtful conversation. Each session features a work of art or object that is new to view—whether a recent acquisition or a work newly installed in the galleries.
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The program begins in the Education Room at our Downtown Campus with a brief introduction and visual context before moving into the galleries for an extended exploration of the featured work. Guided by observation, curiosity, and conversation, participants are encouraged to share ideas, consider different perspectives, and discover new connections together.
The program will offer an in‑depth look at John Sloan’s “Scavenger Rocks,” a recent acquisition that deepens our understanding of the artist’s long-standing ties to East Gloucester. The presentation begins with a brief overview of Sloan’s stays at the Red Cottage from 1914 to 1918, a formative period that shaped many of his most compelling Cape Ann paintings. From there, the talk turns to the granite outcropping near Niles Beach, drawing on contemporary photographic documentation to illuminate the site’s distinctive forms and its role in Sloan’s artistic process, offering a vivid, tangible link between the artwork and the landscape that inspired it.
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Education Room, CAM Downtown Campus, 27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA.
Registration required as space is limited. Learn more about the program series and register at https://www.capeannmuseum.org/series/artful-conversations/.
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John Sloan (1871–1951), “Scavenger Rocks,” 1914, Oil on canvas. Collection of the Cape Ann Museum. Gift of Stephen Lindo in memory of Sigrid Elizabeth Olson, 2024 [2024.043.002.].

11/01/2026

Don’t forget to change your clocks as part of the “Dance of the Hours” for ! 🕰️
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Virginia Lee Burton Demetrios (1909–1968), “Dance of the Hours,” 1956. Ink on cotton. Folly Cove Designers Collection of the Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester, MA.

10/31/2026

Happy ! 👺 Are you jumping on to join or running far away from this stagecoach of masked trick-or-treaters?
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Trick-or-treaters on the Essex stage, heading up Middle St. from Stacy Boulevard on their way to Pigeon Cove, 1880s. Stereocard. Gap Lafata Collection of the Cape Ann Museum Library & Archives.

10/30/2026

Get in the spooky spirit this with a haunting tale of a portrait with an ominous foreshadowing. This “ghostly miniature” in the Museum’s collection is a portrait of Benjamin Somes (1786–1813) whose story is told by his great nephew, past Museum president and curator Alfred Mansfield Brooks (1870–1963), in his book “Gloucester Recollected.”
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Benjamin Somes was engaged to Eliza Gilbert and eager to marry immediately. However, the couples’ parents insisted that they wait until Benjamin returned from a trip to China for trade. He made his voyage safely but came back to a stormy morning in Boston—the weather so severe that he could not take the usual horse-drawn coach to Gloucester. Despite the conditions, he rented a horse and rode through the worsening storm to return to Eliza. There were jokes from Eliza’s waiting family about his love “being too blind to recognize a puddle if he fell in one, but also too hot to be cooled off by it if he should.”
At ten o’clock before bed, Eliza unclasped her lover’s miniature that she wore as a locket around her neck. Before her eyes, the color of the portrait’s cheeks paled to the color of a ghost, and she fainted at this supernatural vision that he was dying. The next morning, she received news that Benjamin and his horse had been found dead at the Cut Bridge in Gloucester, just a mile away from his beloved.
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Unattributed artist, “Benjamin Somes (1786–1813),” c. 1810, oil on ivory, metal, glass (braided hair enclosed in locket). Collection of the Cape Ann Museum.

10/29/2026

CAM Members are cordially invited to an Opening Reception for “This Other Eden, Photographs by Anne Rearick” on Saturday, November 14, from 3–5 pm!
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This compelling body of work offers an intimate visual commentary of candid observations and thoughtful imagery of the people, relationships, and rhythms that shape everyday life in this treasured gathering place—Stage Fort Park.
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The opening reception is free and open to CAM Members and special guests. Registration recommended.
Learn more and register, or sign up for Museum Membership, at https://www.capeannmuseum.org/event/members-opening-reception-this-other-eden-anne-rearick/.
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Anne Rearick, “Post-Wedding Ceremony,” July 2024. Archival print. Private collection.

10/28/2026

in 1991, Cape Ann locals received word of the last reported sighting of the “Andrea Gail,” known across the world as the fishing vessel that fell victim to the “Perfect Storm.” The commercial swordfishing vessel and its six person crew out of Gloucester were lost in the North Atlantic Ocean in the infamous storm that inspired a book and movie.
Two days later, on October 30, 1991, both Rockport and Gloucester declared a state of emergency and the Gloucester Daily Times on the 31st reported: “An unexpectedly potent northeaster accompanied by surging high tides and 30-foot waves destroyed waterfront homes, damaged countless others and took a toll on seawalls and roads throughout Cape Ann, yesterday. Not since the legendary Blizzard of 1978 has a storm produced such extensive damage.” What no one knew at the time amidst the chaos of the storm, was that the “Andrea Gail” and her crew of six fishermen had been lost at sea.
A model of the “Andrea Gail” is in the Museum’s Fisheries collection. Find more documentation of the storm, also known as the “Halloween Nor’easter,” that overtook the “Andrea Gail” in the Cape Ann Museum’s Gloucester Daily Times photographic archives at https://bit.ly/4o70kfe.
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Collection of the Cape Ann Museum:
(1) Model maker Paul Gran, “The Andrea Gail,” 2010. Scale: 30:1. Gift of the artist, 2012 [2012.108].
(2) Waves crash near Salvatore "Sammy" Parisi baseball field in Gloucester during the Perfect Storm, 1991. Photograph by Gloucester Daily Times photographer Cristin Gisler. [2021.021].
(3) Coverage of the Perfect Storm at Long Beach, 1991. Photograph by Gloucester Daily Times photographer Cristin Gisler. [2021.021].

10/27/2026

We’re hiring! The Cape Ann Museum is currently seeking an organized and thoughtful individual to be our Events & Stewardship Manager.
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The Events & Stewardship Manager reports to the Director of Development and is responsible for planning and executing member events, donor cultivation opportunities, stewardship initiatives, and fundraising events throughout the year. This role oversees CAM’s portfolio of development-related events and designs and implements meaningful engagement opportunities across the Museum’s multitiered membership structure.
The Cape Ann Museum is a regional museum at the epicenter of artistic and marine history in the northeast. The Museum’s nationally significant collections include fine and decorative arts, artifacts from the major industries of the area—the fisheries and granite quarrying—as well as an extensive Library & Archives.
The Cape Ann Museum is committed to diversity among its employees and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.
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Learn more about open positions and find application details at https://www.capeannmuseum.org/about/career-opportunities/.
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Photo by Sharon’s Studio.

Address

27 Pleasant Street
Gloucester, MA
01930

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+19782830455

Website

http://www.capeannmuseum.org/

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