Art Lovers' Getaway

Nantucket's priceless beaches and crystal clear waters are easily matched by a wealth of creative individuals and an obsession for the arts in a variety of disciplines.

Nantucket has been a bona fide art colony since 1920, when Frank Swift Chase, an established landscape painter from the vibrant Woodstock art community, visited Nantucket to teach a few patrons. He returned nearly every summer for 30+ years, and his legacy brought a significant number of painters to the island, many of whom set down roots. Since that time, visitors have shifted their fascination with Quaker heritage and whaling history to another passion altogether - a love affair with fine arts.

The local waterfront has always fascinated artists with its harbor views, its pleasure craft and fishing boats, and a lively wharf scene that includes several galleries. Straight Wharf boasts The G.S. Hill Gallery, where Greg Hill supplements his paintings of fog bound ships and rolling moors with giclees, gifts, and fine jewelry. The Eric Holch Gallery on Old South Wharf highlights the art of silkscreen prints as well as gifts based on Holch's designs. On Old North Wharf you'll find luminous island scenes by the renowned Kerry Hallam. At the base of Commercial Wharf and Washington Street, in the heart of the old art colony neighborhood, the Artists Association of Nantucket features a two-story gallery representing strictly present-day Nantucket artists like Victoria Harvey, Vincent Calarco, George Thomas, Captain Pete Sheppard, and Miki Lovett, as well as year-round classes and workshops for all ages. Next door, Rafael Osona Auctions offers a steady schedule of auctions that contain fine antiques as well as artworks by Chase's students and other Nantucket greats.

Just a block away from the waterfront, the central streets of town are dotted with significant galleries. The Gallery at Four India contains exclusive works by 19th and 20th century masters, while across India Street the Art Cabinet: Nantucket focuses wholly on contemporary art with a European flare. On South Water Street, the Pierce Galleries specializes in 19th to 21st-century fine art as well as antiques. On Main Street, Quidley & Company carries a number of important maritime artworks as well as landscapes and still life canvases.

Online, you can connect with established Nantucket artists like Louis Guarnaccia, a respected local maritime painter, and view work by the late S. Warren Krebs, whose distinctive color drawings of quaint street scenes and his later colorful abstracts are perennial favorites. The island's only on-site digital lab, Nantucket Prints & Posters presents a variety of services, while Kent's Kards offers whimsical note cards. A fine example of our strong craft scene, The Weaving Room offers handmade rugs and tapestries.

At the core of a strong theatre scene, the Theatre Workshop of Nantucket is a venerable community theatre with a glorious history, while the Children's Theatre of Nantucket is dedicated to encouraging its next generation of performers. Starlight Theater combines a dedicated movie theater and a café-style restaurant, while the newly rebuilt Dreamland and Dreamland Foundation embodies both movie and stage programming.

As the home of a well-established classical music community, Nantucket boasts the Nantucket Musical Arts Society, which brings world-class musicians to our shores, while the Nantucket Arts Council, an umbrella organization, offers a busy concert series, a Shakespeare festival, and a fall Arts Festival that casts a spotlight on the entire spectrum of the island's art scene, capped by the popular Wet Paint Auction.