All of us at Ogunquit Art Association and Ogunquit Arts Collaborative would like to take a moment to sincerely thank our friends, collectors, neighbors, art lovers, community partners, cultural champions, artists, and volunteers for helping to make this year such a memorable success at Barn Gallery. From our 44th Annual Student Art Show; to our Open, Regional, Juried Show; to our 70th Annual OAA Art Auction; all the way through to our exhibitions, artist showcases, gala receptions, artist demonstrations, artist workshops, gallery talks, and so much more — this was truly a season to remember!
Now that we’ve closed out our 2024 season at the Barn Gallery and bid farewell to another vibrant year of existence for the Ogunquit Art Association (OAA) – Maine’s Original Artists’ Group (est. 1928), we find ourselves reflecting on a timeless ritual: the migration of artists out of Ogunquit as winter approaches. It’s a phenomenon rooted in history, beautifully captured in a few sentences from a humorous 90-year-old newspaper article that documented the seasonal departure of artists who participated in the famed Ogunquit Art Colony.
In the 1934 article from The Old York Transcript, written when the Ogunquit Art Association was only 6 years old, the unattributed writer painted a charming picture of artists like (OAA co-founder) Charles Herbert Woodbury, (OAA member and Ogunquit Museum of American Art founder) Henry Strater, and Cliff Sterrett fleeing to warmer climes as Ogunquit’s frigid winds rolled in. With an air of wry amusement, they lamented how the once bustling “Art Colony” dwindled to almost nothing as winter’s icy grip tightened. Nunzio Vayana, remaining in Ogunquit the longest with the glow of his electric lights in Perkins Cove, was the final holdout before heading off to the sunshine of Palm Beach.
Here is the copy from the article:
The Old York Transcript. Friday, November 2nd, 1934.
FLEETING ART: Art Colony Dwindles as Wintry Blasts Approach
With the departure this week of Charles Woodbury for Boston and Henry Strater and Cliff Sterrett for New York, the so-called Art Colony at Ogunquit may be said to have become almost reduced to a bare ruined choir. The electric lights of Nunzio Vayana still cast a genial glow of evenings about the Cove, but even he is making ready to take off to the Floridian warmth of Palm Beach. In another week he too will be gone, and the so-called Art Colony will be fast in its long winter’s sleep.
We have used the adjective “so-called” in connection with the Art Colony advisedly. The dictionary tells us that, biologically speaking, a colony is a group of animals of the same kind living as a community, such as ants, for example. The Ogunquit artists are too variegated to fit the definition. Hardly one of them is so lacking in individuality as to be able to embrace all the others within the bosom of his hospitality. But they all have one thing in common, which does make them a colony or community of sorts, and that is a love for Ogunquit, the character of which, by the bye, is as variegated as themselves.
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What does winter mean to the present day Ogunquit Art Association?
Ogunquit Art Association – Closing Day Potluck at Barn Gallery in 2017 | Photo: Eric J. Taubert
The parallels to our present day reality in this 90 year old newspaper clipping are striking. While Ogunquit has certainly grown into much more of a year-round destination, there’s no denying that even now, many of our Ogunquit Art Association artists still take flight to warmer or more distant places when the cold months descend upon the coast of Maine. It’s part of a process that repeats itself every October.
The Closing Day Potluck Gathering for OAA Artists at Barn Gallery: An Ogunquit Art Association Tradition. As the sun sets on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, marking the end of the 2024 Barn Gallery season, the artists of the Ogunquit Art Association gather for one final cherished tradition. After 5:00 PM, once the gallery doors have closed to the public and the artwork can come down from the walls, the artists collect their remaining pieces and join together for the annual closing day potluck. This celebration is a beloved ritual, where members come together one last time to share laughter, stories, and camaraderie over a spread of substantial appetizers and finger foods.
As (OAA member-artist) Hara Harding reminds us all, “This is meant to be a PARTY, not an OAA Meeting.” It’s a joyful gathering where everyone can reflect on the successful season of art, exhibitions, and programming we’ve just completed. As the Ogunquit Art Colony members indulge in this tradition, it’s also a moment to say farewell before we all transition into our winter routines, filled with new energy and excitement for what lies ahead.
This is where we hear the stories of how our fellow OAA artists are preparing for their own off-season months. While some stay nearby and continue to derive ample inspiration from the crystalline Maine winter and the warmth of familiar hearths, others head to far-flung destinations to recharge, explore new creative sparks, or simply escape the chill.
What remains unchanged after all these years, however, is the diversity and individuality of the artists who call Ogunquit home, even if only for part of the year. Just as that vintage newspaper article humorously pointed out, our artists may not form a “colony” in the strictest sense — no two are alike in their approach to their craft — but they are united by a deep love for Ogunquit, a place as varied in character as the artists themselves. Further, our artists are also united by their personal attachment to (and juried status within) the profound cultural and historical legacy of the OAA, the organization where Maine’s enviable artistic roots run the deepest.
As we say goodbye for the season, we’ll continue to share updates on what our talented members are up to during the winter months. From residencies and gallery shows in tropical locales to winter studios in our Maine and New Hampshire communities, across the country, and beyond — there will be plenty of creative energy flowing, even if Ogunquit itself is quieter for a while.
Stay tuned on Facebook and Instagram for glimpses of our off-season adventures, and rest assured, like the Ogunquit Art Colony artists before us, we’ll be back with renewed vigor when spring returns and we start preparing in earnest for the Ogunquit Art Association’s 2025 Season at Barn Gallery.
Until then, we wish our artists (and our friends, neighbors, and collectors) safe travels, new inspirations, and plenty of sunshine—wherever they may find it!
Winter Well!
