Provincetown Art Association and Museum

06/10/2026

"As I studied for my naturalization test, I found myself learning about the founding of American democracy while simultaneously witnessing its vulnerabilities. At my swearing-in ceremony, I was asked to pledge allegiance to a country that seemed to be arguing with itself about its own history and future.

I kept returning to a question: What is the role of an artist in “defending the Constitution”?"

Read more from exhibiting artist Jackie Reeves and writer Cate McQuaid!

Jackie Reeves on painting "Big Plans" in "Larger Than Life – Drawings in Time," her solo show at Provincetown Art Association and Museum

06/05/2026

Now On View // “Avital Sagalyn: Mid-Century Provincetown,” curated by Betsy Siersma and on view through August 2.

📍 Public Reception: Friday, June 26 at 6pm.

Avital Sagalyn: Mid-Century Provincetown showcases more than three dozen works by perhaps one of the 20th century’s most adept and exciting artists, who spent the summers of 1945 and 1946 as a young painter living at the northernmost tip of Cape Cod. One of the exhibition’s delightful surprises is that most visitors probably have never heard of her.

Curated by art historian Betsy Siersma, this exhibition surveys Avital’s drawings and paintings mainly in ink, and sometimes gouache or oil, all variations on what remain iconic Cape visions today – the tempestuous water, the historic wharf, fishing boats and shacks, the rocky shoreline and mammoth sand dunes. These are joined by selected works on related themes that the artist completed later in life. Nearly all the curated works are making their public debut at PAAM. Taken together, this exhibition invites us to rediscover what was then mainly a Portuguese-American fishing community, seen through the eyes of a woman whose interpretations look entirely original and fresh some 80 years later.

This exhibition is generously supported by Seamen’s Bank Long Point Charitable Foundation.

06/03/2026

Here’s a sneak peek of “Avital Sagalyn: Mid-Century Provincetown,” opening this Friday at 11am.

“While painting in Provincetown, Avital found herself enamored with light and fog, immersed in natural and architectural wonders, and confident in her quest to find the very essence of her chosen subjects through painting and drawing them…”

Avital Sagalyn, Four Boats, 1945-46, Ink on paper, 10 15/16" x 8 7/16", image courtesy of Daniel Sagalyn

06/02/2026

New! // ON VIEW: Gallery Talks with Megan Hinton. An opportunity for artists and art lovers to visit PAAM and engage in a group discussion about selected pieces on exhibition during the 2026 summer season.

🕰️ Wednesdays: 6/10, 7/8, and 8/12, 10 – 11:30am
🎟️ $20 each, $50 for all three. Space is limited, reserve your spot here: https://paam.org/event/on-view-gallery-talks-with-megan-hinton/

Artist Megan Hinton will lead an investigative inquiry into the form, process, and content of selected artworks. This in depth look will offer viewers surprise and expansion in relation to exhibited artworks. Sessions will also provide artist participants greater insight and influence for their own practice. A deeper visual study of an art work’s historic, conceptual, and technical vocabulary will broaden artistic dialogue. All are welcome and participants may enroll in one, two, or all three gallery talks scheduled over the course of the summer.

ON VIEW June 10:
Avital Sagalyn: Mid-Century Provincetown
Jackie Reeves: Larger than Life ~ Drawings in Time
Persistent Curiosity: Charting the Rippled Fabric of the Sea, Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Center for Coastal Studies
The 2025 Artist Grant Recipients
Art in Concert: 250 Years of American Creativity

05/29/2026

"Not all artists are naturalists, but many celebrate what nature does. Each depiction of a whale or a continent is a lens directing our gaze...the eye of the artist mirrors the eye of the scientist, posing questions and gathering experience." - Mark Adams, Center for Coastal Studies Artist-In-Residence and co-curator of "Persistent Curiosity: Charting the Rippled Fabric of the Sea | The Center for Coastal Studies 50th Anniversary."

The Museum is closed for a private event tonight from 5-7pm, but will open back up with free admission from 7-8pm!

05/28/2026

Tonight at 6pm: Exhibiting artist Jackie Reeves gives our first Fredi Schiff Levin Lecture of the season! Included with $15 Museum admission, free for PAAM members.

Reeves will discuss her exhibition, “Larger than Life – Drawings in Time,” curated by Bert Yarborough and on view through July 19.

"My process is spontaneous and rooted in movement. I begin abstractly, often with spills, splatters, and poured paint, allowing the surface to evolve through pushing, dragging, and layering. From these Rorschach-like forms, figures begin to emerge- drawn first from memory and intuition, then shaped through references from myself, my daughters, and family photographs."

The Fredi Schiff Levin Lecture Series welcomes artists, art historians, curators, and authors, both in conjunction with exhibitions and as independent scholars.

The series was established in honor of artist Fredi Schiff Levin, an active member of Provincetown’s arts community from the 1960s until her passing in 2002. We extend our deepest gratitude to The Levin Family, who graciously sponsors this series.

Image: Jackie Reeves, Big Plans, 2020, Acrylic, chalk, and flashe on fabric, 78” x
162”

05/22/2026

Now On View // The 2025 Artist Grant Recipients: Chris Clamp, Sarah Lubin, and Delvin Lugo.

📍 Public Reception: Tonight! Friday, May 22 at 6pm. Free and open to the public.

After a review of over 700 applications, the recipients were selected by Sayantan Mukhopadhyay, Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Portland Museum of Art; Dr. Denise Rogers, Professor of Art History at San Diego Mesa College; and Jess Van Nostrand, Director of Public Engagement and Curatorial Strategies at the Morris Museum.

The recipients, who are all American painters over the age of 45, are chosen annually from hundreds of applicants, recognized for their talent, as well their ability to greatly benefit from this grant. Offered to American painters 45 years or older who demonstrate financial need, the grant intends to promote public awareness and a commitment to American art, and interest in artists who lack adequate recognition.

05/20/2026

Now On View // Persistent Curiosity: Charting the Rippled Fabric of the Sea | The 50th Anniversary of the Center for Coastal Studies. Curated by Mark Adams.

📍 Public Reception: Friday, May 22 at 6pm. Free and open to the public.

📍 Fredi Schiff Levin Lecture: Wednesday, June 10 at 6pm. Included with $15 Museum admission, free for PAAM members.

From the curator: “The artists on view in this exhibition have created visual metaphors for sand, tides and currents, the lives of whales and plankton, and the seaworthiness of our harbor towns, evoking a rich maritime half-century and a changing ethos about how to live by the ocean.”

05/16/2026

Today's the day! Join us at 4pm for a cocktail reception catered by Salty Market Farmstand, and at 5:30pm for live bidding. Admission to the Museum is *free* today to give you extra time to enjoy the Auction Preview exhibition! View all lots and place an online bid at www.eldreds.com