What better way to raise money to build a “masterpiece” public library than hosting a fine art auction. That’s exactly what the Sawyer Free Library will do from 6 - 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 19 at North Shore Arts Association in East Gloucester.
The 2025 Sawyer Free Library Benefit Art Auction will offer an art-filled evening with refreshments and live music to support the Sawyer Free Library's historic restoration, expansion, and modernization. This special event is free and open to everyone.
Organized by a dedicated host committee that includes Pat Alto, Jan Bell, Rocky Neck Artist Colony CEO Elizabeth Carey, North Shore Arts Association Executive Director Sarah Milton, and Gail Sarofeen, the 2025 Sawyer Free Library Art Auction features over 50 exceptional-quality works, including paintings, drawings, mixed media, and photography, from established and emerging artists throughout the Cape Ann community and beyond.
The art auction will showcase works from renowned artists such as Jeff Weaver, John Terelak, Robert Gruppé, Coco Berkman, Bonnie Faulkner, Charles Movalli, Jon Sarkin, and many more. Walt Kolenda of Cape Ann Auction will present the live auction, which will begin promptly at 7:15 p.m., following the silent auction, which closes at 7 p.m..
“The 2025 Sawyer Free Library Benefit Art Auction will be exciting for novice and seasoned collectors alike," said Christine Armstrong of the Sawyer Library Foundation. "In one evening, you can mingle with friends, view works by incredibly talented local artists, and go home with an original piece of art while supporting the 2025 Sawyer Free Library. We hope everyone will join us for this fun, festive, and important event for our community."
The historic cornerstone of the Gloucester community, the Sawyer Free Library was founded in 1830 as a “lyceum” to bring community members together to participate in lectures and debates which foster ideas and information. Among the many intellectual luminaries of the day who appeared were Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Today the public library continues that tradition of community, offering invaluable resources, educational programs, and cultural enrichment for people of all ages, it is currently undergoing a historic expansion and modernization project to become a state-of-the-art facility. This transformation will position the Library as a hub for learning, culture, and community engagement, featuring cutting-edge technology, diverse collections, and engaging and enriching programs.
The newly renovated and expanded Sawyer Free Library, set to open in 2025, will feature an enlarged Matz Gallery with 65 linear feet of wall space dedicated to showcasing the artwork of local artists in rotating exhibits throughout the year.
Reflecting this vision, the 2025 Sawyer Free Library' which began last September, is now halfway completed. With two-thirds of the $29 million fundraising goal already reached, community engagement remains strong but there is still more to do, making events like the Art Auction essential to the project’s success.
The 2025 Sawyer Free Library Art Auction promises to be a beautiful evening, bringing together art lovers, community members, and supporters of the Sawyer Free Library. All auction proceeds will directly benefit the 2025 Sawyer Free Library's Capital Campaign. The event is free and open to all. Registration is required at sawyerfreelibrary.org.
Also Out & About on Cape Ann: North Shore Horticultural Society Kicking Back Up
The 125th year of the North Shore Horticultural Society begins September 26 and will be celebrated throughout the 2024-2025 season with many varied programs.
Many different aspects of horticulture will be visited. For example at the September 26th meeting Gretel Anspach will talk about “Humans and their Use of Plants.” Then on October 24, birthday cake and ice cream will precede Janet Milbocker’s talk on “Gardens in the Gilded Age.” The list goes on! Meetings are held at Sacred Heart Parish Hall, Manchester. Socializing starts at 7 p.m., and presentations start at 7:30 p.m. Cost: Members are free, guests $5. Annual dues are $25 for individuals and $35 for families. For more information check our website at www.NSHorticulture.org.
"Manchester vs. the Trolley" | The Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum returns on Thursday, September 26 with its popular monthly lecture series when the museum’s director will present, “Manchester vs. the Trolley.” Before the rise of the automobile, trolleys were a significant force in Massachusetts — but they were banned in Manchester. As the town embraced the summer resort industry in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, it was electrified by the controversial proposed trolley. Matthew Swindell, associate director of the Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum, will delve into the issues and battle lines of this fascinating period, "one of the most trying periods of the town's history." Reception begins at 6 p.m. at the First Parish Church Community Hall (located behind Santander Bank), museum business starts at 6:30 p.m and the lecture begins at 7 p.m. As usual, the yummy light refreshments by Maryann Coons will pull us all back to the lecture series! More info at mbtsmuseum.org.
Gloucester Exhibit Explores the Infinite with Two Artists, Two Unique Visions | An art show currently at the Jane Deering Gallery in Gloucester, called "Intimate Infinities," features the interesting works of two Boston area artists, Deborah Barlow and Mary Bucci McCoy. The show runs through October 6, offering an exploration of the infinite through two distinct yet complementary artistic visions. The artists have exhibited widely in museums, galleries, universities, and other institutions. "Intimate Infinities" marks their first joint exhibition, promising a powerful and immersive experience. Barlow and Bucci McCoy, each recognized for their distinctive processes, harness materials like paint, pigments, and fluids, employing
techniques that emphasize fluidity, viscosity, and sedimentation.
Despite their differing methods — Bucci McCoy’s ceramics background has led her to work in concentrated sessions to capture the immediacy of subtle gesture and motion, while Barlow constructs her work over time, layer by layer — their art collectively traverses realms that seem just out of reach. The exhibition underscores a dynamic interplay between micro and macro perspectives, balancing earthiness with the boundlessness of space. The gallery is open Friday and Saturday from 1-5 p.m., Sunday from 1-4 p.m., and by appointment. Info at janedeeringgallery.com/
Conservation, New England Style, the Cape Ann Story | On Sunday, September 22, at 2 p.m. at the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church. Dr. Dan McKanan, Harvard Divinity School will present, “Conservation, New England Style, the Cape Ann Story.” Dr. McKanan is the Emerson Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Divinity School where he has taught since 2008. His teaching and research focus are on religious movements and social transformation in the United States, with special emphasis on environmentalism, intentional communities, and socialism. In this presentation Dan McKanan will explore the spiritual roots of the vision of Massachusetts residents to create state parks and the first conservation trust in 1890’s.
This program, which is free and open to the public, is part of a Fall lecture series organized by the Interfaith Committee of the Cape Ann Climate Coalition to address the climate crisis from a local perspective. On Sunday, October 6, at 3 p.m. at the Annisquam Village Church, Andrew Brousseau, co-founder of Manchester’s Black Earth Compost will explain how compost helps sequester CO2 from the atmosphere by nourishing our soil and plants. Then on Sunday, November 3, at 3 p.m., also at the Annisquam Village Church, a group of three local regenerative gardeners will describe their gardening principles. Info on all of these at mapdka85@gmail.com.
Have something to shear with us? Email news@thecricket.com and we’ll include it in Out & About, a Manchester Cricket feature since the 1920s.
