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Provincetown's celebrated reputation as the
nation's oldest art colony began when painter
Charles Webster Hawthorne arrived in 1899 and
founded the Cape Cod School of Art, where he
taught painting for thirty summers. Prominent art
students and teachers were also drawn to Provinc-
etown for the beautiful light, awe inspiring natu-
ral landscapes and rustic scenes. They followed
Hawthorne to Provincetown and established their
own schools. The new art schools spawned a year-
round arts community of young, aspiring artists
working under the watchful eyes of established
mentors and teachers. In 1916 The Boston Globe
ran a front-page story titled "Biggest Art Colony in
the World in Provincetown". Hans Hoffman, Franz
Kline, Mark Rothko, Blanche Lazzell, Milton Av-
ery, Jack Tworkov and Edward Hopper are simply
a handful of the well-known artists with ties to the
very tip of Cape Cod.
"P'town" is also very closely associated with the
birth of modern American theater. Eugene O'Neill,
considered the father of modern theater in Amer-
ica, mounted his first play on an East End wharf in
1915.
Today, Provincetown invites visitors to experi-
ence a cultural haven of galleries, studios and
performance halls. Energizing artists in every me-
dium – painting, sculpting, theater, writing, pho-
tography and music, the vibrant arts community,
atmosphere of experimentation, vast teaching
and learning opportunities and palpable energy
draw artists year after year to share and deepen
their talents.
P R O V I N C E T O W N
Julie Heller Gallery
Provincetown Harbor
Commercial Street
e Nation's Oldest Art Colony
