The Permanent Collection began with the AAN founders, who saw the need for documenting Nantucket’s art colony history. They also imagined the Collection providing a visual context for the association’s history while offering a precious heritage for the future.
Many early donations were accrued through purchase awards at AAN functions. Today the works number nearly 1,700 and are carefully catalogued, watched over by committee, and actively guided into an ever-expanding entity. AAN continues to seek donations of important Nantucket artworks as well as seed funds to keep this legacy both preserved and exhibited on a regular basis. To inquire about donations, please contact AAN’s Artistic Director Robert Frazier.
AAN’s origins and history are covered in Frazier’s 2020 book Born From A Hurricane, 75 Years of the Artists Association of Nantucket, 1945-2020, available here.
The Permanent Collection covers the modern century, from the art colony roots of the 1920s to artists active today. All traditional media are represented, and artifacts include AAN history documents, sketchbooks, biographical materials, photographs, letter, and original show cards.
