WELCOME to our brand-new website, and the 2022 season! Our flags are flying, and the gallery is open today. Alison and Claire hung lots of new images, and I’m working on all sorts of last-minute stuff – website updates, new labels, laser printer jams. Let’s put it this way – it’s 1:30pm, and I just realized I forgot to eat today.

Lots of work has gone into this site. Many thanks to Kathleen Forsythe for the early design consults and architecture of the site. Thanks to our 2018 Mentorship group – we had an unusually small group that year, so Alison and I were able to do a Mastermind at the April retreat. The feedback from Rob, Brooke, Ilene, and Dena was super helpful. Deep gratitude to master programmer Rick Mello – he’s a consummate professional, and a joy to work with.

We’d all paused for some reason before the pandemic, and the process got stalled for a few years. When we resumed, I took over the design, and Claire managed all the extensive updates in the portfolio section (every single image needed updating).

A site this complex takes a good team, and lots of work to complete. For me, it’s been a blast (fyi to folks under 40: that’s a good thing).

Again, welcome. We’re glad to be back.

WELL, THIS happened today. That’s a large sheet of glass. There’s a broken frame and scratched print too, but the glass was the dramatic part. If you look closely, there are shards in the bin with the matted prints, and all over the floor. It fell off the wall sometime between 5pm yesterday and 10am this morning.

After a heroic job cleaning it all up, Claire headed to Vineyard Haven for errands, and it took almost an hour for her to drive three miles. TONS of traffic, bikes, mopeds, and… the drawbridge was up. It’s officially summer on the island.

But there’s a lot of good stuff too. Both of our adult children are home for the summer – yes that’s a good thing :) – and Sarah will be working for us tomorrow, with our longtime friend Joanne. Our garden got a facelift today, the tent is up, and we just hung an awesome show. Alison has a gorgeous new series that’s getting a lot of attention. And we’ve been super busy, getting ready for tomorrow.

Please come to the first Arts District Stroll of 2019 – tomorrow (Saturday) from 4 to 7pm. There’s a rain date for some of the artists stationed outside, but we’re sticking to Saturday, rain or shine.

I know I say this a lot, but these photos are stunning. Hope we’ll see you tomorrow!

ALISON just finished hanging her new show in the gallery, to get ready for our Arts District Stroll tomorrow. The furniture’s still a bit askew in here, but the show is hung! It’s a big feat, since all three of us (Alison, Claire, and I) had errands … out… in the fray. It’s August, after all, and it’s a little nutso out there.

Have you ever noticed vacation head? That’s what I call the disconnect that happens to most of us when we finally let ourselves relax. You see it when families are hanging out at the beach – the adults are telling animated stories, each assuming someone else is watching the kids. I mean, at least ONE adult is making sure they’re safe, right? Not necessarily. Vacation head.

Or there’s an ambulance trying to navigate through summer traffic jams, siren squealing, and only a few cars pull over. Some cars take the opportunity to bolt across intersections, as if they’re just as important. Today I even saw pedestrians amble through the crosswalk, halting traffic that was trying to get out of an ambulance’s way. Vacation head.

Earlier today, Alison heard Claire was going to Edgartown (Morning Glory Farm), and asked her to also pick something up at the Old Sculpin Gallery, while she was in town. Claire said “are you kidding?,” and looked at me like “really?” We laughed at how crazy it sounded to do two errands, on opposite sides of town. What is Alison thinking? (Of course Claire did both errands – she’s professional like that).

Islanders know what I’m talking about. We grit our teeth and look for parking spots, wait in long lines at the grocery store, and cross our fingers that the drawbridge isn’t up. We all talk about how CRAZY it is this year, and tell our stories, counting the days until September.

But I don’t want to wish it away. Friends are visiting, all the stores are open, there are events every day, flowers are blooming, and the beaches are amazing. We’re meeting lots of new people, and having some wonderful conversations. I’ll take all of it. Every year. The cycle from quiet to loud, and back again, is the reason we stay.

So while we’re all here, in the fray, I know a place where you can kick back and enjoy the air conditioning, look at great art, and eat some awesome food. Tomorrow, from 4 to 7. Bring your vacation head with you… ;)

THESE DAYS, I’ve been thinking a lot about the seasons. Days are longer and warmer this time of year. Trees and gardens have sprung back to life, grass needs to be mowed again, and island property owners are busy painting, fixing, updating, and getting ready for lots of visitors. There’s a heightened awareness, a sense that things are about to change.

I’ve always said that I love living in a place that has a seasonal economy. The summer is crowded, busy, fast-moving, exciting, stressful, and vibrant. There are TONS of things to do, and LOTS of people to do them with. All of the restaurants and stores are open for business, movie theaters are screening multiple titles each week, and the Back Door Donuts line weaves its circuitous path through the Reliable parking lot. On the downside, traffic is a problem, as are bugs, ticks, poison ivy, and certain… shall I say… attitudes.

I remember one summer when Alison and I took our two kids (then 4 and 7) up to Menemsha to have a picnic, kayak, climb on the jetties, and watch the sunset. Sarah (7) met a girl her age, and they played together all evening. As we packed our cars to head home, Sarah asked me to get her new friend’s address so they could play again. I introduced myself to the girl’s dad, who was loading his car with sandy towels and coolers (Alison was doing the same thing, halfway across the parking lot). His car had NY plates, and we talked about what he did for a living, where he lived. Then he asked where we’re from. “Here,” I said. His eyes bugged wide-open and he said “Here? You mean Martha’s Vineyard?” I nodded yes, and he followed with “Huh… you mean islanders come up here to watch the sunset too?”

Islanders are nodding as they read this – we all have our stories. It can be stressful when visitors take over and think this temporary playground belongs to them. I know some people who won’t even come down-island (to Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs, Edgartown) all summer, so they can avoid the throngs. Even so, I love when everyone comes to the island. I thrive on the energy they bring with them.

Until I don’t.

But lucky me – as soon as I’m done with the crowds, they start to leave. Fall comes, and we mostly have the island to ourselves again. Then winter brings quiet, introspection, solitude, all the broad thoughts of exploring – travel, art, music, writing. I settle into shorter days, and enjoy the peace.

Until I don’t.

Soon it’s time to get ready for all the people again. They come back just in time, bringing all their chaos and life with them. We turn on the charm, and create loads of events, fun, and sunsets. Just for them. ;)

One sign of the season is that we hang Alison’s newest fine art photography on our gallery walls (you knew I’d get to this). Please come see her new work, and say hi to us. We’ll be open Monday – Saturday from 10am to 5pm, and Sunday from 1pm to 5pm. Or call us at 508-693-4429.

Our Advanced Mentorship student show has been taken down from the gallery walls, but their stunning photographs can still be purchased by clicking here.

IT’S BEEN absolutely gorgeous on the Vineyard today. Temps in the high 60s, low 70s, sunny, light breeze. As I’ve walked around Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, it seems like everyone’s out getting ready for the summer season – builders, painters, gardeners, and even people moving furniture into a new storefront. Here at the gallery, we’re finally getting our new side door installed, and a much-needed new threshold. Our garden pros are coming tomorrow to plant a few pots and spring-clean the yard. Alison is spackling and painting the walls, and the colorful new “OPEN” flag that Claire ordered just arrived at the post office.

I just love spring. Which is sad, because we don’t get much of my favorite season – at least the way I define it. I grew up in Baltimore, and spring in Maryland meant lots of flowers, warm days when we’d lie on those metal lounge chairs with the brightly-colored woven nylon tape, and slather on baby oil to be sure we “got some color.” From mid-March, through April and May, it stayed light into the evenings, birds and animals woke up from their winter slumber, and playgrounds were full of little kids running around. Today’s May 2nd, and I feel like this is the first true spring day on the island.

Seeing all of the flowers and birds is glorious, but spring is also a particularly busy time around the gallery. For Alison and me, spring is usually when we gear up for the summer season. We normally open on Memorial Day weekend, so the preceding weeks are full of “to do” lists, spring cleaning, ordering supplies, and picking up our college student from school. But this year is different. All of the preparation happened earlier – before and after a short trip to Tuscany a couple weeks ago.

Since 2006, Alison Shaw Gallery has only shown the work of its namesake, with one exception. For the last five years, Alison and I have co-taught our Mentorship programs for serious amateur photographers. Some graduates continue on with the year-long Advanced Mentorship, which, in 2015, culminated in a group show of student work. This year marks the second group show for the Advanced program, which will open this Sunday, May 6^th, with a reception from 4 to 6 pm.

Photographers Lucy Dahl (Edgartown, MA), Jacqueline Abodeely (Saratoga Springs, NY), Beth Horstman (Queenstown, MD), and Andrea Dawson (Moreland Hills, OH) will be at the reception, along with Alison and me. This will be a stunning show, with black & white and color fine art photography. My theme of growth and new beginnings particularly applies to these four artists. Each one has produced a body of work that illustrates her unique creative voice, and has written an artist statement about the insights and processes that inform her art. Alison and I are so proud to host this show, and we’ve been honored to work with such talented photographers.

So, as my best friend says… back to me. For the next few weeks the gallery will open at 11am – an hour later than in the summer. And we’ll be closed on Sundays. During these slices of time, I plan to enjoy my short little Island spring by starting my morning walks again. I officially began anew this morning, and despite my pedometer not working (conflicts with the new iOS), dropping my sunglasses on the street (ordered new frames from eBay), and splattering coffee on my vintage white Livestock concert sweatshirt (older folks will get the reference), I saw a lovely egret on Eel Pond, gorgeous double daffodils blooming on North Water Street, and had Lighthouse Beach completely to myself. Maybe spring isn’t so bad here after all.

ALISON SHAW GALLERY began on July 20, 2006. Our first sale was a notecard, to Alison’s cousin’s wife, Jana. I tried to just give her the card, but she insisted on paying, so I asked for a dollar bill. It’s still in my desk drawer in the gallery, so I see that dollar every day. It’s really hard to believe it’s been there for 10 years already!

Ever since we moved into our little building in the Arts District of Oak Bluffs, we’ve been fascinated by the history of this place. In honor of our 10th anniversary, here’s some of the history we’re proud to be part of:

88 Dukes County Avenue used to be a one-engine firehouse – one of several in town, including the t-shirt shop across from Nancy’s Snack Bar (Engines 1 and 2), “Highland Hose” near the Ocean View Restaurant (on Church Avenue, Engine 3, now the home of one of our customers), and the building in town that’s now “Cottagers Corner,” which was originally Town Hall from 1882 to 1966, and over time also a police and fire station, before the Cottagers acquired it.

So let’s go all the way back to the beginning – in 1880, “Cottage City” seceded from the town of Edgartown, and established their own fire department. In 1907, the town name was officially changed to “Oak Bluffs.” Our building was built in 1914 – we found the date, along with three initials, on the shiplap upstairs that was uncovered during our renovation over 90 years later. 1914 was also, of course, the year World War I began.

Our building was “balloon-framed,” which means the studs went from ground sill to top plate (roof), and the second-floor joists were nailed to the studs. So the second floor was basically held up by a bunch of nails. This would turn out to be a problem for us, but I’ll get to that later. The piece of land we’re on is part of the MVCMA, or Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association – the “Camp Ground,” as locals call it. Turns out most of the cottages in the Camp Ground were built using balloon framing, which was the standard at the time. We believe the Town of Oak Bluffs built our building to house Fire Engine #4, in what was called the “West End” of town.

Nelson Amaral was one of the captains of Engine 4. From his January 2012 obituary in the Vineyard Gazette, “(Nelson) began as a junior firefighter at the age of 14, and spent 56 years in the department, 35 of them as chief. The Wing Road fire station in Oak Bluffs is named for him.” Nelson Amaral’s first cousin, Steve Amaral, worked with Engine 4 for 38 years, beginning in 1956. He succeeded Nelson as captain of Engine 4 in 1975, and stayed captain for 23 years, until 1994. Steve’s pictured below in 1961, in front of the station, next to Engine #4. By the way, Steve will be fishing in his 70th derby this fall (MV Bass and Bluefish Derby) – he’s only missed one, when he was in Korea. If you see him, say hi for us, and a big thank you for his many years of service to town and country.

In 1996, the building had been vacated for a few years, after the centralized fire headquarters was built at County and Wing Roads, to house all of the engines in one place. The MVCVA (Martha’s Vineyard Center for the Visual Arts), which was “formed in 1991 as a non-profit, non-competitive, unifying organization for visual artists,” bought the building from the town. The group of energetic and creative women who ran the MVCVA painted the interior, put in the glass doors we have today, and opened the Firehouse Gallery. They sponsored workshops, classes, and talks with local artists, and had a weekly drawing group (with model) that met upstairs. As you can see from the photo below, the group celebrated the building’s legacy with more than the gallery name!

In 2006, we got a call from a member of the MVCVA and local painter, Renee Balter. She said that the group wanted to sell the building to a local artist, and encouraged us to submit a proposal. It wasn’t an ideal time for us, so we thanked her and said no. A number of weeks later, Renee called again. “I’m sorry, but I just see you in there!” She asked us to reconsider, thinking we’d be a good fit. Alison and I stayed up all night to do a proposal, buoyed by Renee’s faith in us, and submitted it literally in the last hour before the deadline. As you can surmise, the group chose us, and allowed us to rent the building for a few years first. We moved in at the beginning of July.

We had a LOT to do in order to open our gallery. We painted the walls white, and the floor teal. We used a deck paint for the floor that was pretty toxic, and I remember our neighbor Annie came by late one night and thought we were a little loopy from the fumes. I designed a sign using one of Alison’s seascapes – we had the sign printed as a huge sticker, so it’d be the actual photo rather than a painting of her photo. I knew it would fade over time, not being an archival print. So, I thought, photos fade to blue, so why not just start there? It worked. Melissa, of About Signs, made the sign, and her husband hung it, just before opening day.

But there were a few setbacks…. Mold in the basement (bleached). Termites in the baseboards (exterminated and wood replaced). Rusty oil tank outside (removed). Lots of stuff upstairs, including a working sink (we’d deal with that later).

After builder Todd Leuenberger sheetrocked the center shelf unit to make a display wall, and built doors for the back so we could hang more photos, we managed to open our gallery!

Our two kids were as excited as we were. Sarah (left, below) and her best friend Hallie (right, below), and Jesse (that’s his back, in the second photo) with Iris and Miles Albert, were here for the opening.

We were thrilled. And then…

This is the part where the balloon framing comes in. When gallery season was over, I asked our architect, Chuck Sullivan, to survey the setup, and see if he had some ideas about the upstairs. He came over to take some measurements, and I said “… and we’re ok with the weight of all our file cabinets, flat files, and shelves, right?” Um, that would be no. He went upstairs and jumped up and down a few times, and said “Not only should you not move any stuff up there, I don’t want YOU to go up there.”

So we moved it all out. The whole gallery we’d worked so hard to create. And we asked Harold Chapdelaine of Stonebridge Building and Design to fix things. He and his crew gutted the entire place. It’s an historic building, and needed to be preserved, so basically our building is one huge cabinet. It was a little wonky. Crooked. Settled. So they firmed it up by sistering things, bolting things, installing huge steel beams held up by wide supports in the walls and 6-foot concrete footings, and hurricane ties to keep storms at bay. We had a metal roof put on, and two square windows out front where there had been one. The radiators were removed, and a propane heat and a/c system installed. And I did my thing on the computer to design the upstairs space (see below), just as I had for our last studio on Circuit Ave.

The upstairs studio turned out beautifully:

Harold found clapboard under the shingles out front, so we asked him to put new clapboard on. We picked a paint color we still love (and give out at least once a year to people who want to use it). And we did one more important thing. We asked them to preserve the red fire station light. They kept it in place, and fixed it so we could turn it on if we wanted to. Jokes about our “red light district” ensued.

After around five years, we officially bought the building from the MVCVA group. Because it had been a fire station, we got an environmental study done, to make sure there were no issues with oil or gas on the property. Then we found out there was a cesspool – no septic. Bummer. So we tied into the new town septic system for a cool $20,000 fee. That’s the commercial fee, including everything a restaurant might need – even though we just had one toilet and one tiny sink.

We also asked the MVCMA (if you’re getting bleary-eyed from acronyms, that’s the Camp Ground, which owns the land) to please move their access road over and remove the asphalt from out front. It was a safety issue for our customers, as cars used to cut across right in front of the building. At first we just dumped some shells out there, for timing reasons, as this GoogleEarth photo shows:

Then we hired Crosslands Landscaping to install our gorgeous bluestone walkway, lawn, and garden, which Working Earth has been maintaining and improving ever since. Ta dah!

If you’ve read this far, thank you! And please join us tomorrow evening (Saturday, August 6th) from 5 to 7 pm, for our 10th Anniversary Party. Alison and Lew French will be signing their new book. Herring Run Kitchens will provide fantastic food. Joanne Lambert will pour you a drink. And Sue will be behind the front desk and her wall of computers (don’t ask). Hope you can come!