Museum launches national search for successor
GLOUCESTER – After decades of shaping the Cape Ann Museum’s collections and exhibitions, Chief Curator Martha Oaks has announced plans to retire at the end of 2026. The announcement comes nearly one year after a transformative gift endowed the Chief Curator position within the institution.
“Martha’s superlative engagement at the Museum, and her commitment to excellence and scholarship, have been paramount to the Museum’s development as one of the best regional museums in this country,” said the Cape Ann Museum Director, Oliver Barker.
The Chief Curator position was created in 2020 in honor of Oaks’ multi-decade commitment to stewarding the art and history of Cape Ann as a singularly unique place. In December 2024, the position was generously endowed by Henrietta Gates and Heaton Robertson. Prior to 2020, Oaks served as Curator of the Museum from 1981 to 1990 and 2007 to 2019.
During her tenure, Oaks organized numerous exhibitions exploring the history of Cape Ann and the artists who have lived and worked in the area including sculptors Walker Hancock and George Demetrios, and painters Marsden Hartley, Frank Duveneck, John Sloan, Milton Avery, Umberto Romano and Margaret Fitzhugh Browne. She also curated numerous thematic exhibitions exploring topics including the history of the Rocky Neck and Rockport art colonies during the mid-20th century, women artists of Cape Ann, the Folly Cove Designers, the lure of the family-owned fishing vessel, and the architectural firm of Phillips & Holloran.
Oaks also worked with many contemporary artists and artisans, curating exhibitions for painters Jeff Weaver, Roger Martin, Judi Rotenberg and Charles Movalli; printmaker Don Gorvett; organ and harpsichord maker Jeremy Adams; and furniture maker Jay McLaughlan. She holds an M.A. in American and New England Studies from Boston University and a B.A. from Colby College.
As Chief Curator, Oaks managed the Museum’s Collections Team, who is responsible for the care, development and interpretation of the Museum’s extensive collections, including its library and archives and four historic colonial structures. Oaks has contributed to Fitz Henry Lane Online, a digital resource and catalogue raisonné focusing on American marine artist Fitz Henry Lane, and is presently overseeing the digitization of the Museum’s collections.
Reflecting on her decades of service to the Cape Ann Museum, Oaks said “…working at the Museum has been a joy and an honor. Cape Ann and the region are fortunate to have such a wonderful organization at their disposal, and I look forward to watching it continue to grow and thrive in the future.”
In recognition of Oaks’ longstanding service to the Museum and its nationally significant collections, the Museum will appoint Oaks as Curator Emerita following her retirement.
Cape Ann Museum is launching a nationwide search to fill the dynamic Chief Curator position. More details about the opportunity can be found here.
——————————
The Cape Ann Museum, founded in 1875, exists to preserve and celebrate the history and culture of the area and to keep it relevant to today’s audiences. Spanning 44,000 square feet, the Museum’s Downtown campus, which reopens in spring 2026, remains a major cultural institution on Boston’s North Shore that has welcomed thousands of local, national, and international visitors annually to its exhibitions, programs, and community-led events. In addition to fine art, the Museum’s collections include decorative art, textiles, artifacts from the fisheries and granite industries, four historic structures, a Library & Archives, and a sculpture garden in the heart of downtown Gloucester.
The Cape Ann Museum Green (CAM Green), the Museum’s campus off Grant Circle and Route 128 in Gloucester is home to the 12,000 square foot Janet & William Ellery James Center, built in 2020 which includes a flexible exhibition and community programming space designed to reach broader audiences with new exhibits and public programs. CAM Green, which has been the Museum’s base of operations during the renovations, features three historic structures: the White Ellery House (1710), the Babson-Alling House (c.1740), an adjacent Barn (c.1740), a Contemporary Art Wetu (2023-2024) and a Mush8n (mi-shoon) (2023), an eastern woodlands boat.
General admission to the Cape Ann Museum Green campus is always free. More information can be found on www.capeannmuseum.org or please call (978) 283-0455 x110.
