When Home is where the (queer) Art is ……

Provincetown , the tiny, glamorous speck of land at the tip of Cape Cod has seen its fair share of change over the years.  Some people still wrongly believe that it was discovered by the Brits when they sailed into port on the Mayflower in 1620 to declare that this was now theirs.   Actually, they soon realised they didn’t like the place at all and so they got back on board and a few hours later landed in Plymouth the other side of the Bay  But anyway they were hardly the first people who thought of Provincetown as home, as the Wampanoag, and the Nauset , sometimes referred to as the Cape Cod Indians, had inhabited the region for over 12,000 years, and their history is deeply intertwined with the land.

Fast forward to the mid-19th century, specifically the 1850s, the Portuguese began arriving in Provincetown in significant numbers, primarily drawn to the area by the growing fishing industry.  By the 1880s, they constituted roughly one-third of the town’s population, and by the early 20th century, Portuguese fishermen had become a major force in Provincetown’s fishing industry. 

They were followed by artists when, in 1889,  Charles W. Hawthorne opened his Cape Cod School of Painting and Artists were quickly drawn to the area’s wind-swept dunes and enchanted by the Town’s wharves and sailing ships. By World War I, Provincetown’s reputation as an art colony was well established, with painters, playwrights, and poets embracing the Town’s bohemian lifestyle. Among the famous inhabitants were the writer Norman Mailer, the playwrights Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams,  and the abstract expressionist Hans Hofmann, who also opened a summer school in Town.

Then, in the 1960s, gay and lesbian travelers began making Provincetown an essential destination. They were drawn to the town’s sense of freedom and acceptance, and became responsible for gentrifying the ‘village’  or as they would claim, ‘gaying it up!‘  Years later, when the AIDS epidemic began tearing at the fabric of the gay community around the country, Provincetown became a refuge, a place where patients could seek solace in an accepting community. Residents formed support networks and cared for the sick.  Then in 2004, Provincetown took on another identity: wedding destination. Massachusetts was the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, promising Provincetown’s caterers, venues, and florists job security for years to come, and overnight making it one of the most popular places for gay couples  Now in the first quarter of the 21st Century its very obvious how Provincetown has fully embraced its past to create such a diverse community : there is still a fishing fleet, a smaller, but equally important, Portuguese population, and an impressive number of queer artists and writers who are inspired to create their work here, plus on some summer nights there is a seemingly endless coterie of drag queens down the main street.  Every summer Friday night, right after Tea Dance,  and just before dinner, there is Gallery Walk.  For such a small town Provincetown has a myriad of art galleries, smallish in size, but each one promoting talented local artists with such passion. Its a shining example of how the Town’s different communities have blended with each other and its no rareity to be able to enjoy the work of local  queer artists (who can be portugese too..)    Some focus on landscapes which take on a whole different life when the sunset engulfs the coast, but the two new exhibits that open this week  with new work from two of Queerguru favorite artists focus on the male form. Divine Play Eric Price divides his time between Provincetown and New York and as well as creating his own art  he has been a Board member of the Alumni Association of New York Academy of Art , and served on the the Advisory Board of the Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, MA.  Flight Interuppted

He told Queerguru that much  of his  work is based in Provincetown—a place that, for him, is more than just a setting. It’s a space where queerness, memory, and myth come together. In his paintings, he seeks to capture moments that are both specific and universal—a place where the human figure meets the natural world. The landscapes themselves act as both setting and metaphor—fragile, resilient, shifting yet rooted. Through this tension, he hopes his art resonates emotionally with others.

Rowmantic Escape

First Timers In his third solo exhibition, Bare Tides: The Male Figure at Rest by the Sea, Price invites viewers into quiet moments of stillness, vulnerability, and reflection—captured along the gentle edges of Provincetown’s tidal landscapes. Known for his commitment to figurative painting and his skill in capturing natural light, Price brings the viewer into scenes where identity, place, and memory intersect. Friday, June 27th, 7pm
Bare Tides – Eric Price

  https://gregsalvatori.com

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Photo Michael Childers

Neil Korpinen didn’t  have to travel far to arrive here in Provincetown as his family has  grown cranberries in South Caver, Mass for 100 years ( a gay man would never exaggerate ? ) He actually studied painting and drawing locally at FAWC, PAAM, The Hawthorne Barn and Castle Hill…… 4 of the best artists centers in Provincetown.  His new Show at the Commons in Provincetown  that opens tonight is titled The Summer of ’24 – Figures and Places 

He told QUEERGURU. “At the end of last summer I began a group of paintings that seemed tinged with nostalgia. In this current era of chaos and disbelief the theme has taken on an additional meaning. Though the setting is at the beach the subdued palette lends a tonal, atmospheric quality to the landscape. Lone figures are mostly looking away, remembering the good carefree times of the past summer and perhaps years gone by. The Summer of ’42 movie is a good coming of age story but The Summer of ’24 is about looking back.”

 

End of Season, o/c, 40” x 30”

 

BFF, o/c, 36” x 36”

 

THE SUMMER OF ‘24 – FIGURES AND PLACES BY NEIL KORPINEN

until Monday, July 7, 2025 

The Commons 46 Bradford Street Provincetown,