Cahoon Museum of American Art


The Cahoon Museum of American Art is an art museum located in Cotuit, Massachusetts. It features fine art, folk art and American art from the 1800s through the present. Public programs include a series of annual changing exhibitions, tours, artist's talks and workshops, and family activities.

History

The museum was founded in 1984 by Cotuit art collector, Rosemary Rapp. The Colonial Georgian home that constitutes the original part of the museum was built between 1775 and 1782 by early Cotuit resident, Zenas Crocker. Many of the building's period details are still intact. In 1945, artists Ralph and Martha Cahoon purchased the house to use as their residence and studio, using many of the rooms for the display of their paintings furniture and antiques.
Between 2014 and 2015, the Cahoon Museum underwent a major renovation of its historic building and added a new addition. The Museum reopened in May 2016, with additional square footage, doubling its exhibition and program space and giving enhanced access to the Museum's collections.

Collection

The museum's collection of art continues to grow through donation and purchase. The collection includes work by Cape Cod folk artists Ralph Cahoon and Martha Cahoon, 19th century paintings by Ralph Blakelock, William Bradford, James Buttersworth, John J. Enneking, Alvan Fisher, Levi Wells Prentice and William Matthew Prior, 20th century paintings by Margaret Patterson, Daisy Hughes, and multiple contemporary artists.