Provincetown & the Arts America’s oldest art colony Provincetown’s celebrated reputation as the nation’s oldest art colony began when painter Charles Webster Hawthorne arrived in Provincetown in 1899. Shortly thereafter, he founded the Cape Cod School of Art, where he taught painting for the following 30 summers.

Prominent art students and teachers were also drawn to Provincetown for the beautiful light, natural landscapes and rustic scenes. They followed Hawthorne to Provincetown, eventually establishing their own schools. The new art schools and art movements spawned a year-round arts community of young, aspiring artists working under the watchful eyes of established mentors and teachers. In 1916, The Boston Globe ran a frontpage story titled, “Biggest Art Colony in the World in Provincetown.” Hans Hofmann, Franz Kline, Mark Rothko, Blanche Lazzell, Milton Avery, Jack Tworkov and Edward Hopper were simply a handful of well-known artists with ties to Provincetown. Provincetown is also associated with the birth of modern American theater. Eugene O’Neill, considered the father of modern American theater, mounted his first play on an East End Provincetown wharf in 1915. Today, the tradition is carried on at Provincetown Theater, the well-known venue featuring The New Provincetown Players Theater Company. Writers like John Dos Passos, Weldon Kees, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer and Michael Cunningham found inspiration in Provincetown. Many actors and musicians, including Billie Holiday, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Richard Gere, Julius Monk, and Barbra Streisand, spent their early years performing on Provincetown stages. 

Today, Provincetown remains a haven for artists in every medium – painting, sculpting, theatre, writing, and music. The vibrant arts community, atmosphere of experimentation, vast teaching and learning opportunities, and palpable energy draw artists year after year to share and deepen their talents.