From the beginning of May when the 1998/99 Fellows left, until the end of June when the first summer students arrived, the Work Center was abuzz with activity. Workers seemed to be everywhere, painting, roofing, cleaning up studios, while at the same time, the Returning Residency Program was in full swing, as many Former Fellows returned for short stays, allowing them the opportunity to focus on new work. The Returning Residency Program has rapidly become one of FAWC's most popular and productive programs.

The 1999 Summer Workshop Program saw an increase in student enrollment of almost twenty percent. We were pleased to add Lesley College to our growing list of academic accreditors. Work continued to enhance our facilities, with improved computer and copying capabilities for writing students and general upgrades in all the apartments.

The Work Center played host to a number of remarkable events, including a book signing for authors Cynthia Huntington, Frank Gaspar, and Roger Skillings; American Poets' Favorite Poems, hosted by U.S. Poet Laureate and Board Member Robert Pinsky (see story here); and a cocktail party for summer faculty member and Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham, hosted by longtime friends and supporters of FAWC, Richard Di Frummolo and Donald Winter. Tuesday night readings and Wednesday night slide lectures commanded greater attendance than ever before, as all week-long faculty members participated in the ten-week series. Musicians Jeffry Cismoski, Pat Hartzell, and Julie Maykowski performed during the Fall Arts Festival to benefit FAWC. In addition, Park Davis and the Benchmark Inn hosted the third annual Benchmark Performance Series, featuring other local musicians.

Newly renovated Hudson D. Walker Gallery during the exhibition of art owned by the town of Provincetown. Photo: Mark Cronin

Summer Gallery Coordinator Dorothy Antczak ran a brisk season of successful exhibitions in the newly renovated Hudson D. Walker Gallery, drawing favorable attention in national and regional publications such as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Cape Cod Times. The Former Fellows of New York show brought together a wide range of artists culled from three decades of FAWC fellowships. That show traveled to the Lamia, Ink! Gallery in New York under the direction of Cortland Jessup. Former Writing Fellows Lucy Grealy, Michael Klein, Jhumpa Lahiri and Victoria Redel read recent works during the exhibition in New York. Many thanks to Board Member and Former Fellow Andrew Mockler and Jungle Press, who helped make the New York show a reality.

Former Fellows of New York Opening Reception at Lamia, Ink! in New York Photo: Cortland Jessup

June also saw the the installation of 1998 Race Point Light House Keeper's Resident Ron Gonzalez' haunting exhibition of boat forms and found-object assemblages. In honor of Provincetown's 100th anniversary as an artists' colony, in July the Work Center hosted a special exhibition of paintings from the Town of Provincetown Collection, including works by Charles Hawthorne, Ross Moffet, and Henry Hensche, curated by local painter John Dowd. This was the first time that the rich archive of works owned by the Town of Provincetown had been displayed in a curated show.

Former Visual Arts Fellow and local artist Susan Baker exhibited works from her book The History of Provincetown, which was released last summer. And in September, the Hudson D. Walker Gallery welcomed back the Outer Cape Artists Residents' exhibition of recent works done in a dune shack.

Summer Painting Class with Gregory Gillespie Photo: Marian Roth

August brought with it the return of the Annual Benefit Auction, the Work Center's twenty-third, which raised more than $50,000 to help fund the Winter Fellowships. It is indeed true that many hands make light work, and the volunteer turn- out for the event was spectacular, under the guidance of Louise Davy and Hatty Walker Fitts. Visual Arts Committee member Pasquale Natale created the art used for the poster; Print Project maven Michael Mazur saw to the production of another set of spectacular works on paper by various local and national artists; and Judith Shahn was again on hand to coordinate the Artists' Project which were framed mirrors. Needless to say, none of the event's success would have been possible without the generous support of the many volunteers, artists, and business people who continue to support the Work Center's efforts. Special thanks to auctioneer Stephen Fletcher and corporate underwriters Bryden & Sullivan Insurance, Napi's Restaurant, Seaman's Bank, Skinner, Inc. and Stanhope Framers.

In residence at the Work Center were Ohio Arts Council visual artist Kimberly Burleigh and poet Terri Ford; Hand Hollow visual artist Joe Fyfe and writer Michael Gross; and Maryland Institute/ College of Art resident Marian Sullivan. Summer staff included perennial favorites Didier Corallo and Sara London, with the addition of poet and artist Lynn Stanley. Also on hand were Mark Cronin, Polly Burnell, Julia Minsky, Carmen Thomas, Sam Yarborough, and Harry Skoyles, all of whom helped to keep things running smoother than ever.

After the summer's considerable dust settled, in September an article from the Berkshire Eagle arrived in the green mailbox at 24 Pearl Street, written by Summer Workshop participant Michelle Gillett. "I follow nobody else's rhythms and agendas," she wrote. "I go out and return when I feel like it. I'm not exactly living in isolation -- there are about 50 other residents at the Center taking and teaching writing and visual arts workshops. I'm part of a writing group that meets for three hours each morning. In the evening, there are lectures and openings to attend. But when I am in my room, I am all by myself."