Weathering the arts in Rocky Neck
One of the most charming fishing and arts communities on the East Coast can be found in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The first time I visited Rocky Neck, it was early summer and friends had a place out on the little peninsula. Most mornings we could watch two locals in the shallows – a pair of geese. Their long white necks floated imperiously above startling bright feathers as they moved between pilings and anchored skiffs.
One afternoon we borrowed kayaks to explore. Paddling deep into Smith Cove we approached the main town and slid past all sizes of commercial fishing vessels tied to well-worn docks. Later, in the calm afternoon sunshine, we tied up at the only restaurant in the area that you can approach by boat and enjoyed lunch at historical Rudder Restaurant with its inviting deck and classic seafood menu.
For nearly two centuries, many noted artists have been drawn to the area. Gloucester’s iconic sculpture, The Man at the Wheel, a permanent memorial to the ten thousand Gloucester fishermen lost at sea, was created by Leonard Craske in his studio on the pier on Rocky Neck in the 1920s. Writers of the stature of Louisa May Alcott and Rudyard Kipling, frequented the “Neck” and T.S. Elliott spent many summers here.
The Rocky Neck community has its own playhouse, the Gloucester Stage Company, which fosters new plays as well as staging popular, small productions each summer. We were able to walk from Rocky Neck to the theater for a performance, but I’d suggest driving if you come from the main part of town. Since the area’s beauty summons the creative spirit, the North Shore Arts Association has been thriving since 1922. Their large exhibition space, open only during the warmer seasons, is perfect for an afternoon’s stroll with evening concerts, lectures and classes for all ages available.
The “Neck” sleeps during the long, cold winters but is no less beautiful for that, just harder to navigate by land and impossible by sea as the cove freezes. Still I’d recommend a visit to this historical and creative neighborhood any time of year.
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