August 25 - November 18, 2018

Public Reception, Thursday, August 30th, 5:30 - 7:00 pm

Preceded by a Gallery talk at 4:30pm

"This beautiful place called Cape Cod is such an inspiration for me. I see shapes and colors in the ponds, the marshes, the bogs, the cedar swamps, the ocean and the bays. A small painting or drawing done on site becomes the impetus for the large colorful abstract oil paintings created in my studio.”

                                                                                                                               -Suzanne M. Packer

This exhibition shines a spotlight on the vibrant artwork of Suzanne M. Packer, Cape Cod Museum of Art’s 2018 Artist Muse Award honoree for outstanding contributions to the Museum and art community.  Known for her colorful still life oil paintings and her white-line woodblock prints, this show introduces us to her recent abstract oil paintings which have been inspired by her days spent painting the various water views on Cape Cod.

Packer became one of the first Trustees of CCMoA, then called the Cape Museum of Fine Arts, in 1984 and was appointed its first Director in 1985.  She initiated many exciting art and fundraising programs, began growing the permanent collection, and oversaw the installation of a donated building, the core of today’s Museum, on the grounds of the Cape Playhouse.  She was responsible for the growth of the Museum into 1992, after which she took up painting full time. She recently returned to the Museum as the Volunteer Archivist and was made an Honorary Trustee last year.

She exhibited her first work in the San Francisco Museum of Art when she was five years old. Her work has since been exhibited and collected from New England to California, Greece, and Pakistan. She has been honored with numerous one-person exhibitions, including Cahoon Museum of American Art, Sparrow House Museum, and "Spanning The Years: A. S. Packer & Suzanne M. Packer" at the Cape Cod Museum of Art.

Packer devotes a significant amount of time to mentoring other artists, teaching and to community projects. She served for nine years on the Founding Board of the Cultural Center of Cape Cod, is the Immediate Past President of the Cape Cod Branch of the National League of American Pen Women, ran the Festival of the Arts for the Creative Arts Center in Chatham for five years, now works at the Cape Cod Museum of Art as Volunteer Archivist, is a member of 21 In Truro, and the Printmakers of Cape Cod.

Attached are images of paintings by Suzanne M. Packer, courtesy of the artist.

About Cape Cod Museum of Art

Founded by artists in 1981, CCMoA is the home of Cape Cod art.  It preserves the work of the Cape’s finest artists and celebrates the distinctive artistic identity of the Cape & Islands region.  The Museum is a major hub of cultural creativity.  It educates, inspires and excites the imagination through its outstanding art collection and diverse programming while caring for its many communities.  The Museum is situated in a beautiful setting surrounded by a Sculpture Garden at the Cape Cod Center for the Arts. CCMoA has seven galleries, a Museum Shop and a film screening room. It is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod.

            CCMoA is located at 60 Hope Lane, just off Route 6A, on the campus with Cape Cinema and the Cape Cod Playhouse in Dennis, MA. Hours are 10 am to 5 pm Tues through Sat and noon to 5 pm on Sunday.  The Galleries are open on ARTfull Thursdays from 5 – 8 with no admission fee.  General Admission is $9, $7 for seniors and students 19+ with school ID, $5 for students 13 to 18, and free for children 12 & under. For more information, see www.ccmoa.org or call (508) 385-4477. Follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram