In the summer of 1949, a series of avant-garde art seminars and exhibitions took place in Provincetown. They covered a wide range of subjects, from painting and poetry to architecture, […]
Arts & Minds
Celebrating the creative and sometimes quirky culture of the Outer Cape.
Browse all Arts & Minds stories below or dive into a topic:
VISIBILITY
Creating an Archive of Women’s Stories
Michelle Axelson records a trove of lesbian tales that won’t disappear
Michelle Axelson grew up in Framingham, where her mom’s closest friends were Joyce and Judy. Former nuns, they’d left that life to run a child-care business. They lived together and […]
THINKERS
Judith Butler Would Like Us to Love Without Fear
The philosopher’s latest book asks Who’s Afraid of Gender?
Before she was a transphobe, J.K. Rowling was a writer. In her Harry Potter series, the villain Voldemort is so feared that everyone believes it is dangerous to utter his […]
INDIE SCREEN
The Pitfalls of Growing Up
Two recent films explore the hurdles facing lost young souls
Southern California teenagers can be a shallow bunch, especially in the movies that are made about them. From the beginnings of the postwar “youth” film — Rebel Without a Cause […]
Arts Briefs
Arts Briefs for April 25, 2024 through May 2, 2024
Bob Cohen’s Life Becomes Musical Art After more than a decade of playwriting, Bob Cohen has written his first musical comedy. With a soundtrack of classic songs from the 1930s […]
TURNING POINT
Tearing Meaning From a ‘River of Grass’
Sasha Wortzel traces the shoreline from the Everglades to Provincetown
Sasha Wortzel says that her current work in film, photography, and printmaking is a form of kriah, the Hebrew word for “tearing” that refers to the Jewish practice of rending […]
ICONS
Looking at Candy Darling
A new biography reveals the loneliness of the Warhol superstar
Candy Darling’s face could not be forgotten. It glued itself to the minds of the auteurs of late ’60s New York, her beauty playing out ad infinitum in their songs, […]
ART AND ACCESS
Three Wellfleet Galleries Close Their Doors
A look back at what they accomplished and their reasons for closing
Three Wellfleet galleries — Off Main, Burdick, and Marrinan — won’t be opening their doors this summer. The closings mark the end of a chapter for the three spaces, each […]
POETRY
Two Poems by Marilyn Johnson
Wistful Exurbia far enough apart our farms nothing for show flowers incidental roadside lilies in June our neighbors sold out for less than you’d […]
POETRY
Three Poems by Andrea Cohen
All at Once When I was five I was five. Recalling being four, I turned six. It’s always been like this — one foot in the grave, one in gravy. […]
MUSIC
Indie Playlist: New Sounds
Music for a season of growth and wonder
For this latest installment of the Indie Playlist, we asked Independent staff and contributors to reflect on the idea of newness, especially as it relates to the season marked by […]
Arts Briefs
Arts Briefs for April 18, 2024 through April 25, 2024
Four Writers on Their Favorite Books The Fine Arts Work Center’s 24PearlStreet online program — named for FAWC’s physical location — was established to bring writing workshops, resources, and community […]
CROSSWORD #51
Making Local Change
IN THE STUDIO
Rehab El Sadek Sculpts a Story of Political Dislocation
Discarded books and gauze hold a place for whispered words
Rehab El Sadek has made herself at home since arriving in Provincetown this past October as a visual arts fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center. The vibe in her […]
RADIO
Matty Dread Is an ‘Ambassador of Love’
Meet the man who keeps WOMR spinning
Matthew Dunn, the operations manager at Provincetown’s Outermost Community Radio (WOMR), has waist-length dreadlocks and wears galaxy-print shirts. Both amplify his gravitational pull. In his corner office at 494 Commercial […]
