Satisfy your curiosity and join Ocean Alliance for a one-time viewing tour and art show at the historic Tarr and Wonson Paint Manufactory.
Please Join Ocean Alliance for a Free Open House and Art Show at the Tarr and Wonson Paint Manufactory on Rocky Neck in Gloucester, Massachusetts on Saturday October 25 from 10-3 and Sunday October 26 from 10-2, 2008.
Transportation will be provided to and from the site from the parking lot of Cape Ann Whale Watch at 415 Main Street in Gloucester (www.seethewhales.com).
Vacant since 1980, the Paint Manufactory was purchased by Ocean Alliance in June of 2008. This acquisition was made possible by a generous grant from the Annenberg Foundation.
On October 25 and 26th, Ocean Alliance is opening the doors of this historic building to the public before restoration efforts begin. In the worlds of Iain Kerr, CEO of Ocean Alliance, ‘The outside will reflect the past and the inside will reflect the future. As we move forward with the restoration campaign we will forge a template so that we can adapt to the future without sacrificing Gloucester’s proud history’.
The Paint Manufactory buildings stand at the tip of Rocky Neck, one of America’s oldest art colonies. The charm of the factory’s architecture has inspired generations of artists, who have come from around the world to paint it. The factory appeared as a backdrop in the 2000 movie The Perfect Storm. But the buildings have been vacant for 28 years, since the closure of the factory in 1980.
Ocean Alliance is celebrating this first-ever Open House by featuring the work of local artists inside the paint manufactory. Artists will include Jeff Weaver, Don Gorvett, Sean Hurley, Sydney Hurwitz, and several artists from the Rocky Neck Art Colony.
About The Tarr and Wonson Paint Manufactory
In 1863, The Tarr and Wonson Paint Manufactory revolutionized the fishing industry with the invention of copper paint that improved vessel speed and maneuverability, critical in both battle and bringing fish to market. Fisherman used the factory’s smoke stack as a navigational tool and a guide on foggy days. The 120-year-old former paint factory is one of our last links to a time when Gloucester was the capital of the fishing industry. Since then, the Paint Manufactory has become a Gloucester icon.
About Ocean Alliance
Ocean Alliance, Inc., a 501(c)3 organization, was founded in 1971 by biologist Roger Payne. Led by Dr. Payne and CEO Iain Kerr, Ocean Alliance collects a broad spectrum of data on whales relating particularly to toxicology, bioacoustics, behavior and genetics. Working from that data we give information to policy makers, politicians, non-governmental organizations, educators and students about ocean pollution and the health of sea life, especially marine mammal populations. Our data is the basis of many conservation success stories. Our longstanding scientific partner is the Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, which conduct’s state-of-the-art research aimed at understanding how environmental contaminants affect the health of humans and marine animals. Their mission is accomplished through the pursuit of a number of key objectives, including conducting innovative and multidisciplinary research in toxicology and molecular epidemiology to further our understanding of disease in humans and marine organisms, particularly as they relate to cancer, asthma and reproductive/developmental effects.