Fine Art, Crafts, Writings On Display At Cape Cod National Seashore

As Cape Cod National Seashore nears the end of its 50th anniversary year, visitors to the seashore will be able to enjoy an exhibit of arts, crafts, and writings inspired by Cape Cod.

The exhibit, A Measure of Solitude, opens Saturday and runs through the end of the year at the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham, Massachusetts.

The is a joint exhibition by the not-for-profit Outer Cape Artist in Residency Consortium and the Provincetown Community Compact. Both organizations offer artist and writer residencies in the national seashore's dune shacks.

The Dune Shacks of Peaked Hill Bars Historic District in Provincetown and Truro is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is significant for its association with the historic development of art and literature in America. The artist-in-residence program is one way the arts tradition is perpetuated in the historic district. The organizations also offer annual grants that include competitive awards to spend time enjoying the solitude of the dune shacks.

The exhibition is one of several throughout 2011 that commemorated Cape Cod National Seashore's 50th anniversary. On August 7, 1961, President Kennedy signed legislation establishing the national seashore.

Other exhibitions in the 50th anniversary series included historic images; landscape artwork developed by Nauset Regional High School art students; national seashore-inspired quilts; Wampanoag culture; and art and literature inspired by the beauty of the national seashore.

If you go: Salt Pond Visitor Center is located at the intersection of Route 6 and Nauset Road in Eastham and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The center includes a lobby with expansive views of Salt Pond, Nauset Marsh, and the Atlantic; a museum featuring the park's natural and cultural stories; staff to assist with trip planning, and a store with books, maps, puzzles, games, t-shirts, and 50th anniversary commemorative items.

There are short films shown throughout the day. The Buttonbush and Nauset Marsh Trails, and the Nauset Bike Trail are located nearby. For more information on Cape Cod National Seashore programs call 508-255-3421, or check the park's website, www.nps.gov/caco.