Collection

The Permanent Collection

Our permanent collection includes more than 5,350 works, capturing over a century of artistic vitality in Provincetown and on the Outer Cape.

This database offers a window into that rich legacy and our ongoing efforts to showcase contemporary artists working here. More than 2,700 pieces in our collection lack digital images. Our efforts to digitize the rest of our collection are ongoing; to contribute to this critical project to digitize the PAAM collection, please contact James Robertson, Chief Development Officer, by email at jrobertson@paam.org or visit: paam.org/donate/

COLLECTION IN THE COMMUNITY

PAAM regularly loans work from its permanent collection to community organizations and businesses, expanding public access to and appreciation of these important works of art. Works from the collection can currently be seen at Seamen’s Bank (Provincetown, Truro, and Wellfleet locations), Seashore Point in Provincetown, La Tanzi, Spaulding & Landreth LLP offices in Provincetown and Orleans, and David Marshall Datz, PC office in Provincetown and Orleans. To discuss arranging an artwork loan for your business or organization, please contact PAAM Registrar Madeleine Larson (mlarson@paam.org).

Lounge

Art

3D collage (sequins) of various fantastical colorful figures, three framed in the center and surrounded by small frames of other figures

Description

Three masked figures lounge together beneath a starry sky. Colorful garments and eccentric accessories emphasize the individuality of each character. In contrast to a mask that homogeneously hides its wearer, a mask may also accentuate uniqueness. Deb Mell’s "Lounge" emphasizes a mask's ability to breed authenticity. Mell’s eclectic figures and scenes offer viewers a glimpse of Provincetown’s uninhibited style. With a positive connotation, critics of Mell’s work have stated that her art suggests alien worlds that exist parallel to our own. During a moment in time, where most communities foster environments conducive to social masking, such a comment is welcome. To these towns and cities, void of acceptance or even tolerance, Provincetown may appear as just that, an unbelievable, surrealist landscape. It is unrecognizable, not because these truths don’t exist elsewhere, but because they are hidden and repressed out of fear.

Artist Information

Deb Mell

Entry/Object ID

2706.Pa18

Artwork Details

Date made: 2013

Medium: Mixed media

Dimensions (h x w): 39 in x 39 in

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type: Signature, Date, Title

Location: Verso

Acquisition

Accession: 2706

Credit Line: Gift of the artist, 2018