Special Events

PAAM is pleased to announce the return of our Benefit Auction of Early Provincetown Art, taking place Saturday, May 16, 2026. This special evening celebrates the artists who helped transform Provincetown from a small fishing village into one of the most influential centers of American art. The auction brings together remarkable works by historic Provincetown and Outer Cape artists and offers collectors an opportunity to acquire exceptional pieces while supporting PAAM’s mission.

PAAM will be closed for a private event this evening at 5pm, and reopening with free admission from 7-8pm.

We are hosting three days of art-making in the Hawthorne Barn with our friends from Twenty Summers. Following a brief lecture on the legacy of Charles Hawthorne in Provincetown, teacher John Clayton will give a painting demonstration and supervise three full days of painting in the Barn. Coffee and lunch will be provided. Students can choose to enroll for either the first day as a stand-alone class, or for all three days.

In honor of Juneteenth, local artist Jackie Reeves presents her installation What She Opened, an homage to educator, activist, and “Grandmother of Juneteeth”, Dr. Opal Lee. Sometimes referred to as the nation’s second independence day, Juneteenth recognizes June 19, 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas announcing that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state were free. However, it was not until June 17, 2021, after decades long efforts led by Lee, that President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act bill that finally established June 19th as a federal holiday. This temporary art piece celebrates a once underrepresented but crucial moment in American history.

Published on the occasion of a major new career retrospective, Marcia Marcus: I Paint What I Like provides a much-needed, extensive monographic exploration of a strikingly original artist.

Headstrong and wry, Marcia Marcus (1928–2025) was a fiercely original artist whose work challenges typical understanding of post-war American art. Rejecting mainstream abstraction, Marcus spent five decades painting what compelled her: languorous male nudes, parenthood, great style—subjects her peers rarely explored—all rendered in her distinctive cool and poised hand. Undaunted by New York’s male-dominated art world, she was a vivid presence in downtown Manhattan and Provincetown, pioneering as one of the first women to stage a Happening. Through decades of self-portraiture, she boldly affirmed her own creative voice and upended narrow expectations of gender with wit and defiance.

PAAM will open after today's parade, likely around 1pm. See what's on view here.

Experience the music of plants! The Four Seasons is a multi-space sound installation where data from the natural world becomes continuously evolving music, shaped by the changing seasons.

Authors C.L. Fornari and Stephen Orr will be signing copies of their new books! Included with $15 Museum admission (free for members) or a Secret Garden Tour ticket--available here.

Experience the music of plants! The Four Seasons is a multi-space sound installation where data from the natural world becomes continuously evolving music, shaped by the changing seasons.

Marcia Marcus: Art in the Family is a documentary film about Marcia Marcus (1928–2025), who worked figuratively at the height of the 1950s Abstract Expressionist era. Running 67 minutes, the film explores Marcus’s art and social life, her pioneering role in performance art, pop art and the use of photos.