Monhegan Island, off the southern coast of Maine, is a small, rocky place with a deep artistic heart. Primarily a walking destination, the island is accessible only by boat. Lobster traps, evidence of an important local industry, can still be found along the backroads.
In the town center, a fascinating museum, housed next to a lighthouse, is dedicated to the creative core of the island. For over 150 years, Monhegan has attracted artists from Andrew Wyeth and Edward Hopper to George Bellows and Alice Stoddard.
Swarming seagulls, the bucolic local countryside, the surge of the sea, and the daily lives of fishermen are all depicted in the museum’s considerable collection of roughly 1,300 works. The museum also hosts annual exhibitions. Themes have included “wintering over” the coldest months in Maine and, on display in summer 2024, the women artists of Monhegan Island.
Visit the historic home and artist studio built by artist Kent Rockwell, which became home to Boston-born James Edward Fitzgerald, an artist who traveled the world as a seaman and eventually made Monhegan Island his home and muse. The home and studio are now listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
