Artists of Provincetown

Made over eight years, Artists of Provincetown, is a portrait project by photographer Ron Amato that documents the artist community in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Provincetown is the oldest artist colony in the United States. Charles Hawthorne opened the first art school there in 1899. Since then its number of artists has swelled with both full year and seasonal residents. Among the notable artists who lived and worked in Provincetown are Tennessee Williams. Norman Mailer, Robert Motherwell, Anne Packard and John Waters. Continuing the work of photographer Norma Holt a generation earlier, Amato has created a rich portrait of the artist community in Provincetown in the early 21st century. The project currently consists of 84 portraits. 27 of the new portraits are of artists Norma photographed up to a half century earlier. Coincidentally, one of Ron's environmental portraiture influences, Arnold Newman, spent some time in Provincetown in the 1950s making portraits. Ron's style of portraiture very much reflects that of Newman's, using environmental elements to frame the subject and immerse the viewer in their world.