About Us

The Essex Art Association, housed in a historic Essex building, has served the Shoreline area as a nonprofit seasonal art gallery since 1946. We were the first local art association to embrace all styles of art, from the traditional to the cutting edge. The excellence and variety of our shows have made the EAA an outstanding exhibition venue showcasing quality art.

Several shows during our typical season offer opportunities for artists and art lovers alike. In a normal year, our opening show, the Valley Regional High School Student Show, highlights the exciting and refreshing work of young artists. Throughout the season three regular show categories are offered to artists: Juried, Open, and Elected Artist. The open shows and Elected Artist show are judged for awards, and all entries are hung if space permits. Juried shows are limited to 80 works chosen by the juror from over 200 entries. In addition to these shows, Gantner Gallery solo shows highlight some of the most interesting and accomplished artists who were show winners during the previous year.

The gallery season has been traditionally extended by rentals offered to members for their own shows.

We welcome you to be a part of this vital and growing community art organization. We want to exhibit your work and give you the space to walk around, view the shows and perhaps purchase a piece of original artwork. Volunteer opportunities allow art lovers and artists to join in the ongoing life of our gallery. Your membership, participation and donations are essential to the achievement of our mission to promote art appreciation and artists’ recognition in the communities that we serve.

Elected Council for 2025
Francine Curto, President
Ellen Gaube, Vice President
Peggy Price, Secretary
Kara Gillam, Member
Lisa Helene, Member
Howard Margules, Member
Alison Ritrovato, Member

Gallery Director
Sarah Grote

Our Mission Statement

The Essex Art Association is a thriving, non-profit art association with a rich history, and our artists represent the visual arts through painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, and printmaking. We inspire to connect artists of all levels with the community through seasonal exhibits and activities. Our goals are:

*To foster creativity and inclusivity, providing opportunities for artists of all levels

*To maintain a place for artists to gather to develop their skills, connect with other artists, and provide opportunities to exhibit in community shows.

*To share the arts with the greatest number of people regardless of race, gender, religion, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation, and to be inclusive of multi-cultural arts.

*To extend cultural enrichment to the community and encourage community support for both the appreciation and creation of fine art.