Cahoon Museum of American Art — Attraction in Barnstable

Visited Cahoon museum of american art with painting and sculpture in Barnstable, cape cod. MA today, 9/27/17. About 1 hr.

Museum was great mix of 20th c. folk art, 20th c. impressionistic landscapes and seascapes as well as a few 21st cent works inspired by the 20th cent works on display.

If you like mermaids, this is the place 4 you! Most art was drawn, painted by the Cahoon family. As a guy, i felt underrepresented with a complete lack of mermen. Not one.

Gift shop had a really nice coffee table book on cape cod paintings, $35. No food on site. Excellent facilities for handicapped needs. Saw several folks in wheelchairs. Postcards and illustrated cards of the mermaid art is for sale.

Museum was recently shored up to make it sound structurally, and a new, large, well lit exhibit space added. Today, saw vintage duck decoys and realistic painted bird sculpures in wood. Bird sculptures were remarkably real. $8 admit for seniors.

The mid 1700s house-turned museum gave great atmosphere, but some rooms were overly dark with dark artworks, and i'd need a flashlight 2 see some paintings.

This museum cries out for a special exhibit of scrimshaw art in the new museum, or at least clear photos of period 17th-19th c. mermaid and sailing ship scrimshaw art throughout the old museum.

We were treated 2 the whimsical mermaid art of the museum donors, mostly. Felt a bit overexposed to 20th c. Cahoon family art at the expense of authentic, period mermaid/sailing images. Room 2 grow.

I'd collect real scrimshaw, painted nautical pieces from whaling era if adding to the collection.... oh, why not, a period mermaid nose prow sculpture, or even a contemporary one.

And what about halloween? A little mermaid party 4 girls?

Worth the time and friendly to those in wheelchairs. Grade:...

Currently celebrating its 40th year anniversary, the museum was started in 1984 in the former home of the husband-and-wife folk artist team Ralph Cahoon and Martha Farham Cahoon. Artists, architects, and historians alike will delight in these unique buildings filled with local art.

Traffic near the museum is heavy, so traffic noise can be heard on the side of the building near the road. Additionally, drivers are aggressive and frequently do not yield to visitors attempting to enter or exit the parking lot. The museum is well-lit throughout the space and fully accessible to those with limited mobility or using a wheelchair due to the installation of an elevator; however, the entrance experience was not equitable. I tested the accessible entrance method and found that it brought me into an abandoned kitchen-meeting area with vibes more akin to a church basement than a museum. A sign on letter paper at the far end of this room told me where to go in all caps but did not specify the location of the elevator. While a good starting effort was made here, no user testing was conducted.

Cahoon Museum is open March through December, Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance on the website or at the door. The cost is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, $0 for children under 12, $2 for Card to Culture holders, and $0 for NARM members, NEMA members (like me!), and Blue Star families on certain days. With frequently rotating exhibits and plans for expansion, this is a great stop for those looking for unique and high...

I’m sorry to say that I don’t like the direction the Cahoon is headed in. I used to visit every summer, the last time being in 2007. When I came today hoping for a trip down memory lane, I found the unique, quaint charm mostly gone. Most of the Cahoon paintings and shell art were gone, substituted with large contemporary sculptures. The enchanting front stairway has been cordoned off, and the art removed. I also felt that $18 for entry for one adult and one senior was steep, especially considering that what we came to see wasn’t there. The Cahoon used to be an incredibly special place, I’m quite sad that such drastic, sweeping changes have been made to the curation and the historical building itself. Oh well. Time marches...