Lost and Found

Tools, pipes, pottery, scavenged wood, and doll parts are among the startling artifacts that have been exposed by the retreating tides in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the oldest continuous art colony in the US. Until the 1930s, the harbor was also the town dump, and six contemporary artists with a keen eye for color, shape, and texture have amassed collections based on their individual intuition and aesthetic. Beachcombers, historians, artists, and coastal New Englanders will be fascinated by these objects—dating from indigenous peoples to the 21st century—and the art they’ve inspired in various mediums. Nearly 500 photographs and interviews with the artists create a unique narrative filled with wit, whimsy, and creative vision.