When Nancy Shaw Cramer closed her gallery on Main Street, Vineyard Haven, last November, after 20 years of representing artists from the Island and beyond, she wasn’t about to just close her doors and leave her stable of artists adrift to land where they would.
“Nancy is such a good person,” says fiber artist Julia Mitchell, who was with the Shaw Cramer almost from the very beginning. “When she decided that she wanted to retire, she was concerned about her artists. She didn’t want to just walk away.”
Retire is a relative term. Although she has quit the gallery business, Ms. Shaw Cramer has returned to focusing on her own work as a fiber artist and designer. At one time Ms. Shaw Cramer was one of the top 10 tapestry artists in the country. She showed her work all over, including at the American Craft Museum in New York City.
“Personally I’d been thinking of closing the gallery for two to three years,” she said. “I really wanted to get back to my own work. I’d gotten myself to a really interesting level. Tapestry rugs are very physical. You can only do it to a certain point in your life. About two years ago I started to let go.”
Along with her tapestry art pieces, Ms. Shaw Cramer is now designing and producing coats, jackets, and tunics: “I became absolutely compelled to sew every day. I was having such a good time. It was almost meditative for me.” She will be selling her designs at local artists’ showcases this summer.
Many of the other artists that called Shaw Cramer Gallery home also moved on, either to other galleries or to selling on their own.
“It’s forced everyone to review what they’re making, what they like to work on, and how to market themselves,” says Ms. Shaw Cramer.
At first the gallery owner tried to help her artists set up a collaborative in the same Main Street space that she had operated for two decades. However, it was more ambitious and time-consuming of a proposition than the individual artists were ready to tackle. “I think that people needed a little more time to consider it,” says painter Leslie Baker, who worked at the gallery as well as showing her work there. “It’s a huge leap to go from being represented to going into a cooperative.”
Three of the Shaw Cramer artists — Ms. Baker, abstract artist Rob Hauck, and fiber artist Julia Mitchell — have moved over to the A Gallery in Oak Bluffs.
“I knew Tanya. I knew the gallery. I knew of the stable of artists. It’s a natural,” says Ms. Mitchell. “It’s about the quality of the work and the fact that Tanya understands about not crowding the work. It’s hard to find a gallery to trust to do the right thing by you.”
Mr. Hauck originally showed his work at the A Gallery during its first year of existence, when it was located on State Road in Vineyard Haven. When the fate of the gallery was uncertain, Mr. Hauck moved over to Shaw Cramer. Now he is back at A Gallery, and feels comfortable with the move. He sees the change as an opportunity to experiment with different styles and media. “When I came to the Vineyard, I was doing a lot of watercolor. Right now I work primarily in acrylics on paper and canvas, and mixed media. Recently I’ve also been doing monoprints,” said Mr. Hauck.
Ms. Baker also sees the transition to A Gallery as an opportunity to open up new vistas. “Since my work has been transitioning toward abstraction, I thought it would look great there,” she says. “It’s a beautiful space, and she has an eclectic range of artists.”
Although she likes the idea of showing in a larger space, Ms. Baker really appreciated the aesthetics of the Shaw Cramer Gallery: “It was a good fit for me. I like the way she [Ms. Shaw Cramer] curated the space. How she would create vignettes — some beautiful pottery or sculpture next to a painting. Nancy showed so many beautiful fine-arts crafts in interesting ways.” Ms. Baker is also represented by the Copley Society in Boston.
Other former Shaw Cramer artists have decided to go solo.
Marie-Louise Rouff saw the change as the impetus to establish her own studio gallery. “At 85, I’m not a spring chicken, but I still have energy and I still want to work,” she says. “I’m in one gallery in Los Angeles, but I’ve dropped everything else.”
“Showing in my own studio just seemed like the straightforward, simple thing to do. My production is certainly not going up. Before I had to work with many galleries — at least five or six. That’s a complicated life. I don’t want to do it anymore. If I can, I want to have a more contemplative life,” said Ms. Rouff.
Photographer Gary Mirando has long worked on his own, doing art reproduction and giclee print work as well as commercial and fine-art photography. He does magazine work and sells through his website garymirandophoto.com. “Basically, I’m not going to go to another gallery,” he says, “I do a lot of commission work.”
Ceramicist Jennifer McCurdy has always primarily sold her work through prestigious crafts shows all over the country, and through her website, jennifermccurdy.com. “My market is national and international. A very small percentage is local,” says Ms. McCurdy. Still, she will miss the gallery for more personal reasons. “I’m not that financially impacted, but every time I was in Vineyard Haven I would stop by to say ‘hi.’ Nancy and I have been friends for almost 20 years. The reason I’m not more sad is that I know she’s happy. To me that’s the main thing,” said Ms. McCurdy.
Liz Taft will also be relying on other outlets that she has established over the years. She will be very busy this summer. “I’m represented by Gay Head Gallery, where I have been in conjunction with Shaw Cramer for the past few years,” she said. “I participate in the Artisans Festival on Labor Day and Thanksgiving. I am part of a Plein Air group called Aire, and we will be renting the Workshop in September to show our work. I’m also participating in the Vineyard Conservation Society’s 50th anniversary art show, which will be at the Granary Gallery this July. I show on Nantucket at Nantucket Looms, and my work is also available through my website, liztaft.com.”
Photographer Karen DiMaura also has a presence outside of the Island that she will be continuing. “We live in Key Largo in the winter,” she says. “I’ve been a member of the art league down there for about five years.” Although she has no plans right now, Ms. DiMaura would like to eventually show at another local gallery.
Many of the former Shaw Cramer artists are part of an art group founded by the former gallery owner years ago. They appreciate the fact that they will be able to maintain close ties with their fellow artists. “Now we are all good friends,” says Ms. Rouff. “We all respect each other and listen to what each of us has to say.”
“Nancy has become a very good friend. I’m really grateful to her. On the one hand I am disappointed for myself, but for Nancy it was time. She didn’t just do the gallery with her left hand. It was a big chunk of her life she dedicated to it. People still say, ‘That was a wonderful gallery.’ Her reputation is just ringing around the island,” said Ms. Rouff.
As much as she will miss the gallery, Ms. Shaw Cramer is enjoying her newfound freedom: “This is the first May I’ve enjoyed on Martha’s Vineyard in 20 years.”