Calling all Vineyard artists

Art has always been a defining force on Martha’s Vineyard — a reflection of our landscapes, our history, and our shared community. With this in mind, the volunteer art committee at Navigator Homes — the community-based senior care campus in Edgartown that opened in February 2026 — issued a call for Vineyard artists to donate pieces that evoke memories of our Island and bring joy, ensuring the facility feels like home.

Spearheaded by Paddy Moore, Navigator Homes was developed as a “small house” model. All five buildings have 14 private rooms apiece, and handsome, shared spaces that just cry out for artwork. It was this fact that led several people to join together and recruit artists to submit framed, Island-themed works for display.

Artist Sandy Pimentel was part of the initiative’s formation: “After touring the beautiful facility, I thought that I would like to have a couple of my pieces there.” Following this experience, she and several other individuals involved in art on the Island gathered. Pimentel says, “We talked about what this state-of-the-art facility, which was so exquisite and designed as a national model, needed to be the best it could be.” 

The result was an all-volunteer art committee to work with Vineyard artists to fill the walls with memory-evoking art of the Island. Committee member Polly Brown says, “The idea is to have Navigator Homes be a place where people can look at a picture and say, ‘I remember when we did this,’ or, “Didn’t we have a wonderful time doing that?’ The idea is to bring back life.”

With the help of individuals such as Featherstone Center for the Arts CEO and executive director Ann Smith and Monina von Opel, who, along with her husband Edward Miller, started the art collection at the hospital, the committee organized an open house on July 21. Phyllis Segal, head of the art committee, says, “There was a stunning turnout, including some artists who brought paintings with them, which we didn’t expect. I’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of the art community. I was also surprised by how many artists didn’t know about Navigator Homes. So, in addition to being an organizing effort to bring art here, it was an outreach endeavor to let more of the community know about Navigator Homes.”

To date, 30 artists have donated more than 120 pieces of art, which have so far been installed in four of the five homes. Photographer Paul Doherty was among the first to donate, contributing 69 pieces. Initially, the art committee came to view his work with the intention of buying some of it. However, things changed when Doherty asked to tour the facility: “I’d heard it was gorgeous, and wanted to get a sense of what it would look like and how my photographs might work there. I was so blown away by the interior. My mother had been in a nursing home for eight years, and it was just a horrible space. So as I was looking at the beautiful kitchen and open spaces, I said, ‘I just want to donate all these. I really have to.’”

After his pieces were hung, Doherty noted, the nicest compliment he received came from the husband of the wife who had spent the last week of her life in the early winter of this year at Navigator Homes: “He said, ‘The one thing that gave us comfort was going up and down the halls and seeing your photographs.’ It doesn’t get better than that. I’m really glad I did it.” He adds, “There are five buildings, so that’s a lot of walls to fill, but I think it’s really going to make a difference.”

Since then, many wonderful artworks have been contributed. One is by seasonal visitor Jim Murrin, who painted a work specifically for donation. “Sea Wall” captures the iconic curved concrete structure visible when driving toward or away from the beach in Oak Bluffs. Murrin says about his desire to contribute a work, “I think Navigator Homes is really needed on the Vineyard. Both of my parents were in assisted living, and it was obvious the Island needed a modern facility.”

In addition to donated artwork, Navigator Homes is seeking visiting artists to speak with residents about their pieces, volunteers to teach art classes or lead creative workshops, and artists interested in ongoing engagement with elders, who benefit deeply from hands-on, expressive, and social activities. These interactions foster connection, stimulation, and joy, and help elders continue to see themselves as creators, storytellers, and valued members of the Island community.

If you are a full-time or seasonal Island artist and are interested in submitting your work for consideration, please send a .JPG of a framed artwork that evokes memories of the Vineyard to navigatorhomesmv.art@gmail.com.