Looking for Earle–and finding Hawthorne and Hensche–is a selection of paintings by Earle Pilgrim (1923-76).

Earle Pilgrim lived and worked in Provincetown from 1951-54, studying with Henry Hensche, and taught jewelry making in the Truro Adult Vocational Classes. During this time, he operated Earle Pilgrim Jewelry at 393 Commercial Street. The paintings and jewelry will be on view during October in the Anne H. Brock Community Room with examples of Pilgrim’s jewelry will be on display in the main library’s display case.

On Thursday, October 3rd at 6:00 p.m. curator Peter Stebbins will discuss the process of discovering and promoting the work of Earle Pilgrim.

Focusing on the period in which Earle Pilgrim came to Provincetown to study painting in earnest with Henry Hensche, this focused exhibition finds Hawthorne and Hensche influences in its selections of paintings, many unsigned, untitled, and undated, as was Mr. Pilgrim’s tendency. While some of these works have been previously exhibited, according to labels affixed on the backs of the frames and other records, this body of work was never exposed in commercial galleries. Established in 2016, in the year before Mrs. Pilgrim’s death, The Lily and Earle M. Pilgrim Art Foundation promotes the visual art of the African diaspora, an appreciation of artists who lack public recognition, and public access to art through best practices in preservation and placement of culturally important artworks. The Foundation is dedicated to Earle Montrose Pilgrim, a Black Atlantic artist whose family came from Barbados to New York City at the end of the 19th century, and is led by Peter Stebbins.

About Peter Stebbins
Peter Stebbins is the custodian of the private studio-based collection of artwork created by David Bethuel Jamieson, which he has stewarded since the artist’s death from AIDS-related causes in 1992; and the President of the Lily and Earle M. Pilgrim Art Foundation.