"Journey II' (hand-dyed wool), by Priscilla Alden, at Highfield Hall {a gallery} and Gardens, in Falmouth, Mass. It's part of the group show "Tapestry in New England and Beyond,'' through Oct. 31.
The gallery says: "The exhibition showcases the wide variety of style and vision found in contemporary tapestry weaving. Each piece expresses an impactful moment or experience in the artist's life, tackling everything from the plight of refugees, nature and the environment, the beauty of language, and more. Each of these moments is expressed in beautiful, detailed weavings that show the depth of the artist's emotions and convey those emotions to the viewer.''
Built in 1878 by the Beebes, a very rich Boston mercantile family, whose patriarch was James Beebe, Highfield Hall was one of Cape Cod's early summer mansions, made possible by the extension of rail service to the Cape after the Civil War. It's one of the few remaining examples of Stick-style Queen Anne architecture in the Northeast. The institution says: "Along with its adjoining mansion, Tanglewood, Highfield Hall was originally surrounded by park-like gardens, carriage trails, and almost 700 acres of woodlands. Both homes are believed to have been designed by Boston architects Peabody and Stearns, while the landscape design for both estates was created by Ernest Bowditch...."
"Brothers Pierson and Franklin Beebe, along with sister Emily, lived at Highfield Hall while their brother, J. Arthur Beebe, along with his wife and children lived at Tanglewood. Both Beebe families entertained in grand fashion and embraced a genteel and formal lifestyle supported by a large cadre of servants.''
Highfield is but a short drive to Falmouth's village of Woods Hole, probably the world's pre-eminent center for oceanographic research, and a very scenic place.
Highfield Hall some decades ago.
In Woods Hole, with research buildings. The village's two best-known institutions are the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory (whose work includes a major medical component).
