Professor
Ron Amato
- School of Art and Design
- Photography and Related Media
Artists of Provincetown
Artists of Provincetown by fine art photographer Ron Amato seeks to not only celebrate, but preserve the legacy of one of the nation’s oldest art colonies, now facing an uncertain future due to rising property values, corporate invasion, and what, in the book’s introduction, Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Cunningham calls, “catastrophic expense.”
Made over a period of eight years, Artists of Provincetown contains 84 quietly immersive portraits that illustrate the breadth and depth of this 125-year-old community of painters, writers, photographers and sculptors.
How did you first come up with the idea for this work?
Being a part time resident of Provincetown, I became more immersed in the artist community there. Understanding the increasingly unstable economic situation for many of these artists and the difficulty of maintaining an artist’s life in Provincetown (read Michael Cunningham’s introduction), I wanted to document it before it was it became unaffordable for the artist to live there and work there.
What was your research process like?
I engage a number of leaders in the artist community, including curators, historians and long-time artist residents to assist in identifying subject with deep ties and a legacy in the community.
How long did you work on this before it was published?
8 years.
Does this work relate to your role at FIT? If so, how?
As an art and design educator, it is vital that I stay connected to my discipline. Each long term project teaches me new things about process, new technologies and research methods, and the endurance to complete a large scale body of work. In addition this work was a museum exhibition, the largest exhibition I’ve ever created. All of this deepens and expands my teaching practice.
What was your biggest challenge? What was most rewarding?
Identifying and securing subjects. The community response was overwhelming. It made the 8 years of hard, often frustrating work, more than worth it. This body of work will endure as an historical document long after I’m gone.
Have you published any other books or have any upcoming publications?
This is my third monograph. My first was The Box in 2016. In 2022 I published 100 - Members Only Volume 1. I am currently working on a magazine called AMATO. I prefer the long form of a book. Publishing a magazine allows me to engage in that process in between books.
- Professor at FIT since 2005
- Book published in May 2024