Contact Us

FOR PEOPLE WANTING TO JOIN THE COLLECTIVE:

Our mission statement: Sail Loft Art Collective seeks to foster community, camaraderie, and support for women and non-binary artists living and working on Outer Cape Cod, while actively documenting their history through the present day.

We don't have a formal membership structure yet, but we do have a mailing list and a directory of women and non-binary artists on the Outer Cape for those who want to be listed. You can see that here: https://www.sailloftcollective.com/artist-directory The goal of the directory is to elevate the presence of women and non-binary artists on the Outer Cape in what feels to many like a male-dominated environment. Let me know if you would like to be on the directory in a private email (name, Instagram, website, gallery representation). Contact Elspeth Slayter at elspethslayter@gmail.com

We meet monthly in the off-season for potlucks at The Provincetown Commons. We do a range of small- and large-group activities based on a survey we took last year about how people want to use the time/space. You can always find our schedule here: https://www.sailloftcollective.com/schedule

We also try to do at least one exhibit per year. You can see our exhibit history here: https://www.sailloftcollective.com/exhibitions 

We have a subcommittee doing historical research on the original Sail Loft Club, after which we are named, along with other grassroots women's organizations (Nautilus Club, Group 7, UpAlongs) that had dealings with art. You can see more information on that here: https://www.sailloftcollective.com/history/herstory-project. We have identified 50 women affiliated with these groups, and now we are trying to learn who they were, what they made, and why. In this research, we learned from other studies that the first formal art school (The Cape Cod School of Drawing and Painting) was founded by Dewing Woodward and her life partner, Laura Louise Johnson, in 1896, three years before Charles Hawthorne's school. While this has been documented in the academic press and elsewhere, this story has not gained traction in the overarching narrative we hear about Provincetown, and we plan to advocate for it. If you would like to be part of the historical research team, contact Elspeth Slayter at elspethslayter@gmail.com

HOW TO SEND AN EMAIL TO THE SAIL LOFT ART COLLECTIVE EMAIL LIST:

You are able to send an email to the Sail Loft email list without writing to the co-facilitators for permission - instructions:

1) Send to: sailloftartcollective@googlegroups.com

2) Include key info in your email header as many people do not open emails, then include more details in email text for those who read it

3) It will not post right away as we have a moderation feature in our account - we approve messages as they come in so that we don't get an excessive number of "thank you" reply all, etc. kind of messages. We are not on email 24-7 so it may be a few hours until we moderate the message. We do moderation because we had complaints from members about getting too many emails.

Shared Agreements for Use of Email List: Sail Loft Artist's Collective

1. Purpose of the List

This email group is a professional bulletin board for sharing art industry-related information. Please limit your posts to the following:

• Art Show Announcements: Open calls, gallery openings, and exhibition invites.

• Meeting Logistics: Dates, times, and agendas for our group gatherings.

• Educational Resources: Articles, podcasts, or essays regarding art theory, practice, or the business of art.

• Group Business: Internal announcements or collaborative opportunities specific to this collective.

2. Respect the Inbox (No Personal Sharing)

While we value our community bond, this list is not for personal updates, non-art-related venting, or social "chat."

• Keep it Professional: Please save personal stories or off-topic discussions for our potlucks or private direct messages.

• The "Reply-All" Rule: Before hitting reply-all, ask yourself if your response benefits the whole group. For "Congrats!" or "Thanks!", please reply directly to the individual.

3. Inclusion & Tone

• Center Our Mission: This is a supportive space for women and non-binary creators. We maintain a tone of mutual respect and professional encouragement.

• Clarity is Queen: Use clear subject lines (e.g., [OPEN CALL], [MEETING], or [ARTICLE]) so members can filter their emails easily.