ARTS inventory
Every artwork in the district
A comprehensive catalog of Gloucester's city-owned public art — sculptures, murals, paintings, plaques, and installations spanning four centuries, documented and preserved for the public.
collection
250+ works
wpa-era murals
1934-1939
spanning
Four Centuries
updated
Quarterly
about the collection
Art that belongs to everyone
The City of Gloucester's public art — city-owned sculptures, historic plaques, and WPA-era murals — fulfills vital community needs unmatched by any other public asset. This artwork reflects Gloucester's identity as a cultural hub and a center of creativity. It promotes equity, community pride, and a sense of belonging while enhancing the city's built environment.
Public art also serves as free, accessible, and significant historical landmarks for both residents and visitors alike.
To support the preservation and protection of these assets, the Committee for the Arts created a comprehensive inventory of all city-owned artwork. This effort, made possible by the Citizens of Gloucester through the Community Preservation Act, not only aids conservation but also makes these pieces accessible online for everyone to enjoy.
Featured Works
Highlights from the collection
Six of the most recognized works in Gloucester's public art collection — from a 1921 WWI memorial to New Deal murals to a 21st-century bronze honoring fishing families.
Sculpture
The Gloucester Fisherman (Man at the Wheel)
Leonard Craske, 1925
An 8-foot bronze of a fisherman braced at the wheel, modeled after Capt. Clayton Morrissey. Dedicated during Gloucester's 300th anniversary and inscribed "They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships."
Stacy Boulevard
mural
Founding of Gloucester, MA
Charles Allen Winter, 1934
One of the earliest New Deal murals in City Hall — an allegorical scene depicting the 1623 arrival of the Dorchester Company settlers alongside Gloucester's first city fathers and civic life.
City Hall
sculpture
Joan of Arc Statue & Memorial
Anna Hyatt Huntington, 1921
A one-and-a-quarter life-size equestrian bronze presented by the French government as a WWI memorial honoring the sons of Gloucester. The horse was modeled after a local fire wagon horse named Frank.
Washington & Middle Streets
MURAL
Champlain Making the First Survey of Gloucester Harbor
Frederick Mulhaupt, 1936
A panoramic masterpiece of Gloucester's harbor at the height of Lane's career — packed with detail yet dominated by a luminous sky floating above still water. Commissioned by waterfront developer Sidney Mason and gifted to the City by his granddaughter in 1913.
city hall
SCULPTURE
Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Memorial
Morgan Faulds Pike, 2001
A 12-foot bronze depicting a steadfast woman holding a child while touching the shoulder of another — honoring the families who waited ashore. Commissioned by the Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Association.
Stacy Boulevard
PAINTING
Gloucester Harbor
Fitz Henry Lane, 1852
A heroic, stylized depiction of Samuel de Champlain's 1606 arrival at 'Le Beauport' — the moment that set Gloucester's founding in motion. One of two Mulhaupt murals originally painted for the Central Grammar School auditorium, now displayed in City Hall.
Cape ann museum
WPA-Era Murals
Ten monumental murals.
Two buildings. Four artists.
Gloucester is home to some of the finest surviving New Deal-era murals in New England. Created between 1934 and 1939 under federal work programs, these monumental paintings by Charles Allan Winter, Frederick Mulhaupt, Frederick Stoddard, and Oscar Anderson depict the city's founding, fishing heritage, and civic identity.
The Committee for the Arts is committed to preserving this irreplaceable part of Gloucester's history.