ABOUT US
CENTURY-OLD OYSTER SHACK BECOMES AN ART GALLERY
The Frying Pan Gallery opened in 2009 in a 100+ year old oyster shack on Wellfleet Harbor that had been boarded up for decades.
FPG Wellfleet was saved from the wrecking ball by Cape Cod steel sculptor/architectural designer Steve Swain. Steve had just completed designing and building the neighboring restaurant Pearl - he and his wife Sarah were thrilled to have the opportunity to preserve this historically significant oyster shack while creating a vibrant gallery that features the work of local artists. Over the years, Frying Pan Gallery has grown into a beloved fixture of the Wellfleet harbor area.
In the fall of 2022, a second, year-round, FPG opened in Orleans at 125 rte 6a, next door to Jo Mama's bagels and Trove.
SWAIN FAMILY CREATES WELCOMING ART SPACE IN WELLFLEET HARBOR
The gallery is curated and operated by Steve's wife, Sarah Swain, (yup same one as local band Sarah Swain & the Oh Boys, you can check out the online shows they did at the gallery in 2020 here) Sarah is passionate about creating a welcoming art space that features the work of Steve and the 20+ local artists.
Sarah is also founder of the local non-profit Cape Wellness Collaborative and the annual Cape Cod Women's Music Festival.
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Along with their 3 kids, Lucy, Jessie, and Stanley, the Swain family share a passion for the Cape's unique ocean community and its inhabitants, on land and sea.
The Frying Pan Gallery is proud to support local nonprofits Center for Coastal Studies, Wellfleet Preservation Hall, WOMR, Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, WCAI, Payomet, and Cape Wellness Collaborative.
Many people followed the family's trip in 2017-18, when they lived aboard their 41' sailboat, Flying Fish, and shared their adventures from Cape Cod to the bottom of the Bahamas and back, collecting data and raising awareness about ocean plastics along the way.
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