Summer on the Vineyard: A Conversation with Chris Morse of The Granary Gallery
The art world slows down in summer, but not on Martha's Vineyard. Growing up working alongside my family at our art gallery, summertime was, and continues to be an energizing and exciting time. As July starts, I sat down with my Dad, Chris Morse the owner of The Granary Gallery, (as well as the Field Gallery, and North Water Gallery) to learn more about what makes the Vineyard a great art destination.
The Granary Gallery has been a fixture on Martha's Vineyard since 1954. How has it evolved over more than 70 years?
The evolution of the gallery has really been an evolution of what we offer. Originally, the gallery sold fashionable decorative furnishings for summer cottages. The original location was actually where the popular "Among the Flowers" café now sits in Edgartown. Then, in 1954, a series of hurricanes washed the space out, which led the original owners to seek higher ground in Vineyard Haven. That new space had both an upstairs and downstairs, and since the upstairs made it difficult to move large furniture, they dedicated it to artwork and asked their artist friends to hang pieces on the walls.
In 1979, a barn built in the 1940s for domestic wool production became available, and the Granary opened there in 1980. For years it was split between a gallery and what we called the Emporium. You could still find candy, ties, straw hats alongside the art. In 1996, we converted it entirely into a gallery. That's also when we took ownership.
What do you think has allowed The Granary to remain relevant and successful across multiple generations of collectors and visitors?
Rather than catering to a tourist population, we focus on art that builds upon a genuine relationship with the island. We work hard to nurture relationships with both our artists and our patrons.
We were the first gallery in the country to represent Alfred Eisenstaedt (1889-1995) through a partnership with LIFE magazine. Photographs of Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) on island among other artists created a deeper connection to the broader arc of American art. There's an unbroken thread of mentorship that runs through the gallery: Thomas Hart Benton to Stan Murphy, Alfred Eisenstaedt to Alison Shaw, Allen Whiting to Ken Vincent and Dan VanLandingham. Every generation learns from the previous one, and that lineage is something I'm very proud of.
Katie, Chris, and Andrea Morse. Photo by the Vineyard Gazette photo permission received 6/26.
Photo by Ray Ewing and the Vineyard Gazette
What trends are you seeing among today's collectors?
I find that many people lean towards the safe choice. People are hesitant to embrace a statement piece. Part of my job is to encourage artists to work across a variety, and to encourage patrons to leap from their comfort zones. The most powerful pieces in someone's home are usually the ones that felt like a step outside of their comfort zones at first.
Are there particular themes or subjects that resonate especially well with Vineyard audiences?
The Vineyard is a special place, and everyone has their own relationship to it. With six unique towns that all represent different ideals, there's no standard approach. Families who spend time up-island in West Tisbury or Chilmark may be drawn to Anne Besse-Shepherd's plein air paintings of the landscape. People who go shellfishing every weekend might connect deeply with Allen Whiting's paintings of a small skiff on the Great Pond. And of course, everyone recognizes the view of the Steamship, whether they're arriving for vacation or ending their stay.
We do our best to find a balance that can cross over the artificial boundaries and loyalties that can divide the island.
Anne Besse-Sheperd, Mumcheag Creek Preserve - Chappy, oil on panel, 13 x 37 in. 2026 (above)
Anne Besse-Sheperd, Chilmark Pond Path, oil on panel, 11 x 21 in. 2026 (below)
The gallery is open seven days a week, year-round which is rare for any small business on a seasonal island, let alone an art gallery. Why is that important to you?
Years ago, a patron and neighbor of the gallery stopped by in February. I was excited that we'd made a big sale. He looked at me and said, "Do you know why you're doing so much business in February?" I didn't have an answer. "Because you're open," he said. That’s always stuck with me.
People are always pleased to find us open when they least expect it, especially when there are few other options for cultural respite on a dreary winter day. Practically speaking, my core employees have all been with me for more than 20 years and that kind of continuity requires a year-round operation. You can't build that depth by closing for months at a time.
What role does the gallery play in the cultural life of the Vineyard beyond simply exhibiting art?
We see it as our responsibility to maintain the legacy of artists who have come before us. Great island artists need to stay relevant, and they only stay relevant if someone is actively showing and celebrating their work.
A good example is Stanley Murphy (1922-2003), who we call the "dean" of Vineyard art. He was a Renaissance man: portraiture, landscapes, all mediums, deeply loyal to his craft. After he passed, we began handling the secondary market for his work and hold a retrospective every five years. If he'd been represented by a mega-gallery, his trajectory might have looked very different. He chose the Vineyard, committed his artistic practice to capturing its landscape and people, and we feel privileged to carry that story forward.
Stanley Murphy, Robert and Oscar Flanders, oil on panel, 1953
The gallery hosts bi-weekly opening receptions. What do those events mean for the community?
Our entire summer season is structured around them. Every two weeks, the gallery is completely rehung to highlight three to five artists and the new work they've produced in the past year. The receptions are how we present those bodies of work. They're free, open to the public and a chance for everyone to come together to preview the art, meet the artists, and connect with other patrons.
The openings bring together artists, collectors, locals, and visitors in a way that you simply can't manufacture. During COVID we obviously had to stop hosting in person events. Once we were able to have openings again it was a big deal. Everyone was so happy to be back together, experiencing the art in the community.
Do you have a favorite gallery story?
Loïs Mailou Jones (1905-1998) immediately comes to mind. She would pull up in her Cadillac, having driven straight from DC. We were usually her first stop after getting off the boat. We would open the trunk, and take her work straight from the car to the walls. At the time, I didn’t grasp how significant she was: a major figure of the Harlem Renaissance and a recipient of the Presidential award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts. What I do know is that we built a real relationship with her and her work over many years. It was very cool to stand with her at the Granary when Alfred Eisenstaedt photographed her artwork alongside the Clinton family.
Alfred Eisenstaedt photographing the Clinton family at the Granary with Loïs Mailou Jones’s paintings hanging behind them
If you could have exhibited any artist you never got the chance to show, who would it be?
Milton Avery. He seems like he would have been a perfect fit. He was one of the greatest influences on Wolf Kahn, who spent a lot of time on the Vineyard himself. Avery spent years in Provincetown alongside Rothko. I think his sensibility and his color would have lived beautifully in this space. Although we didn’t represent him while he was alive, we do handle significant secondary market pieces which I find especially exciting and fun.
What advice would you give someone purchasing original artwork for the first time?
Buy what you like! Don't buy what's popular, and don't let someone else tell you what you should like. Lean into sentimentality. Accept your own appreciation for things. The artwork that lasts in your life is almost always the one you bought because you loved it, not because someone told you to.
One year old Katie with younger Chris
For someone who only has a short window of time on Martha's Vineyard, what do you recommend?
Try to see all six towns. Each one has its own flavor, its own loyalty, its own light. Don't just stay in Edgartown or Oak Bluffs, get up-island, find the West End of the South Shore, watch the sunset over the water. The best way to understand the art we show is to go out and experience the place that inspired it… let the island surprise you!
The Granary Gallery is located in West Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard and is open year-round, seven days a week. Visit the website for current exhibitions and upcoming opening receptions.