Provincetown Art Association and Museum

Announces Annual Artists Grants

By: PAAM - Jun 19, 2026

 

  Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) is pleased to announce the artists selected to receive their annual Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant: Aaron Morgan Brown, Wichita, KS; Jeff Chapman-Crane, Eolia, KY; Meg Lagodzki, Bloomington, IN; and Robin Reynolds, North Brookfield, MA. The recipients will receive a cash award and take part in a group exhibition at PAAM in the spring of 2027.

 The Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant is awarded annually to under-recognized American painters over the age of 45 who demonstrate financial need. The mission of this grant is to promote public awareness of and a commitment to American art, and to encourage interest in painters who lack adequate recognition.

 Recipients are selected by a diverse group of jurors—artists, curators, professors, writers—based on the strength of the materials submitted in this application as well as the perceived adherence to the spirit of the grant: to assist under recognized artists. Awards include a cash grant, ranging from $5,000 to $36,000 and an exhibition at PAAM.

 Now in its 16th year, the grant has been awarded to a total of 60 artists, and disbursed  more than $500,000. Recipients have hailed from every region of the US including Puerto Rico. Split between men and women, 5 from Cape Cod, ages 45 to 72. With over 6,200 applicants to date, from all 50 states plus Canada and 10 countries (living abroad).

Chief Operating Officer and Grant Administrator Grace Ryder-O’Malley writes that the grant is a highlight of the work she does at PAAM “It gives us the chance to support working artists not only monetarily but also through an exhibition here at PAAM. It is also very special for PAAM as it brings artists and artwork to our visitors that may not have otherwise been part of the Provincetown and PAAM communities. We are so grateful to Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed for their generosity in creating this opportunity.” The grant has garnered attention from a number of national publications and organizations for its support of non-emerging artists. “We hope word continues to spread about this wonderful grant and that more painters from across the country will apply.”

 The late Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed studied with Hans Hofmann in both New York and Provincetown. They were very active at PAAM as artist members and instructors in the summer school, and they served on a variety of committees throughout their 50 years on Cape Cod. Orlowsky, in particular, was sensitive to the challenges artists face, especially those working against the mainstream or outside of popular schools of art. Her desire to provide financial support to mature artists through this generous endowment gift speaks to her passionate commitment to art for art’s sake and art created regardless of the demands and whims of the marketplace.

Recipients

Aaron M. Brown (April 4, 1964), is originally from Wichita, KS. He received a BFA from the University of Kansas, and MFA from Syracuse University. Awards include grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, and the Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed grant. He has participated in group and solo exhibitions internationally. His work has been featured in publications such as New American Paintings, American Art Collector, and Harper’s magazine.

Jeff Chapman-Crane is a full-time professional artist from the southern Appalachian Mountains, where he has lived and practiced his art since the early 1970s. His art focuses on the culture of Appalachia, with an emphasis on portraits of mountain people.

Jeff has been painting for over forty years since being challenged and inspired by his high school art teacher, Don Hilton. Following the tenets of the American Society of Classical Realism, Jeff’s work encompasses the highest principles of traditional representational art – fine drawing, balanced design, harmonious color, and skillful craftsmanship. While not in the stylized realism of American Regionalism, his work shares a strong identification with a particular region – conveying geographic features of the land and unique human, cultural, and social characteristics.

Chapman-Crane’s work has been featured in American Artist magazine, and he is a four-time finalist in the Artists Magazine’s annual portrait competition. He was also the illustrator for the children’s book, “Ragsale,” which won Best in Show at the 1995 New England Bookfair.

Meg Lagodzki (b. 1970) is a Bloomington, Indiana-based painter and mixed media artist whose work explores the intricate relationship between humanity and nature. Specializing in highly detailed collaged paintings, she focuses on landscapes that reveal evidence of disturbance, whether human-caused or natural. She creates much of her work in the lush, mature forest around her home. Through collaborations with ecologists, scientists, and forestry experts, her work celebrates biodiversity and advocates for reconnecting with the natural world amid climate change and diminishing biodiversity.

Her work has been exhibited nationally in both commercial and non-profit venues, and is held in private and public collections nationwide. Lagodzki is represented by Momentum Gallery in Asheville, North Carolina.

Robin Reynolds is a contemporary plein air painter and collage artist who draws her inspiration from her backyard garden. She is concerned with the dichotomy that exists between abstraction and representation widely focusing on color, layering and mark making to achieve her vibrant paintings and collages.

Reynolds has shown extensively throughout New England, New York and in Santa Fe in various one person and group shows. She has also won numerous awards, grants and residencies, which include The Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Foundation Grant from the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Mass Cultural Council award, and attending the Millay Colony, Vermont Studio School and Dorland Mountain Arts Colony.

Reynolds earned her MFA from Savannah College of Art & Design, and a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and a BA from Colby College. She is represented by Soprafina Gallery, Boston, MA, Perry Lawson Gallery, Nyack NY, Cynthia Winings Gallery, Blue Hill, ME, and Bryan Memorial Gallery, Stowe, VT. Reynolds presently lives and works in North Brookfield, MA with her husband and three daughters.