In honor of the 40th anniversary of their incorporation, the Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill will celebrate its storied history in 2011 along with a summer full of workshops, lectures, events, exhibitions, and gallery openings.

From its humble beginnings in 1971 when founder Joyce Johnson charged $250 to her new MasterCard to produce the first one page brochure outlining 15 workshops offered by the fledgling school, Castle Hill has never looked back. That year, for the first time, students of all ages and skill levels were able to take classes in printmaking, drawing, painting, writing, sculpture, weaving, ceramics, jewelry, wood technology, and fencing, of all things.

Johnson likes to recount how, since the very beginning, “people of all ages were attracted to Castle Hill as though there was a magnet hidden among the barn’s weathered beams.”

Through the years the organization has continued to grow, including buying a separate building at One Depot Road in Truro in 2001. The Pamet Location, as it’s known, is the home to the printmaking studio and writing studio as well as a full apartment upstairs for visiting faculty. In 2010 the organization had over 900 students participate in one of its workshops or events, and saw its annual membership campaign reach a record setting high.

Castle Hill has a history of building their dreams. After the purchase of the One Depot Road location, the infamous water tower that serves as the organization’s administrative office was renovated in 2006, and the historic 19th century Snow Farms barn was renovated in 2007 so year round classes could be offered.

Executive Director Cherie Mittenthal commented“we are tremendously excited to be celebrating our 40th anniversary season in 2011. The summer promises to be an exciting combination of celebrating our past coupled with an outstanding slate of workshops taught by both new and returning faculty from across the US as well as locally here from the Outer Cape. Our signature events and amazing lectures are all not to be missed events.”

This summer, attendees will be able to select from among the more than 100 films throughout the eight-day Festival. In addition to the daily screenings, the Festival offers a special opening night 20th year kick-off screening and party, and a day of family films on Sunday, July 31st.

Castle Hill’s always popular Annual Live & Silent Auction will once again take place on Saturday August 6. Other exciting events to celebrate the 40th year include:

• Postcards from Truro event
(Sunday, July 3)
• 40th Anniversary Birthday Bash
(Saturday, July 16)
• The second Artist’s Studio Tour
(Sunday, July 24)
• Woody English Chair Honors Ruth Reichl lecture (Tuesday, August 16)
• The always sold out Modern House Tour
(Sunday, August 21)
• The Paint the Race event which is part of the Provincetown Great Schooner Regatta (Saturday, September 10).

A slate of one-of-a-kind lectures are on the schedule led by American Food writer Ruth Reichl who will speak at the Wellfleet Congregational Church (Tuesday, August 16th). Reichl, the former editor of Gourmet Magazine and the current co-producer of PBS’ Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie, will participate in several additional events at Castle Hill.

The Tuesday Evening Lecture Series will feature Academy Award nominee Sebastian Junger (Aug 9) as well as three well known New England writers, the Boston Globe’s Joe Kahn (July 12), the author of four children’s books, Susan Seligson (July 26), and former editor to The Boston Phoenix and the The Boston Globe, Bob Blumenthal (August 23).

The summer schedule includes over 100 workshops in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, ceramics, print making, poetry, photography, sculpture, dance, and jewelry making.

Among the workshop highlights in 2011 is Ella Jackson Chair Kay Walkingstick teaching a workshop master class titled Painting, Sketching & the Landscape Aug 29 – Sep 2. Walkingstick is a native-American painter and educator, and former Professor of Art at Cornell University from 1988-2005.

Sal Del Deo, the 2011 President’s Chair Honoree will teach a workshop August 1 -4 titled Painting the Portrait. Del Deo formerly studied with Henry Hesche at the Cape School of Art and has been an active member of the arts community in Provincetown for more than fifty years.

Randy Johnston will be teaching a ceramics class Aug 8-12 titled Handbuilding and Altering on the Wheel. Johnston, who has been named Castle Hill’s 2011 Joyce Johnson Chair, was awarded two visual artist fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1979 and in 1991. He has played a large role in reintroducing wood firing to the United States and continues to explore the spiritual and ritualistic qualities of wood firing in his large Japanese style kilns.

Mary Lou Friedman Chair Honoree Roy Staab will be teaching a class July 25-29 that will be an installation class specific to Castle Hill. Staab, whose art has evolved from painting to line structure on paper to installations of water, has received various awards including a Japanese/American Artist Exchange Creative Artist Fellowship, Pollack/Krasner Grant, Gottlieb Foundation Award, and the Joan Mitchell Award.

Because the list of workshops is long we can only highlight a few workshops, so be sure to contact Castle Hill at (508) 349-7511 for more information or to receive a catalog. Additional information can be found at www.castlehill.org.

For more information about Castle Hill’s workshops and programs, visit www.castlehill.org, or call (508) 349-7511.•