Picturing Early America:

People, Places, and Events 1770-1870


2010 Summer Institute for K-12 Teachers
Director: Patricia Johnston, Professor of Art History, Salem State College

Paul Revere

This institute on interpreting and teaching early American art will meet for four weeks in the historic seaside community of Salem, Massachusetts. Located approximately 16 miles north of Boston, Salem is the ideal location to study early American art and culture. Although Salem is widely known as the site of the 1692 witchcraft trials, there is much more to the city’s history and culture. Since 1626, when Roger Conant arrived with the first settlers, Salem has attracted people from around the globe. Salem was an important colonial city and a thriving hub of international commerce in the Early Republic, as well as the home of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Salem and the surrounding area, which includes the Essex National Heritage Area, are rich with unparalleled art, architecture, historic landscapes, and sites that will reinforce institute themes.