After a $3 million conservation and renovation of its original 1775 Georgian Colonial building plus a 3,600-foot expansion, Cape Cod's Cahoon Museum of American Art is ready to showcase its collection and better serve patrons. The museum in Cotuit, Mass., displays the work of renowned folk artists Martha and Ralph Cahoon as a centerpiece and also includes a fine selection of historic American art.

New galleries, state-of-the-art storage rooms for the permanent collection, a new lobby with an elevator and a stairwell, and an art classroom, have been added along with improved parking and landscaping.

A public grand re-opening kicks off the refreshed museum on May 8, from 1-3pm. Through June 26, 2016, visitors can view “Coming Home Again: Works by Martha and Ralph Cahoon” as the inaugural exhibition in the new building. This exhibition will highlight Martha and Ralph Cahoon works, including important loans.

The Cahoons' enduringly popular, whimsical folk style --- often featuring cavorting mermaids and sailors --- developed in the 1930s and took off in the 1960s and 70s with patronage from Joan Whitney Payson, Josiah K. Lilly III, Jacqueline Kennedy, Jean Kennedy Smith, Maxim Karolik, Marjorie Merriweather Post, Lily Pulitzer, Joan Fontaine, and several members of the Mellon and duPont families.