Photoessays

Leslie Heiden Antiques, Nantucket

Cunningham (re)Visits the Boston MFA

The Mennello Museum of American Art, Orlando

Martha's Vineyard Museum, Martha's Vineyard

Owl's Head Transport Museum, Maine

The Art of the Motorcycle at the Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando Florida

Mark di Suvero, Private Collection, Nantucket

National Museums in Jamaica I&II

Rembrandthuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Unpublished Ekphratic Poems

The Whaling Museum (The NHA, Nantucket)

Maria' Comet 1847VI (Maria Mitchell Association, Nantucket)

Nantucket Athenaeum (The Athenaeum, Nantucket)

Frank Cunningham was born in Co. Mayo, Ireland. The poet’s father, as schoolteacher, and the President of the Irish National Teachers Organization, influenced Cunningham’s appreciation of the Gaelic language and its rich cultural heritage. Frank was also influenced by his father’s deep love of nature and his mother’s sense of fairness in raising twelve children. At the end of his studies at the University of Galway, he travelled throughout Western Europe, for five years, until he immigrated to the United States in 1985. A decade later, Cunningham moved to the island of Nantucket where he remains a year-round resident.

Five years ago, after filling volumes of notebooks full of observations, he began to write poetry and prose, on a full-time basis. Since then, he has also performed his poems across New England, as well as Ireland and England.

By an invitation from Armenian-born violinist, Armen Ghazaryan, Frank Cunningham has put words to Arem Khachaturian’s Lullaby from the great Armenian composer’s ballet Gayane; it is from this mid 20th century work that the celebrated Sabre Dance derived. Dr. Ghazaryan was the Concertmaster of the Miami Opera Symphony and guest principle violin of the Hollywood Philharmonic Orchestra.

American composer, Robert Behrman, has composed original scores for eight of Cunningham’s poems to be performed by a choir, tenor and soprano. The collection will be performed during summer of 2008, on Nantucket island. Behrman is an active composer as well as a pianist, organist and choir director.

Frank Cunningham has recently compiled a collection of three manuscripts that are the result of five continuous years of writing poetry. I) The focus of the first manuscript is the natural and cultural heritage of Nantucket. These poems range from depicting the island’s notable natural and historical sites, as well as a number of ‘local’ characters. II) The second manuscript addresses an immigrant’s comparative and philosophical views on living in and travelling between two different cultures, the United States and Ireland. III) The third manuscript is a celebration of the poet’s muse, as well as his musings on aspects of human relations.

Cunningham has been a contributing editor to Museum Views since 2004.

Email Frank J Cunningham (FrankJCunningham@gmail.com)