Ralph Cahoon: Fashioning a Fantasy World

September 23 – December 20, 2026

Cape Cod folk artist Ralph Cahoon’s nautical fantasies and the characters who brought them to life have been celebrated for decades on the Cape and beyond. Ralph Cahoon: Fashioning a Fantasy World invites viewers behind the curtain to explore the rich historical fashions that informed the figures populating Ralph’s expressive scenes: Pearl-adorned mermaids admire their loveliness in golden mirrors, naval officers dine in uniform at a 19th-century seaman’s society, peasant women work diligently at the day’s laundry, and refined Italian ladies and gentlemen observe an exhibition of mysterious mer-creatures in 18th-century Venice. Ralph drew on his wealth of knowledge, accrued through self-study of global art and maritime history and his prior business in antiquing, to outfit his mermaids, sailors, peasants, and ladies with the costuming necessary for the rich worlds he created and shared with his collectors. Fashioning a Fantasy World explores how Ralph, with a decades-long passion for designing and developing these unique characters, achieved the perfect look for his now-iconic figures.