Caroline Hunter opens up a binder densely packed with years of newspaper clippings, decades-old photos, letters and other paper mementos. Beside her is a stack of books marked with dozens of blue Post-it notes. The meticulous bookkeeping is not a hobby. And though the man to whom these records pertain is Caroline’s late husband, Ken Williams, this scrapbook filled with Ken’s work, and articles and books mentioning him, is not a memorial: for Caroline, it is a civic responsibility.

A Lifetime of Art, a retrospective exhibit celebrating more than 50 years of impressionistic art from the estate of the late regional artist Jean Van Vliet Spencer.

The show — open Saturday, August 23, at the Trinity United Methodist Parish Hall in Oak Bluffs from 4 to 7 p.m. — will feature paintings ranging from the artist’s early works of Mexico, Provincetown and Europe, through her most memorable works completed during the time she spent at Martha’s Vineyard and New York city.

For a Vineyard kid, “when you first move away, there are two places: on-Island and off-Island,” said Kelley Callahan, viewing the exhibition by Marshall Pratt at the Periwinkle Gallery in Oak Bluffs which opened last weekend. In the show, A Vineyard Boy in Boston, Pratt uses photographs to depict this contrast, for instance by juxtaposing the image of a rock at Squibnocket and a similar rock in a Boston slum.

Island artists Jenifer Strachan and Steve Lohman will open the doors to their West Tisbury studios Tuesday August 19, from 4 to 7 p.m. This couple’s artwork, created from the unusual mediums of wire and broken shards, has become instantly recognizable and much loved by residents and visitors alike.

Steve Lohman has been a local fixture in the Vineyard art scene for over 25 years. He is internationally known for his lyrical steel and wire sculptures and whimsical carved wooden furniture; with recent projects in Barcelona, New York and California.

Linda Thompson

The Bank of Martha’s Vineyard at Beetlebung Corner in Chilmark will host a free opening reception today, Friday, August 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. for an exhibit of Vineyard landscapes by Chilmark artist Linda Thompson.

The oil paintings depict a range of Island views, from the stillness of a sunset on the rocky North Shore to the colorful clusters of mailboxes along Island roads.

The exhibit will be open during regular bank hours through August 21. All are welcome. For details, call 508-645-9095.

In collaboration with the Lois Mailou Jones–Pierre Noel Trust and the Featherstone Center for the Arts, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum is opening an exhibition of Lois Mailou Jones’s early work in textile design at the Featherstone gallery on Sunday, August 17, with a reception from 4 to 6 p.m.

Art Party on Wednesday

Carrie Mae Smith will showcase her exhibit Historic Houses on the Vineyard, plein air paintings of familiar landmarks and Vineyard history, for the month of August at West Tisbury Library. All are welcome to meet the artist at a free reception Wednesday, August 13, at 4 p.m.

Refreshments served. For details, call 508-693-3366.

Alison Shaw Gallery Fine are photography of Alison Shaw. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m., or by appointment at 88 Dukes County avenue, Oak Bluffs, tel. 508-696-7429 or alisonshaw.com.

Current exhibit: Blue opens Saturday, August 9, with artist’s reception from 4 to 7 p.m. as part of Dukes County Avenue Arts District stroll. Continues through August 22.

Minutes away from the main retail drag of Circuit avenue, in the arts district of Oak Bluffs, reads a sign: “PikNik: Art & Apparel. Expect anything.” The “expect anything” line encourages visions of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain or other more radical, conceptual art pieces. In fact, PikNik is currently showing an abstract exhibit, which seems to fit “expect anything” expectations.

Kids’ Art on Show

Artists from the ages of 7 to 11 have been working all summer to create masterpieces everyone and their mother can love. Now this artwork is on view for the public.

On Saturday, August 9, the Old Sculpin Gallery will be completely transformed as they hold a reception to showcase the work created at the camp from 2 to 4 p.m. at the gallery on Dock street in Edgartown.

For details, call 508-627-4881.