In 1948, a group of sculptors, students and teachers at the Museum School founded The New England Sculptors Association. Peter Abate, (pictured at right) was one of the founding members. Two years after the organization was formed, NESA sponsored the first large, outdoor exhibit of sculpture in New England on the grounds of the Museum School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. NESA has had exhibits every year since then, many in several of the leading museums and galleries of the region including:

The New Bedford Museum of Art

The Attleboro Art Museum

The Federal Reserve Bank in Boston

The Worcester Museum of Fine Arts

The Springfield Museum of Fine Arts

The Currier Gallery in Manchester New Hampshire

The DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, MA