Cabot Lyford (1925-2016) Heron Rising Carved wood on stone base Private collection
Cabot Lyford (1925-2016)
Heron Rising
Carved wood on stone base
Private collection

The Ogunquit Museum of American Art (OMAA) today announced that exhibitions opening September 1, 2017 will include American sculptor Cabot Lyford, Modernist artist Marsden Hartley, and Maine artist Alison Rector.

Cabot Lyford: Truth of Material, on view in the Sculpture Gallery through October 31, 2017, presents the artist’s sculptures alongside rarely seen works on paper. While he is best known for direct carving – chiseling and cutting directly into stone and wood – this installation also includes a selection of drawings and watercolor paintings.

“Direct carving reveals the harmony between a material and the resulting work of art.  And with Lyford’s work, we can feel that liberating and spontaneous call and response between the artist and his subject,” said Michael Mansfield, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Ogunquit Museum of American Art.

Isabella Howland (1895-1974) Caricature Bust of Alfred Stieglitz, 1948 Bronze 7.5 x 5.5 x 4 inches Museum purchase, 1970 Bust of Georgia O’Keeffe c. 1960 Bronze 5.5 x 5.5 x 4 inches 1968.15 Anonymous gift, 1968 Photo: Larry Hayden
Isabella Howland (1895-1974)
Caricature Bust of Alfred Stieglitz, 1948
Bronze, 7.5 x 5.5 x 4 inches

Bust of Georgia O’Keeffe, c. 1960
Bronze, 5.5 x 5.5 x 4 inches

Photo: Larry Hayden

Marsden Hartley and His Circle presents painter, poet, and essayist Hartley among a coterie of associates within the Modernist movement in American art. From Maine to Ohio, New York, and Europe, Hartley traveled widely during his lifetime and became active among a formidable group of contemporaries such as American photographer Alfred Stieglitz and artist Georgia O’Keeffe. This exhibition draws upon the OMAA permanent collection to explore the circle of artists that helped to shape his personal awakening and career. This show is on view in the Little Gallery through October 31.

Alison Rector Down East Oil on linen 40 x 40 inches
Alison Rector
Down East
Oil on linen
40 x 40 inches

Alison Rector: The Value of Thought is the latest in a series of paintings by Rector exploring historic public library buildings. The artist has visited 18 of the Carnegie libraries in Maine and many others, and has created more than 40 paintings exploring a wide variety of these shared spaces. This exhibition is on view in the Long Gallery through October 31 and is sponsored by Greenhut Galleries.

Please note: an exhibition of works by artist Steve Hawley, originally planned for 2017, has been rescheduled for May, 2018.

The Ogunquit Museum of American Art (OMAA) was founded by Lost Generation artist Henry Strater and opened in 1953. Closely connected to two of America’s earliest art colonies that directly contributed to the roots of American modernism, OMAA today houses a permanent collection of important paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints and photographs from the late 1800s to the present and is the only museum in Maine devoted exclusively to the exhibition, preservation, and interpretation of American art. A short walk from Perkins Cove, the museum and its three acres of sculpture gardens overlook Narrow Cove and the Atlantic Ocean. OMAA is open May 1 through October 31, daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.ogunquitmuseum.org