The Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockland will open the 20th edition of its statewide CMCA Biennial Exhibition on November 3, 2018, with an opening reception from 5 to 7pm. The Biennial will remain on view through March 3, 2019. This year’s Biennial is sponsored by The First National Bank and features the work of 43 artists from 33 Maine communities. The exhibiting artists were selected from a pool of 659 individual submissions by jurors Kate Green, Guest Director of Marfa Contemporary, Marfa, Texas, and Robin K. Williams, Ford Curatorial Fellow at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit, Michigan.
CMCA Director Suzette McAvoy states, “This year’s Biennial is a really lively snapshot of art making in Maine today, showcasing a wide variety of work in all mediums including strong examples of painting, sculpture, photography, textiles, installations, and video work. There is truly something for everyone in the show and I think visitors will be impressed by the quality and diversity of the work.”
In the jurors’ statement, Kate Green writes, “The over 600 submissions to the CMCA Biennial evidenced the breadth of contemporary practices flourishing across the state, while also reflecting elements that make Maine unique: the sea, the wilderness, craft. Having spent part of every summer of my life in Maine, I feel privileged to have gotten to know the strength of its artists through this jurying process.”
The CMCA Biennial Exhibition typically takes place in the fall of even numbered years. The concept of an open juried competition at CMCA dates back to 1978, when then director Ben Goldsmith presented the first Juried Exhibition. It was the only continuing statewide juried exhibition until the Portland Museum of Art introduced its first Biennial in 1998.
Artists included in the 2018 CMCA Biennial Exhibition are: Freedom Baird, Tenants Harbor and Cambridge, MA; Tad Beck, Vinalhaven; Mattina Blue, Belfast; Amy Stacey Curtis, Lyman; Alicia Eggert, Portland and Denton, TX; Adam Ekberg, Rome and Flemington, NJ; Donna Festa, Bangor; Alan Fishman, Belfast; Thomas Flanagan, Yarmouth; Carolina González Valencia, Lewiston; Julie K. Gray, Saco; Sarah Haskell, York; Willoughby Lucas Hastings, Cranberry Isles and Brighton, MA; Dylan Hausthor, Peaks Island; Ethan Hayes-Chute, Freeport and Berlin, Germany; Anna Hepler, Eastport and Greenfield, MA; Hilary Irons, Portland; Samantha Jones, Blue Hill; Eleanor Kipping, Orono; Seth Koen, South Bristol and Easthampton, MA; Baxter Koziol, Portland; Siglinde Langholz, Orono and Puebla, Mexico; Alex Lukas, West Bath and Pittsburgh, PA; LumenARRT!, Durham; Shanna Merola, Bangor and Hamtramck, MI; K. Min, Friendship; Elaine K. Ng, Rockland; Ashley Normal, York; Isabelle O’Donnell, Portland; Julie Poitras Santos, Portland; Jesse Potts , Farmington; Probably Joel, Portland and Hong Kong, China; Alison Rector, Monroe and South Portland; Becky Jane Rosen, Brunswick and New York, NY; Rachel Sieben, South Portland; Gina Siepel, Portland and Greenfield, MA; Anneli Skaar and Sal Taylor Kydd, Camden and Rockport; Suzy Spence, Brooklin and Brooklyn, NY; Tectonic Industries, Portland; TUG Collective, New Sharon; Kathy Weinberg, Morrill; Michael Winkler, Bridgton and Millerton, NY; Erin Woodbrey, Sebago Lake and Orleans, MA.
For additional information about the CMCA 2018 Biennial Exhibition and related programs, visit cmcanow.org.
Dominique Ostuni’s solo exhibition, “Would an Angel Apologize for Spilling Champagne,” is on view through Oct. 3 at Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland. A centerpiece of the exhibition is “Excess Comes Naturally,” an elaborate mirror standing more than 8 feet tall. The work begins with an ordinary functional object, then overwhelms that function with porcelain, […]
Waterfall Arts will invite the public inside more than 40 artist studios during the Lincoln Street Center Fall Open Studios from 1 to 5 p.m. Oct. 17 at 24 Lincoln St. in Rockland. During the free event, artists will open their studios and welcome visitors into their creative spaces. Guests can explore Rockland’s historic former […]
“Made in Maine,” the Maine Art Gallery’s annual member show, features more than 100 works of art across two floors of the historic Old Academy building in Wiscasset. The exhibition is on view through Oct. 18. Sara Stites of Thomaston, a new member, is showing at the gallery for the first time. Her oil painting […]
High Peaks Artisan Guild in Kingfield features Western Maine watercolor artist Karen Jordan Paul throughout September. Paul draws inspiration from wildlife found throughout Maine, particularly wild birds and fish. The guild celebrated Paul as its featured artist of the month during the Sept. 4 Kingfield Art Walk. High Peaks Artisan Guild is at 245 Main […]
Turtle Gallery in Deer Isle presents “Material Storytelling,” a three-artist exhibition featuring new work by Sheep Jones, Michele Ratté Delphin and Barbara Sullivan, through Oct. 11. The three artists use distinct materials and techniques to explore narrative, light and the quiet poetry of everyday objects. Jones brings her signature combination of oil and cold wax […]
Photographer Melonie Bennett will discuss her exhibition and debut monograph, “Holy Cow!,” from 5 to 8 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Maine Museum of Photographic Arts in Portland. The event will include an interview, reading and book signing. Photographer and writer Robert Diamante, a friend and fellow photographer, will interview Bennett. “Holy Cow!” presents an […]
Centre Street Arts Gallery in downtown Bath will open its fall show during the Bath Art Walk from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 18. The gallery represents 20 local artists and will feature new work in its fall exhibition. Visitors can meet the artists, explore the show and enjoy refreshments during the reception. Centre Street […]
Maine artist Daryne Rockett will present “Restoring Liberty,” an exhibition of monotypes and mixed-media work, from Oct. 2 to Nov. 24 at the McDade Gallery at Bangor Public Library. The exhibition brings together two interconnected bodies of work examining freedom, democracy, justice and hope. In a series of layered monotypes, the Statue of Liberty appears […]
Maine Craft Weekend, an annual statewide celebration of craft, community and creativity, will return Oct. 3 and 4. The free, self-guided tour invites visitors to discover the people, places and stories behind Maine’s craft communities. Hundreds of participating artists and locations will host open studios, workshops, pop-up markets, exhibitions, fairs, artist talks, special events and […]