Art connects us, inspires us, and reminds us of both our humanity and our immortality. As artists and makers who share our art and selves with our communities, we offer a valuable service to those around us every day. Being self-employed, we also connect with each other to establish our networks, build the local economies around us, and make a positive impact on the creative economy as our web of art and artists grows. We bring our items and our art to craft fairs, retail fairs, retail stores, websites, Etsy shops, galleries, and customers directly. In this scary time, it’s easy to worry about all of that collapsing.
What can you do to take care of yourself? Your household, studio, family, and loved ones? As you listen to yourself, what do you hear yourself needing—and how can we help you?
Now, more than ever, we want you to know that Archipelago is here for you. To help provide support specifically for Maine’s small businesses, including our artists and makers, we’ve compiled a list of resources just for you. We’re collecting whatever we hear about that might be helpful for you right now, so if you know or hear of anything that isn’t on this list, please let me know by email or Facebook Messenger and I’ll add it!
The health of our society depends upon the ability of our artists and makers to create and bring those creations into their neighborhoods and the world. Maine’s economy depends upon the creative economy. At Archipelago, we are currently planning and preparing for a busy summer, fall, and holiday season—cleaning, painting, and yes, buying. While we may shape the nature of our orders a bit differently to bring more products online, we are anticipating ordering at similar levels to last year. Today, that is our plan.
More broadly at the Island Institute, the Small Business team’s primary concern is ensuring that goods and services are moving between the mainland and island communities. We are prioritizing support for ferry services (both public and private), which are essential to the flow of uninterrupted food, medical supplies, fuel, and other services to our islands. The Island Institute is also working to connect small business owners and independent contractors on islands and in coastal communities to loan and disaster relief programs at the local, state, and federal level that can provide funds for sustaining their businesses throughout this pandemic.
In the meantime, Archipelago is making calls and reaching out to see how you’re feeling, what you’re going through, and how we might be able to support you. We’re here to help however we can or, if nothing else, to simply offer a friendly ear, some kind words, and someone to talk to. Our friend Susan recently shared the following with us:
“Right now I’m ok. I’m mostly worried about loss of income this year. Who knows who will buy pots, who will travel, and when. My concern is that we craftspeople are such small businesses that we will be overlooked [in relief funds].
For years I’ve wanted to have the significant impact craftspeople in Maine make on our economy recognized. We bring people here from out of state, give them something to do, and also are the ones who always donate and support our local community fundraisers. We deserve some love!
I am concerned that if the government sends out checks they will somehow miss us. Also, what about the small businesses, maybe ones just starting out. What if they don’t file taxes? Will money go to them too?
Thanks for all you are doing. Just knowing you are thinking of us helps.”
In addition to some virtual small business events and resources in development, we are also working on blog posts and stories focusing on how Maine artists and makers are responding to the current challenges and using their talents to help their communities. Stay tuned for more on all of that very soon!
For now, just know that we are all in this together. Archipelago will be trying to reach out to you in the coming week, but if you have any questions or want to chat in the meantime, feel free to email me at lvietze@islandinstitute.org. I’d love to hear from you!
Until then, stay safe, practice self-care, spread sunshine in the day, mix with paint, clay, and fabric, and be well.
My best,
Lisa Mossel Vietze
Director, Archipelago
Harbor Square Gallery in Camden is showing new work by Thomas O’Donovan, the jeweler and artistic director who founded the gallery more than four decades ago. On view is “Revelation,” from his series The Offering, crafted in 18k gold and bronze with antique coconut heishi beads. Harbor Square Gallery is at 37 Bay View St., […]
The Deer Isle Artists Association gallery welcomes North Carolina-based painter Tony Griffin as artist-in-residence for April. Griffin’s work — deeply rooted in the tradition of the Renaissance masters — spans portraiture, figure painting and plein air landscape. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia and has exhibited throughout North Carolina […]
Waterfall Arts in Belfast opens “Make Your Mark,” an immersive, community-driven exhibition transforming the Clifford Gallery into an interactive space inspired by street art, April 18 through May 29. An opening reception is April 18 from 1 to 3 p.m. and is free and open to the public. The exhibition features participatory installations including doodle […]
Local Color Gallery in Belfast welcomes fiber artist Sarah Leighton as guest artist April 21 through May 17. Leighton will speak about her work during Fourth Friday Gallery Night on April 25 from 4 to 7 p.m., with her talk beginning at 5 p.m. Leighton grew up in Midcoast Maine, where her French-Canadian grandmother — […]
The Union of Maine Visual Artists presents “Bodies in Motion,” an exhibition of work in various media at Zoot Coffee in Camden, running April 1 through 30. The show features 19 artists: Hillary Steinau, Cynthia Motian McGuirl, Jess Lauren Lipton, Charlie Newton, Maryjean Viano Crowe, Mackenzie Martin, Jorge Pena, Rachel Robbins, Shanna McNair, Kristi Marsh, […]
Three artists are currently featured at Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland, spanning painting, assemblage and works on paper. Robert Hamilton (1917-2004) thought of his paintings as “a place for something to occur — little pictorial events, little plays.” In “Come Back Sweet Mama (Boy in Museum)” (1990), the avid recreational tennis player imagined a museum […]
Maine Art Gallery in Wiscasset has shaped its 2026 exhibition season around the ways artists respond to the natural world and Maine’s place in the sustainable agriculture movement. The season opens with “Art to Table: Visual Sustenance,” a juried show examining individual and communal relationships to food through works that elevate ingredients, meals and rituals. […]
Meetinghouse Arts kicked off the season with a creative conversation featuring artist Charlie Hewitt on March 18, partnering with Freeport Community Services for the evening event. Hewitt is known for his Hopeful Project, a glowing installation originally commissioned by Speedwell in 2019 that has since spread to dozens of sites. The gallery also hosted a […]
George Marshall Store Gallery in York opened “Block Party!” on March 15, bringing together artists living, working or with ties to York, Kittery, Eliot, South Berwick, Ogunquit and Wells. The open-call exhibition featured a wide variety of mediums, experimental approaches and interpretations of local landmarks. The show included work by Karen Adrienne, Marena Bach, Todd […]
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