In an era where migration narratives frequently collapse into faceless statistics, Maine artist Jean Kigel offers something profoundly different: a humanizing gaze that restores individuality to those caught in the global currents of displacement. Her upcoming exhibition at Jackson Memorial Library transforms political abstractions into intimate encounters.
The coastal community of Tenants Harbor will host an exhibition of uncommon emotional gravity. Beginning May 1 and continuing through early June, Jackson Memorial Library presents “Displacement,” a collection of watercolor portraits by Kigel that eloquently chronicles the human dimension of global migration.
A reception will be held from 5 to 7 [p.m. May 16.
“We all come from away,” Kigel observes with the quiet wisdom that infuses her work. This recognition serves as the cornerstone of an exhibition that refuses to “otherize” its subjects.
Each portrait rendered in Kigel’s delicate watercolors functions as both individual testimony and collective chronicle, documenting the constellation of emotions that accompany forced migration: the suffering and terror, certainly, but also the persistent, fragile hope that propels someone to abandon everything familiar in search of safety and dignity.
The exhibition arrives at a moment when millions worldwide have been uprooted by an interconnected web of crises — war, persecution, natural disasters, climate change, corrupt governance and economic collapse. By focusing on individual faces rather than anonymous masses, Kigel’s work subtly challenges viewers to recognize these immigrants not as abstract problems but as vital contributors to our national fabric, enriching both our labor force and intellectual landscape.
Kigel’s artistic sensibility wasn’t cultivated in cosmopolitan art circles but in the fertile cultural soil of rural Maine. Growing up in a second-generation Latvian family on a Warren poultry farm, surrounded by German and Finnish neighbors, she experienced firsthand how immigrant communities enrich the American tapestry.
This multicultural foundation blossomed during her career teaching international literature in Maryland high schools, where she guided students through stories that crossed borders and challenged provincial thinking. Now a full-time artist, Kigel’s creative perspective has been further expanded through travels across Europe, the Middle East, Japan and China — journeys reflected in both the watercolors and Asian brush paintings that have earned her international recognition.
When not exhibiting, Kigel maintains her studio and gallery in Waldoboro on Muscongus Bay.
The exhibition will be on view at Jackson Memorial Library, 71 Main St., Tenants Harbor, from May 1 through early June. Library hours are 3 to 6 p.m. Monday, 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 1 to 5 p.m. Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday and closed Sundays.
For more information, contact Jackson Memorial Library at 207-372-8961, or visit Jean Kigel’s website at www.jeankigel.com. Art enthusiasts can also experience more of Kigel’s work at her studio gallery located at 1396 Back Cove Road, Waldoboro (call ahead is recommended at 207-832-5152).
Shaw Jewelry invites art lovers and collectors to an exciting evening of art, design, and conversation from 5 to 7 p.m. July 17 at its gallery in Northeast Harbor. This lively opening marks the start of an exhibition running through July 30, featuring three remarkable artists whose work draws deeply from the natural world and […]
Sue Vittner will be a guest artist at Local Color Gallery from July 22 through Aug. 17. She will give an artist’s talk at 5:30 p.m. July 25 during Belfast’s Fourth Friday Artwalk, which runs from 4 to 7 p.m. Vittner is deeply grateful to share her artwork with others and feels fortunate to live […]
Centre Street Arts Gallery is in the heart of Bath’s downtown. Come and view our new exhibit featuring 20 Midcoast Maine artists including Andrea Galuza who is showing two new florals (acrylic on canvas). The gallery is open seven days a week. Stop by during the Art Walk from 4 to 7 p.m. when refreshments […]
For three days only, a rare and intimate glimpse into the life of John Lennon will be on view at Cygnet Gallery in Southwest Harbor. “The Lost Weekend: The Photography of May Pang” will run from July 25 to July 27, featuring candid and personal images of Lennon during the infamous “Lost Weekend” era of […]
“David Estey Reengaged” is a solo exhibit of 20 paintings by the Belfast artist, after a two-year hiatus leading the nonprofit Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA). The paintings are improvisational abstract images, often with narrative references, done in a variety of sizes using acrylic paint on canvas, wood panels or synthetic paper mounted on […]
View works by Carol L. Douglas’ students in the Advanced Painting workshop student show, on view July 11 at 394 Commercial St., Rockport. They share their vibrant, exciting work. Then from 5 to 7 p.m. July 17 is Disco Fever at 19 Elm Street, Camden. Shine up your sequins and dust off your platform shoes. […]
Mars Hall Gallery opens its doors for a show titled “Leo & Me Revisited” on July 18. The show celebrates the art and friendship of two artists, Leo Brooks and Elaine Reed, who met on Monhegan Island in the early ’80s. They shared their painting experience not only on Monhegan but also in the Bronx, […]
Annex Arts is honored to welcome Marwa Abdul-Rahman and Robert Dewhurst as its newest Artists-in-Residence. Marwa (painting and sculpture) and Robert (essay, biography, poetry) come to Annex Arts from Los Angeles for a full-summer residency. Their home was lost during January’s devastating Eaton Fire in Altadena, California. As a result, Annex Arts is humbled to […]
From July 15 to 26, “Healing Color” fills the Deer Isle Artists Association gallery with the joy and solace of saturated tones. A range of mediums will be on display, including painting, ceramics, drawing, fiber, glass, wood, photography and jewelry. Featured in this show are Christopher Brumfield, Ray Dinsmore, Mary Eaton, Maureen Farr, Judith Felch, […]
Receive news and information about Maine artists and events delivered right to your inbox.
