The Farnsworth Art Museum is pleased to announce that Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture will be honored with the 2026 Maine in America Award at the Farnsworth’s annual Gala on Friday, July 17, in recognition of the School’s profound and lasting contributions to American art.
The award coincides with “MAINE: A Force within American Art (1890-2026)”, a landmark, year-long exhibition at the Farnsworth, on view from Feb. 7 through Jan. 3, 2027. Presented in honor of America’s 250th anniversary, the exhibition asserts Maine’s enduring imprint on American art and celebrates the artists, institutions, and communities whose creativity has shaped the nation’s artistic legacy. Organized by the Farnsworth Curatorial Department and a group of Curatorial Advisors, including Faye Hirsch, Guest Curator, and Katie Sonnenborn, Skowhegan Co-director, the exhibition will feature a gallery devoted to Skowhegan’s founding generation of artists.
Since 2006, the Maine in America Award has recognized individuals and organizations whose work has significantly advanced Maine’s role in American art. Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, founded in 1946 and internationally recognized for its radical, artist learning program, has been instrumental in shaping generations of artists and fostering experimentation, dialogue, and community in Maine and far beyond.
“Skowhegan’s commitment to artists and creative practices is unprecedented,” said Christopher Brownawell, executive director of the Farnsworth Art Museum. “From its founding days, which will be the focus of the Farnsworth’s gallery, to today, 80 years later, there is no other alternative art school that has influenced the development and lineage of both American art and Maine. This core tenet shaped a founding community that included artists such as Alex Katz, Bernard Langlais, and Ashley Bryan, among many others.”
“It is a great honor that Skowhegan will be recognized with the Maine in America Award,” said Katie Sonnenborn and Ruth Estévez, Co-directors. “Skowhegan is in Maine thanks to our founder, Willard ‘Bill’ Cummings, and his family, who had — and continue to have — an expansive and generous belief in the vital role of artists in society, and who created the School on their family farm. For 80 years, artists have come to campus to take risks, exchange ideas, and build lasting relationships informed by the surrounding landscape, traditions and art community. Maine has helped shape the trajectory of our School, a testament to its role in the evolution of experimental art, freedom, and creativity in the country and beyond.”
“MAINE: A Force within American Art (1890–2026)” presents the museum’s unique mission of celebrating Maine’s integral role in shaping American art. The convergence of two central themes — Maine and American art — serves as the cornerstone of this chronological exhibition.
The exhibition will trace how people, places and ideas intersected with pivotal moments in art from the 20th century into the 21st, revealing the interconnectedness between Maine and the broader trajectory of American art. Select sections of the exhibition include:
Milestone exhibitions and institutions, such as the groundbreaking 1913 Armory Show and the rise of galleries, such as Macbeth Gallery and the Downtown Gallery, dedicated to American art.
Influential residency programs and art schools including Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Maine Media, Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, and Indigo Arts Alliance.
Artistic centers from Ogunquit and Monhegan Island to Slab City Road in Lincolnville, which fostered networks of creativity and exchange between Maine and the wider art world.
Community-driven initiatives like the Tanager Gallery and the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance (MIBA), which highlight artist-run organizations and collective action.
“MAINE: A Force within American Art (1890–2026)” is curated in partnership with the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Hudson Museum, Indigo Arts Alliance, Maine Media, and Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, along with Faye Hirsch and Theresa Second.
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