CMCA Rori Smith
Rori Smith

The Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockland has named Rori Smith as its new director of education.

Smith brings nearly two decades of experience as an educator, scholar and artist, having worked with institutions including the Penn Museum, the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the National Museum of the American Indian and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in dance and performance from Temple University and continues to maintain an active practice in performance and movement. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of Maine, with a forthcoming dissertation on environmental performance art.

Smith has worked with CMCA for the past year as education programs assistant and Artist Toolbox coordinator. As director of education, she said she is motivated to continue the generosity with which CMCA Education shares its time and resources with the community, with an enhanced focus on helping visitors interpret exhibitions and engage with artmaking.

Smith led the first tour in CMCA’s 2026 Summer Tours series July 10. The series offers guided conversations through CMCA’s four summer exhibitions, led by curator Grant Wahlquist and Smith. Remaining July tours include a 1 p.m. tour July 19.

CMCA’s Artlab for All Ages also has a new time and refreshed focus. The free intergenerational program encourages families to learn together through guided sessions of creative and adventurous artmaking. Sessions are held one Saturday each month from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Adult Makerspace will be held from 10 a.m. to noon July 19. Led by Smith, the program will explore image-making through touch and gesture in dialogue with Abbey Williams’ “Fugue.” Attendance is capped at 20 guests and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The program is open to adults 18 and older, with a sliding fee of $5 to $15.

CMCA’s 2026 ArtCamp will run July 20 to Aug. 13 for ages 5 to 14. Each week is a standalone experience with its own theme, and campers may enroll in any week that interests them. Age ranges vary by week.

CMCA is located at 21 Winter St., Rockland. For more information, go to cmcanow.org.