The Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockland has appointed Grant Wahlquist interim director and will celebrate the opening of his exhibition “Because the Sky is Blue” with a free public reception from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 2.
Wahlquist, who joined CMCA as curator in July 2025, brings nearly two decades of curatorial and critical experience to the role. Over the past year, he has curated or overseen 10 changing exhibitions. He succeeds Robert Wolterstorff, who served as executive director from 2024 to 2026.
“We couldn’t be more delighted knowing we have someone as talented as Grant to step in and provide steady leadership for CMCA,” board co-chairs Carolyn Watson and Rick Franklin said. “He has demonstrated the leadership qualities we value, and through his curatorial vision and management abilities during his tenure at CMCA, has proven that he can successfully lead the organization into its 75th anniversary year.”
Director of education Rori Smith also welcomed the appointment, citing Wahlquist’s care for the organization, its history, staff, artists and community, and his commitment to joy, belonging, learning and reflection.
“I am honored to step into this role at such an important moment of growth and renewed momentum,” Wahlquist said. “CMCA has an extraordinary history of championing artists and introducing audiences to ambitious contemporary art, and I look forward to partnering with our talented staff and board to build on and expand that legacy.”
From 2017 to 2024, Wahlquist operated Grant Wahlquist Gallery in Portland, representing emerging and mid-career artists from across the United States. Earlier, he worked at the Orange County Museum of Art, contributing to solo and thematic exhibitions, including two California Biennials, and subsequently practiced law in New York City.
An active arts writer and critic, Wahlquist has contributed essays and catalogue texts to exhibitions at CMCA, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions and the Orange County Museum of Art. He holds degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary, the University of Nottingham and the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.
CMCA celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Rockland building, designed by Toshiko Mori, this year and will mark its 75th anniversary in 2027. In the past year, attendance has increased 40% and free Rockland membership has grown by more than 50%. The institution received grants from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s Climate Initiative and Étant donnés, a program of Albertine Foundation and Villa Albertine. With support from the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation, Wahlquist established a publication program that produced three catalogues this summer, with essays by Dorothea Lasky, Michael B. Gillespie and Harry Tafoya.
‘BECAUSE THE SKY IS BLUE’
On view Oct. 2 to Jan. 17, “Because the Sky is Blue” examines the histories of painting and its place as a critical practice today. The exhibition brings together artists associated with Maine and voices from beyond the region, with works that cross conventional distinctions between painting, sculpture, photography and film.
Featured artists are Clémentine Adou, Wilfrid Almendra, Bo Bartlett, Vija Celmins, Selena Kimball, Ryosuke Kumakura, Glenn Ligon, Sharon Lockhart, Matthew Metzger, Julie Poitras Santos and Miao Wang.
Organized by Wahlquist, the exhibition takes inspiration from Bartlett’s “Blue Sky Paintings,” considering the sky as both subject and a point of departure for artistic inquiry.
The Oct. 2 opening will be held during Rockland’s First Friday Art Walk and will include music by DJ Alien Baby, also known as Allison Cekala, and tacos from Taqueria Max in the courtyard.
The exhibition receives support from the Roxanne Quimby Foundation, the Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation, Harriet F. Hubbard, donors to CMCA’s Suzette McAvoy Exhibition Fund and Étant donnés. The Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation supports the catalogue.
CMCA is at 21 Winter St., Rockland. Through October, hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Winter hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The museum closes on federal holidays. Admission is $10, or $8 for seniors 65 and older and students with ID. Admission is free for children under 18 and CMCA members. For more information, visit cmcanow.org.
Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland is featuring “IDK,” an exhibition of paintings by Tollef Runquist that explores the intersection of personal reflection, archetypes, fantasy and play. Runquist’s paintings combine images and symbols drawn from lived experience, emotional landscapes and cultural influences, creating an intuitive dialogue between imagery and meaning. “My work explores a space where […]
Meetinghouse Arts in Freeport is presenting a full schedule of fall exhibitions and performances, including a members show, a collaborative exhibition by longtime artist friends Tim Sample and Linda Rowell-Kelley and several concerts. The gallery’s fall members exhibition, “Nature’s Palette: Art Inspired by the Season,” will remain on view through Oct. 18. Featuring paintings, drawings, […]
Local Color Gallery in Belfast will feature printmaker, collage artist and sculptor Jeff Wahlstrom from Oct. 19 to Nov. 22. An Art Walk reception will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 23, with an artist talk at 5 p.m. Based in Bangor, Wahlstrom creates block prints and watercolor collages inspired by the natural […]
Women Eco Artists Dialog (WEAD), based in Berkeley, California, is accepting submissions for its 2027 members exhibition, “Prototyping Futures of Making: Water, Data, and Living Systems.” The exhibition will explore the relationships among water, data, ecological systems and emerging technologies, asking how artists can engage with living systems as sites of collaboration, construction and consequence. […]
Triangle Gallery in Rockland is presenting three exhibitions through Oct. 31, including an extended solo exhibition by Carter Wentworth, a group fiber arts show and a fall exhibition of work by gallery artists. Wentworth’s “Sound of Rain Crossing the Lake” will remain on view in the upstairs gallery through the end of October. “Interwoven,” a […]
Waterfall Arts in Belfast will present “Found in Translation,” a mixed-media exhibition featuring Maine artists Deborah Jellison, JoAnne Houlsen and John LeBlanc, from Oct. 23 to Nov. 28. An opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 23. The exhibition brings together three artist friends whose work explores familiar Maine landscapes, objects […]
Courthouse Gallery Fine Art in Ellsworth is presenting “Form Meets Surface,” an exhibition highlighting porcelain ceramics by potter Mark Bell and collaborative works created with painter William Irvine. The artists, both established in their respective fields, have worked together since 2015 to create porcelain vases and plates that combine Bell’s ceramic forms with Irvine’s painted […]
Barn Gallery in Ogunquit concluded its 2026 exhibition season Oct. 12, but the venue will continue to welcome visitors for two performances in the 19th annual Elizabeth Dunaway Burnham Piano Festival. Pianist, composer and vocalist Zahili Zamora will return to Ogunquit with her Afro Cuban Jazz Trio for a performance from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. […]
The Brunswick Guild Fine Craft Show will return to the historic Fort Andross Mill in Brunswick on Oct. 24 and 25, celebrating its 10th season with work by 40 juried Maine craft artists. Presented by Shop Maine Craft, the indoor show will feature basketry, ceramics, decorative and wearable fiber art, furniture, glass, jewelry, mixed media, […]
Receive news and information about Maine artists and events delivered right to your inbox.