Maine Observed: Juried Members Exhibit 2025
Exhibit Description and Call for Art:
Generations of artists have been drawn to Maine inspired by its dramatic vistas of mountains, forests, fields, lakes, and coastlines; challenging each witness to capture their own version of the state’s natural wonder. Rackstraw Downes described the landscape painter’s task: “A love of country is common to all of us to some degree, but who can make it work as fresh, contemporary imagery, free from the trite and the cliched?”
Member artists of the Maine Art Gallery regularly engage in this challenge, and their work embraces objective and non-objective expressions of the natural world of Maine they observe. Accordingly, we invite gallery members to submit their finest efforts to capture the Maine vistas that inspire them for Maine Observed: Juried Members Exhibit.
In keeping with the Gallery’s recent series of “Generations” exhibitions, the Juried Member Exhibit appears on the gallery's second floor from June 19 – July 27 and accompanies the centenary retrospective Fiore at 100: Maine Observed which will appear on the gallery's first floor during that time.
Entries will be accepted beginning April 22. Deadline for receipt of entries is May 28. Late entries will not be considered.
Image by Ledoux. "Darrows Barn."
All entries must be submitted to this address: maineartgalleryimages@gmail.com
Run of Show: Thursday, June 19 - Sunday, July 27
Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 11am - 4pm
Reception: Saturday, June 21, 4:30pm - 6:30 pm
Art Walk: June 26, open 4:30pm - 6:30pm
Drop off selected work with executed Consignment Agreement and Artist Statement/Bio: June 15, 4pm - 6pm; June 16, 11am - 4pm; June 17, 9am - 12pm
Pick Up of Unsold Work: Sunday, July 27, 4pm - 6pm; Monday, July 28, 9am - 4pm
Entry Fee: $15 members (only gallery members may enter)
Please direct all questions to: info@maineartgallerywiscasset.org Please place “Maine Observed Question” in your email subject line. (Do not submit artwork to this address.)
Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to seeing your work.
Rules for Entry:
Submission of your entry fee constitutes your understanding of, and agreement to, the juried show guidelines and to the following conditions:
Original Art Only:
All work submitted is your own original artwork. Giclee prints are not eligible. Original fine art in any media may be submitted, including: drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed media, photography, fiber, jewelry, and sculpture.
New Work Only:
You may submit work made in the last 3 years. Work shown in the past at the Maine Art Gallery or other Lincoln County gallery must be identified as such. At the discretion of the Exhibition Committee, gallery members may submit for juror consideration work of deceased artists who previously exhibited at the gallery.
Up to Two Works:
Each artist may submit two works of art.
Diptychs and Triptychs:
Works created in two or three sections will be considered and judged as one entry. Diptychs and triptychs may not exceed 40 inches.
Show-Ready and Original Submissions Only:
All works must be show-ready upon delivery to the Maine Art Gallery. Work that is different from submitted entries will not be exhibited.
Hanging Ready:
All two-dimensional artwork must be properly wired for hanging. Gallery wrapped canvases are acceptable. Sawtooth frame hangers are not acceptable.
Size Limits:
Surface of two-dimensional work may not extend beyond 40" in either length or width, including frame. Sculptural work must be no more than 50 lbs., and easily fit through the door. Some pedestals are available, or artists may supply their own.
Sales:
Maine Art Gallery takes a 35% commission of sales based on the retail price of your work and you must price your work accordingly.
Entry Fee:
All entrants must be 2025 gallery members in good standing at the time of submission and must pay a non-refundable $15 entry fee. Those paying with a check please make it out to Maine Art Gallery and mail to 15 Warren St, Wiscasset, ME, 04578. Click below to pay online:
You grant Maine Art Gallery permission to use images of your artwork and/or your name in promotional materials, including broadcast, online media and other marketing materials.
Required Artist Consignment Agreement & Artist Bio:
Artist Statement/Bio and executed Consignment Agreement are required at time the work is dropped-off provided you have been accepted into the show.
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: MAY 28. LATE ENTRIES OR MISS-ADDRESSED SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED
Send Your Submissions by Email:
- To apply for this show all information is emailed to maineartgalleryimages@gmail.com
- SUBJECT LINE must be your last name and show title. Example: “Coates: Maine Observed”
- The gallery is not responsible for entries sent to other email addresses. All submissions must be complete to be considered by the juror(s).
1. Submission Email Checklist:
-
Your contact info
-
Up to 2 images
-
Details about your work
2. Include Contact Information and Membership Status:
-
Name
-
Address City, State, Zip
-
Email
-
Phone
-
MAG Member: YES / NO
3. Image Submission Requirements:
Attach jpeg files and send all required info to maineartgalleryimages@gmail.com. Jpegs must be titled with your last name and title of the piece. Example: Coates-Summer-Greens. Images should be 1 to 3 megabytes in size. Recommended pixel size is about 900 width or height, but not to exceed 1,800 in either dimension.
For each jpeg submitted, please include the following:
-
Title
-
Medium
-
Dimensions (H x W)
-
Price
Disclaimer:
The Maine Art Gallery is not responsible for technical or computer failures, including problems accessing the internet, any other computer error, or malfunction, or for late, lost illegible or misdirected entries. Make sure you send your entry to the correct email account according to the directions above. You will receive a reply confirming your entry.
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: MAY 28. LATE ENTRIES OR MISS-ADDRESSED SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED
Dates and Obligations to Remember:
-
Run of Show:Thursday, June 19 – Sunday, July 27
-
Gallery Hours:Wednesday - Sunday, 11am – 4pm
-
Wiscasset Art Walk Thursday: June 26, gallery open 4:30pm - 6:30pm
-
Drop off selected work with executed Consignment Agreement and Artist Statement/Bio: June 15, 4pm – 6pm; June 16, 11am – 4pm; June 17, 9am – 12pm
-
Pick Up of Unsold Work: Sunday, July 27, 4pm – 6pm; Monday, July 28, 9am – 4pm
-
Entry Fee: $15 members (only gallery members may enter)
-
Artist statement/bio is due when work is dropped off
-
Required Artist Consignment Agreement is due when work is dropped-off.
-
Commission on sales is 35%.
-
Each artist is responsible to take away any packing materials
-
The Maine Art Gallery cannot store them for later re-use.
-
Deadline for entries: May 28. Late entries will not be considered.
Meet Our Jurors Thomas Higgins and Cynthia Hyde:
Painting for Thomas Higgins is an active and intuitive process of participating in natural spaces. Higgins graduated cum laude from Maryville College (Tennessee) and received his MS and MFA in painting and drawing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Having taught at Marietta College (Ohio), Colby College, and in the University of Maine System, Higgins retired as Professor Emeritus from the University of Maine at Farmington.
Tom’s paintings have been displayed in numerous exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad, including at U.S. embassies in Canada, Hungary, Iceland, Gambia, Greece and France. Residencies for which he was selected include Acadia National Park and the Joseph A. Fiore Art Center. His work is currently available at Greenhut Galleries in Portland.
Cynthia Hyde is co-owner of the Caldbeck Gallery in Rockland which enters its 44th year on Elm Street across from the Farnsworth Art Museum. The careers of Cynthia and husband, Jim Kinnealey, are grounded in their backgrounds as artists - including showing together at the Maine Art Gallery in the mid-1980s. Caldbeck Gallery has been a supporter of Maine Art Gallery exhibitions including lending work by Joseph Fiore for last year’s Generations: The Legacy of Mentors.
As a gallerist choosing work to exhibit, Cynthia believes that “the ultimate dialogue for us is the one between us and the work. If the work talks to us, it means something, and we try to find a way to share that work with the public. Then the dialogue is between the work and the public. The artist’s statement or interview is of interest to many viewers, but again, it is the work that needs to be allowed to speak for itself.” Cynthia Hyde, Gallerist – Inner View - The Maine Arts Journal: The UMVA Quarterly