Maine Art Gallery News
November 2024: Fall/Winter Newsletter
In 2024 we hosted six exhibits, free art talks that explored exhibit themes or participating artists’ processes, as well as classes and art openings. The gallery also welcomed three new board members.
In 2025 we’re planning even more talks, workshops and events to enlighten, inspire, and support Maine arts and artists. We also will be able to begin work on restoration of our beautiful cupola because of the generous matching grant from the town of Wiscasset.
With so much more to come, we can't wait to see you all in the new year!
August 2024: Welcome Our New Gallery Administrator
We welcome Audrey McGlashan to the MAG Team as our Gallery Administrator. A life-long artist, Audrey has taught watercolor painting in recent years through the adult education branch of Mid-Coast School of Technology in Rockland. Her other callings include child education and horticulture.
Audrey assumes her responsibilities from Patty Pendergast who has chosen to focus her energies on expanding opportunities for her artistic endeavors—not only in Maine, but with clients across the country. We wish Patty continuing success and look forward to seeing her at MAG activities and exhibits.
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2024 Spring & Summer Newsletter
"We built on the success of last years' 65th anniversary season with a repeat of the highly acclaimed Generations/mentorship theme, woven throughout the season's exhibits." Download a copy of our 2024 Spring/Summer Newsletter and learn about what the gallery has been accomplishing so far this year!
June 1 at 4 PM – Art Talk: The Art of Joseph Fiore
Two former Damariscotta gallerists, both of whom exhibited Fiore’s work, Yvette Torres (former owner of Yvette Torres Fine Art, which was known for featuring the work of the Black Mountain College artists, one of whom was Fiore) and Geoffrey Robinson, former owner of the River Gallery and a personal friend of Fiore, conversed with MAG board member Kay Liss about their reminiscences of this important 20th century artist. We had an additional unexpected celebration in receiving a bequest from the Morris Farm of Fiore’s work Stone Beast, just in time for the talk. Fiore is included as a MAG founding artist mentor shown in Generations: The Legacy of Mentors alongside Maine leading watercolorist, David Dewey, who studied with Fiore at the Philadelphia College of Art and eventually followed him to Maine. Dewey also served as the Juror for the exhibition’s Juried Member Artists Show on the Gallery’s first floor.
Left to right: Yvette Torres, former Damariscotta Gallery owner of same name, Geoffrey Robinson, former River Gallery owner, and gallery board member and moderator Kay Liss stand in front of “Stone Beast” by Joseph Fiore. Photo: Bob Bond
June 27 – MAG ArtWalk Art Talk: The Printmaking Experience. 6:30 PM.
(Art Walk is from 4pm – 7pm). Four Maine artists describe their approach to the printmaking arts and what drew them to the medium. Joel LeVasseur, Damariscotta who works in gelation; Sherrie York, Bristol wood and lino cuts; Judith Long, Brunswick who works in various mediums including etching, drypoint, monotypes, wood and linoleum block and silkscreen and Kathleen W. Buchanan, collagrapher. All will discuss their inspiration, purpose and methods and our natural world that served as their inspiration. Moderated by Gallery board member and artist Debra Arter.
We celebrated gallery founder Mildred Burrage’s Birthday on May 18th with day-long sweets and an Art Talk titled “My Mother the Artist.”
The daughters of two of the featured artists in our Generations: The Legacy of Mentors show recounted their experiences growing up with accomplished artists as parents. Introduced and moderated by MAG board member Sarah Fisher, Linda Burley reflected on her mother, Lina Burley, who was vice president of the Maine Art Gallery in the 1960’s. Lisa Jahn-Clough, Elena Jahn’s daughter, also shared her reminiscences. Elena Jahn, was a Monhegan artist, co-founder of the Women Artists of Monhegan Island, and author of “50 years: Growing up Artist on Monhegan,” recounting experiences with preeminent Maine artists of the time. Maine Art Gallery board member and noted Burrage scholar, Martha Frink, gave insightful and topical remarks of Gallery founder Mildred Burrage's mentorship of so many, including Martha herself. The talk was fascinating and inspiring, and the refreshments, in the form of art palettes, created by Wiscasset resident and Friend of the Maine Art Gallery, Jan Flowers, were delightful.
Generations: The Legacy of Mentors Catalog Available
Maine Art Gallery is honoring its founding generation of artists by presenting them and selected contemporary artists they influenced in a full color catalogue of our current exhibition, Generations: The Legacy of Mentors, running until June 9th, Thursday - Sunday, 11am - 4pm. Please visit the gallery and support our exhibit by purchasing a souvenir catalogue. (Price is $15.) For every catalogue sold, the gallery will receive a matching $5 donation. Although admission to the gallery is FREE, our operations are not. Your financial support is important to help us deliver on our mission of promoting Maine art and its artists. Visit us soon, and contribute to our success!
Tom Cavanaugh, Fish Cutter
2023 Recap & Fall Newsletter
Year-after-year we are blown away by the beautiful art that comes through our doors that we have the pleasure and privilege of sharing with the community. In 2023 we held six exhibits, including a special 65th anniversary show titled Generations, featuring our members, and artists from the gallery's past like Dhalov Ipcar, William Thon, Daniel Minter, Stephen Etnier, and Mildred Burrage our founder.
We had a successful year in fundraising and were able to obtain much needed repairs of our historic home. There were multiple classes and educational programs provided throughout the season, as well, enjoyed by our visitors. Read up on all we did in 2023 in our fall newsletter. You can download it by clicking the button below.
Talk given by Earle Shettleworth and Peter Fogg about gallery founder Mildred Burrage, May 18, 2023.
November 30, 2023: The Gallery Receives $19,200 in Grants for Building Restoration
The Maine Art Gallery recently completed an exterior restoration project, made possible by a Maine Historic Preservation/1772 Foundation Matching Grant of $10,000. This program is a collaborative historic preservation program between Maine Preservation and the 1772 Foundation. The funds aided in the ongoing restoration of the historic 1807 “Old Academy Building” at 15 Warren St. in Wiscasset that houses the non-profit gallery owned by the town of Wiscasset. Required matching funds for the work were contributed by the Belvedere Historic Preservation Program of the Maine Community Foundation and the town of Wiscasset.
This grant is one of several grants the gallery has applied for to address the important ongoing restoration needs of the building, which has been named on the National Register of Historic Places. A previous grant from 1772 and Maine Preservation supported the development of an historic condition assessment to prioritize restoration projects.
The funds were used to make necessary repairs to aging woodwork and complete exterior painting on all wood surfaces and trim by Clarke Painting, Inc. of Westbrook, Maine. This project was the first
in a series of projects, for which the town of Wiscasset has authorized matching funds, including the preservation and protection of the Old Academy’s windows and repair, weatherproofing and restoration of the cupola. These projects will aid us in preserving the structure and continue to provide a beautiful and healthy space for the community.
Gallery trustee David Pope, chair of the building committee, Maine Art Gallery board chair Richard Riese and board member Jimena Maria Guzman oversaw the work. Maine restoration specialist Les Fossel provided consultation services, including completion of an Historic Condition Assessment on the building which identified priority issues to address. Additional assistance was provided as needed by the Public Works Dept and the Town of Wiscasset.
May 14, 2023: The Gallery Gets a Spotlight from "Total Maine"
The gallery was featured on WMTW's Total Maine with Steve Minich. To read the article on the ABC website click here.
"'Over the years it has been a who's who of Maine artists,' curator Carl Little said."
August, 2022: Gallery Mid-Season Update
THREE MONTHS TO GO until the end of our 2022 Exhibition Season. You still have time to see “Surroundings,” the four-person show interpreting what our Maine artists see in the world around them. The paintings of Liz Hoag, Justine Lasdin-Springer, and Paige Taylor are complemented by the sculptures of Lin Lisberger. “Surroundings” is available for viewing during regular gallery hours, Wednesday – Saturday from 11am – 4pm, until it closes on Saturday, August 13th, to make way for our fifth exhibition.
“COLLECTIVE IMAGINATION” features SEVEN, an artists’ collective. Its members, Emily Blaschke, Jenny Campbell, Alicia Sampson Ethridge, Celeste June Henriquez, Doreen Nardone, Brenda Overstrom, Donald M. Peterson, and their mentor Michel Droge, explore the perceptions that abstraction affords them. The title COLLECTIVE IMAGINATION gives a nod to the Jungian creative unconscious that informs abstract interpretations. An opening reception on Saturday, August 20th, from 4pm – 7 pm during Wiscasset’s Schoonerfest weekend features refreshments and music by the Simons and Goodwin duo. The exhibit will run during regular gallery hours through September 17th.
TALK THE WALK on Thursday, August 25th, when SEVEN presents an Artist Talk at 4pm at the Gallery just prior to Wiscasset’s Art Walk. Kick-off your Art Walk evening with MAG’s first “Perspectives and Prosecco” presentation by our featured artists. You may gain new insights on what does, or does not, go on in the mind and messaging of an abstract painter.
WATCH FOR ART NEW ENGLAND review of COLLECTIVE IMAGINATION by Carl Little in the September/October issue.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR for our season’s final exhibit when Maine Art Gallery members strut their stuff for Made in Maine, our annual members show, with an opening reception Saturday, September 24th, from 4pm – 7pm, accompanied by guitar soloist Lisa Redfern. There will be an encore reception during Wiscasset Art Walk on Thursday, September 29th. This show runs during regular gallery hours, Wed to Sat, 11am to 4pm, through October 22nd.
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THOSE WERE THE WEEKS THAT WERE. May, June, and July saw MAG’s first three exhibits, Spindleworks, Juried Members Show, and Paint Wiscasset display scores of Maine art. Spindleworks artists exhibited the special talents of its uniquely-abled creators in all forms of media. The energized opening struck a vibe that lasted through the following weeks of the show.
MARK COATES ORGANIZED AND SAM CADY evaluated entries in our revived annual Juried Members Show. More than 50 Maine Art Gallery members demonstrated once again that talented Maine artists continue to find voice and vision in our state.
PAINT WISCASSET, organized by MAG’s own Celia Ludwig, included three days of outdoor activity by 23 talented painters whose abilities to capture shadow, light, and color around the Prettiest Village in Maine. We are in awe of the way they deftly meld impression and dexterity to express their artistry with immediacy and individuality.
Roberta Goschke’s Storybook Corner, the People’s Choice winner, was also cited as our juror’s top selection. Mark Coates pointed out the ways in which she mastered those elusive whites that often characterize Wiscasset architecture. Anthony Watkins and Michael Vermette received special mention for their ability to bring vibrancy to classic Maine views with distinctly different approaches.
MANY THANKS TO SEASON SPONSORS Sherri Dunbar of Tim Dunham Realty, Les Fossel Restoration Resources, and the Maine Arts Commission, whose support assures us that we can weather the challenges of mounting our full Season.
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MAG SPONSORED CLASSES SOLD OUT. Each of our five sponsored art classes have been fully booked. Many thanks to the excellent programming and instruction of our teaching artists: Diane Dubreuil, Deborah Chapin, Deena Ball, Karen Jelenfy, and Olga Merrill. A shout-out also goes to our Classes Season Sponsor, Cromwell Coastal Properties, and the Maine Arts Commission for their support.
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APRIL’S BIG DIG around the Old Academy Building, the gallery's home since 1958, nearly scuttled season opening plans, but the professional efforts of contractor, Justin Leeman and Son, of Palermo, ME, brought the project in on time. Furthermore, it saved the 1807 building’s foundation from additional water damage and set up MAG’s new 20-year lease with the town for future renovation and improvements literally from the ground up! MAG sends a big THANK YOU to the Davis Foundation for their generous grant of $15,000 for the undertaking, which was further funded by your donations to MAG’s annual appeal. Wiscasset Public Works has also been a steadfast supporter of gallery improvements.
WISCASSET SELECT BOARD APPROVAL of a new 20-year lease of the Old Academy Building to MAG on May 3rd concluded an almost yearlong effort by the town and the MAG board to assure the gallery a dedicated residency which will preserve this early 19th century school as a 21st century venue for artistic expression and education.
RECENT ADDITIONS to the MAG Board of Trustees are John Sawyer and Maria Jimena Guzman. John is a former Colby College art history and philosophy major who has returned to Wiscasset to pursue his art after a career as a controller at several manufacturing companies in South Carolina and Georgia. Maria, a professional architect whose graduate studies focused on film and architectural design, was raised in Bogota, Colombia. She practiced architecture in New York City before moving to Bath, ME, in 2020.
April 12, 2022: Davis Family Foundation awards Maine Art Gallery $15K Grant
We are happy to announce that we have been awarded a grant from the Davis Family Foundation for restorative work on the 1807 “Old Academy Building” at 15 Warren St. in Wiscasset that houses the non-profit gallery.
This grant is one of several applications for funding that will be made to address the important ongoing restoration needs of the building, which has been named on the National Register of Historic Places. Because the building is owned by the town, a Wiscasset town vote to allow enactment of a 20-year lease with the gallery, instead of the 5-year lease that had been renewed for the last 67 years, proved to be an important consideration by the Davis Foundation. Grantors of capital funds require that the building be either owned by the grantee or that the grantee has a long-term lease in place.
The goal of the current project is to remediate water infiltration into the building’s basement, thereby greatly reducing humidity levels and dampness. This will preserve the structure and continue to provide a healthy space for both people and artwork within the building. Gallery trustee David Pope, chair of the building committee will oversee the work.
A perimeter drain to direct water away from the building will be installed by Justin Leeman and Sons of Palermo Maine followed by
The Maine Art Gallery has been successful in obtaining a second grant in 2022. This one will deal with water seepage into the foundation of the 215 year-old structure. Photo by Bob Bond.
masonry work to seal the foundation by Ed Sheridan, a masonry specialist from Belfast. Once all exterior work is completed, the gallery will install a commercial grade Energy Star dehumidifier. Restoration specialist Les Fossel is providing consultation services. Additional assistance is being provided by the Public Works Dept of the Town of Wiscasset.
January 25, 2022: Maine Art Gallery Receives Art Jobs Grant
The Maine Arts Commission has awarded Wiscasset’s Maine Art Gallery $8700 in support of the Commission’s goal of strengthening the state’s creative workforce. The matching grant will enable the gallery to fund more time for the organization’s part time gallery manager from December through June as well as fees for class instructors and honorariums for exhibit jurors and curators.
“We are thrilled with this grant,” said Wendy Ross, president of Maine Art Gallery’s board of trustees. “It’s a validation of the hard work by our board, staff, and
volunteers in creating exciting exhibits and programs that increased outreach and visits in 2021. The grant helps us move toward our vision of making the Maine Art Gallery in Wiscasset again a premier center for the arts in midcoast Maine.”
The stated goal of the Art Jobs Grant is to support public projects that develop opportunities and encourage employee retention. The Arts Jobs Grant is made possible through funding by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Gallery director Kerry Hadley stated that notification of the award included a video copy of the commission’s grant review session that she found extremely helpful and educational. She was gratified by some of their comments. “They said that the Maine Art Gallery is a ‘meaningful gallery’ and that ‘they obviously have set themselves up for success’ and they have ‘well-articulated plans’.”
Hadley also noted that the Maine Arts Commission Executive Director David Greenham lauded the changes that Wiscasset has undergone and that the community is still transforming and growing.
July 4, 2021: Art review: ‘Acquired Symbols’ celebrates a teacher’s far-reaching effects
Jorge S. Arango writes up an excellent review of our Acquired Symbols show!
"The important role of catalysts in the development of art in Maine is currently on colorful display at the Maine Art Gallery in Wiscasset, embodied by the exhibition “Acquired Symbols” (through July 17). By catalysts I mean people whose enthusiasm, influence, willpower and talent set changes in motion that reverberate in ways perhaps not immediately apparent in the larger art world.
In the case of the Maine Art Gallery itself, which is located in a circa 1807 schoolhouse considerably far removed from the commercial thoroughfare of Route 1, the catalyst was Mildred Burrage, an artist well known in her day for her mica collages, who had previously experimented with impressionism and Jackson Pollock-influenced abstraction. It was thanks to her and a handful of others that the gallery came into existence in the mid-1950s and became an incalculably important stimulus for modernist art in the state. The venue she created has exhibited, among other seminal Maine painters, Dahlov Ipcar, William Thon, Andrew Wyeth and William Zorach.
"Chiribiquete I." By Jorge Pena.
The current show honors another catalyst: the 92-year-old painter John Lorence, who taught art and design around the country. From 1970-77, his primary educational venue was the Portland School of Art (now Maine College of Art). He also had stints at University of Maine in Augusta and the Haystack School in Deer Isle and, from 1990-92, served as the Maine Art Gallery’s director.
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You can read the full article here: https://www.pressherald.com/2021/07/04/art-review-acquired-symbols-shows-a-teachers-far-reaching-effect/
July 3, 2021: "'Acquired Symbols' Stirs the Soul"
Lisa Kristoff writes a lovely review of our Acquired Symbols show in the Boothbay Register.
"Maine Art Gallery in Wiscasset should definitely be on your list of galleries to visit – and by July 17. Yes, there is a deadline. The current show, 'Acquired Symbols,' is an experience. The show features paintings by John Lorence, and some of the artist’s friends and former students.
The former students in the show are Patrick Plourde, Jorge Pena, Peter Haller and Ellen Gutenkunst; the friends are Clara Cohan, Elliott Barowitz, Fellice Boucher, Camille Cole, Sara Cox and Teresa Sullivan.
The 50 works in this show, be it a painting, fiber art, sculpture, collage, pottery, or mixed media, depict either spiritual or cultural ideas and beliefs in symbolic form. From ancient civilizations to modern times, symbolism is an evolving language all its own."
Clara Cohan and stands beside her sculpture, “Arms Around It.” Photo by: Lisa Kristoff/Boothbay Register
You can read the full article here: https://www.boothbayregister.com/article/aquired-symbols-stirs-soul/148759
April 25, 2021: We Are Hosting an Online Art Auction to Benefit the Gallery
The Maine Art Gallery has gathered a number of noteworthy, yet affordable, works of art for an online auction that will be open for bidding from May 1 to June 15. The pieces, donated by artists and collectors, offer the buyer an opportunity to obtain fine art while helping to support the gallery.
The art can be viewed online prior to the opening of the auction here. The pieces will be available for in-person viewing at the gallery on Friday, May 7 and Saturday, May 8, 11AM-4PM.
Once bidders register for the auction, they will find pieces from well-known artists such as Howard Chandler Christy, John Lorence, and Jane Dahmen, as well as a number of very talented artists with a strong connection to Maine. The auction is sponsored by Cromwell Coastal Properties.
“Cloth Work #4” by Peter Haller
Auction committee chair Cynthia Pappas, who recently moved to Maine after a career in which she curated auctions in New York City, is enthusiastic about the offerings. She stated, “I’m really excited about this opportunity to bring to an international audience this lovely collection of art that represents midcoast Maine and so much more.”
March 28th, 2021: Welcoming Our New Gallery Manager, Kerry Hadley
We are pleased to announce our new part time Gallery Manager, Kerry Hadley! The Maine Art Gallery is excited to welcome her to a new role at the gallery, and we look forward to growing our mission with Kerry's years of experience in management and enthusiasm for the arts.
Kerry’s latest and largest project was as Manager of the Camden Opera House for 16 years. Over her career, Kerry’s goal has always been to enrich and cultivate community, at the same time helping grow the nonprofits she is involved with. She loves the visual and performing arts and is thrilled to be joining such an accomplished and dedicated board of directors and beautiful gallery.
She lives in Owls Head with her husband Craig, one rescue dog and one Llewellyn Setter. They have two grown sons and two incredible daughters in-law all pursuing professional careers in NYC.
Kerry Hadley
April 2020: Remembering Consuelo Joerns
We mourn the loss of Consuelo (known to us as Connie) Joerns, who passed away on April 14, 2020 at Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta, Maine. She was 94. Connie was raised in Chicago where she attended the progressive Francis Parker School. She attended Mills College in California and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Early in her career, while working for a New York book publisher, Connie attended the School of Visual Arts and Columbia University. An avid traveler, she subsequently lived and painted in Central America and Europe, showing paintings in Nice and Cagnes-Sur-Mer, Chicago and New York.
(L to R) Consuelo Joerns with Daisy Greene and Jane Dahmen at opening reception for Three Women on Board. Photo by: Bob Bond
Connie maintained a studio on Martha's Vineyard and had solo shows at galleries including the G.E. Hilliard Gallery and Alan-Mayhew Ltd.. She also wrote and illustrated children's books and developed filmstrips for New York publishers.
Connie moved to Wiscasset in 2000. During the next decade she was particularly intrigued by the arts of Japan, and she lived there for months at a time. In August/September of 2018 the Maine Art Gallery was pleased to include her paintings in a show entitled Three Women on Board with Jane Dahmen and Daisy Greene. A visitor to that show noted that “Consuelo’s semi abstract work reminds one of perhaps Matisse in its quietude. The lyrical sense of space and the washes of colors bring an inner peace and joy to the viewer.”
Works by Consuelo Joerns
acrylic on board
acrylic and pastel on board
Samples of children's books illustrated by and, or written by Consuelo Joerns
"The Everywhere Cat," illustrated by Consuelo Joerns
"The Green Machine," illustrated by Consuelo Joerns
"The Midnight Castle," written and illustrated by Consuelo Joerns
Portland Press Herald Q&A with Artist Buzz Masters
Slated for August of 2020, the Maine Art Gallery had a show titled "Lost and Found" featuring Buzz Masters, Katy Helman and Jennifer Lee Morrow. We hope to have the show in 2021. In the meantime, Masters was interviewed about her work as an artist and EMT by the Portland Press Herald. You can view the article here.