Meet the Team
Board Members:
Kay Liss, President:
Kay Tobler Liss has had a life-long interest in art, beginning with working in the summers in a gallery her mother owned on Cape Cod. After graduating with a degree in English from Bard College, Kay went on to study painting and drawing at the California College of Art in Oakland. Soon after this, she lived in Oaxaca, Mexico for a year, where she pursued art and writing and had a one-person show at an area gallery.
Her career has been primarily as a writer, editor and managing editor for newspapers and magazines. Her favorite job was as managing editor of an art magazine, Sunstorm Fine Art, a monthly New York metropolitan area publication. She interviewed some of the most interesting artists of the late 1980s, reviewed art shows at museums and galleries in NYC, edited articles of contributing writers, and helped design the pages. Moving to Maine in 2002, she wrote about artists and gallery shows in the midcoast area for local newspapers, was a publicist for Yvette Torres Fine Art in Rockland and was on the board of the former Round Top Center for the Arts in Damariscotta. She is currently pursuing a career as a novelist. Her first book was published in 2020 and her next will be coming out soon. Her website is kaytoblerliss.com.
Jonathan Lavan, Vice President:
Jonathan Lavan is a freelance nature photographer, naturalist, and a wildlife expert who helps document scientific research for a variety of different environmental organizations. He also leads diving and photography trips all over the world.
Besides the state of Maine Jonathan’s artwork is also shown in galleries in Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago, and Barcelona. He is a staunch environmentalist, and often educates young people in Maine regarding environmental topics. He is committed to and passionate about making a difference in the world. He hopes through his artwork, both underwater and above, he sends a message of goodwill to all creatures. In his short time on the board, Jonathan has literally “dived right in” to help forward various projects.
John Sawyer, Treasurer:
John and his wife Margie moved back to Maine in August 2021 to be close to family after his retirement. They live on Hodge Street in Wiscasset.
He has a BA in Art History and Philosophy from Colby College. After working at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, he received his MBA in Finance and Accounting at Northeastern University.
John worked as a manufacturing plant controller for large publicly held companies, as well as non-profits and privately held organizations. Some of the companies John supported include Kimberly-Clark, Nestle, Eaton Corporation, and Lennox (Heatcraft Commercial Refrigeration). John is a former vestry member of St. Philip’s Episcopal church in Wiscasset.
Painting oil landscapes has been his passion for over 50 years. Painting for John is a way of slowing down the passage of life, to be fully in the now of a beautiful place. He loves to share the awesome strength of art with his family, friends, and whomever he meets. John’s paintings can be seen at facebook.com/johnsawyerstudio.
Sarah Fisher, Secretary:
Sarah moved to Maine in 2012 with her husband Derek Webber, following years of vacationing in the area. She came from a life-long career in fine-art conservation. She was a painting conservator at the National Gallery in Washington, DC for 32 years, serving as head of Painting Conservation there for the last 20 years. Prior to that she had worked as painting conservator at regional art conservation centers in Oberlin, Ohio and San Diego, CA. Her training in conservation occurred throughout Europe, mainly in Florence, Stuttgart, Zurich, Brussels and Amsterdam. She has a B.A. from Wellesley College in art history. Since retirement she has followed her life-long interest by painting in watercolor and oils, exhibiting in Maine galleries. She has served on various boards over the years: the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, Salt Bay Chamberfest in Damariscotta, and now for our gallery.
Debra Arter:
Debra has been keenly interested in art since winning the Minnesota State Anti-Smoking poster contest at age 17. She holds a BA in Art Education, MA in International Relations and MFA in Visual Arts. Her work has been used by Dana Farber and the Boston Red Sox to fund cancer research. She has lived in Maine since 1993 and served on the boards of the Pemaquid Group of Artists, Skidphoma Library and Midcoast Printmakers. As an active retiree she teaches art classes in various mediums for adults and children throughout the midcoast area and regularly exhibits her work. Her first major exhibit was at the Maine Art Gallery in 1995. Her professional affiliations include membership in the Maine Art Education Association, National Association of Women Artists, Boston Printmakers, National Association of Collage Artists and Monotype Guild of New England. Her own artwork has been featured in the Boston Globe Magazine, Portland Press Herald, and in various periodicals and poetry collections.
Chris Duncan:
Chris was born and raised in Greenwich Village, NY, and lived in the city until 1988. From a young age, he spent considerable time in museums, fascinated in particular by Dada and Surrealism. A serious interest in photography later transformed into a desire to make sculpture. He first became acquainted with Maine as an English major at Colby College, where he also took many courses with steel sculptor Harriet Matthews. Upon graduation, he attended Maine’s Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture on a Zorach scholarship (William Zorach was a founder of the Maine Art Gallery, what karma!) and studied with Sidney Simon, a founder of the Skowhegan School. He then attended the New York Studio School on a full scholarship for three years where he studied with internationally renowned sculptors Clement Meadmore, William Tucker, and George Spaventa; and met many other working NYC artists and well-known visiting artists like Frank Stella and Louis Bourgeois. After graduating, he worked in NYC and London for various sculptors until he was hired to manage the sculpture facilities at the Skowhegan School, happy to be spending summers in Maine. He continued his teaching career as a faculty member at Bennington College, then as a professor and department chair at Union College, where he currently holds the May I. Baker Chair of Visual Arts.
In addition to the Maine Art Gallery, he is on the board and collections committee of the Arkell Museum in Canajoharie, NY. (www.arkellmuseum.org). Chris is a Guggenheim Fellow, and has shown regionally and nationally, including New York, Chicago and Miami, and internationally in Germany, China and Italy. Formerly represented by Manhattan’s Allan Stone Gallery, Rico Gallery in Brooklyn, and Galerie Petrushof in Germany (see www.chrisduncanart.com for details), his work is currently represented by ProjekTraum FM in Friedrichshafen, Germany, and the Laffer Gallery in Schuylerville, NY.
The Maine Art Gallery has been on Chris’ radar for many years; his mother-in-law Geraldine Smith was a founding member, a friend of Mildred Burrage's, and an active participant in the gallery for several decades. He is excited to be joining the board and looking forward to working with artists and board members on projects and exhibitions to support and recognize the arts in Maine.
Christine Aston:
Christine Aston is a UMaine graduate and BFA Maine College of Art Painting Major. She has been involved with many art-oriented businesses in Maine including the Farnsworth Museum, Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, and the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow House. She is enthusiastic about joining our board to utilize her strengths to support and propel our mission. She enjoys painting, photography, design and writing.
David Griffin:
David Griffin is a graphic designer specializing in photographic projects and publications. His firm, Moran-Griffin, Inc. is in Dresden, Maine. Clients and former employers have included: National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian Enterprises, AARP and the National Wildlife Federation, The Washington Post and US News and World Report. David created our ad campaign for this past season’s successful Fiore exhibit and is volunteering on a redesign of our entry to express our storied history visually. As David is decreasing his professional activities, he has turned his attention to painting, photography and volunteering for the community.
Emily Hopkins:
Emily Hopkins has been coming to Maine since childhood and has had a home in Lincolnville for 21 years. An abstract artist, she has shown at CMCA in Rockland and other galleries in Maine and New York. She studied at Pratt Institute, Art Students League, and Rhode Island School of Design. Emily has long had an interest in the history of Maine artists and is eager to be a part of the Maine Art Gallery.
Gallery Manager:
Jacqueline Crucet:
Jacqueline Crucet’s career spans more than two decades at the intersection of art, community, and civic engagement. Crucet’s national experience includes leadership and curatorial roles with the National Parks Conservation Association, The Wolfsonian–FIU, and the Coral Gables Museum. In Maine, Crucet led the Public Art Committee for the City of Lewiston and she now serves on the Hallowell Conservation Commission. An outdoor enthusiast, Crucet enjoys hiking and sailing and is happiest cooking and sharing a meal with family and friends.
Gallery Consultant:
Kerry Hadley:
Kerry and her husband Craig gradually made their way north to Maine after meeting at Harper & Row Publishers in New York City 41 years ago. After time spent in Portsmouth NH as Executive Director of the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, 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.
