The Center for Maine Contemporary Art is pleased to present a solo exhibition featuring works from two ongoing series of works by the acclaimed Maine-based artist Alison Hildreth. The exhibition, titled Darkness Visible, has been extended and will remain on view through Monday, May 6, 2024. CMCA’s spring exhibitions will have an opening reception on January 27th from 3-5pm. Opening reception admission is free.
The works on view will include large-scale mixed media work on Gampi paper featuring aerial views of the earth, paired with similarly scaled oil paintings on canvas offering views of planets and other celestial bodies. The shifting perspective and media selections between the two series offer an exciting view into Hildreth’s dynamic artistic practice.
Darkness Visible is timed to coincide with a multi-venue celebration of Hildreth and her work that includes separate exhibitions at SPEEDWELL Contemporary (Portland) and New Era Gallery (Vinalhaven). The overlapping exhibitions and programs will highlight Hildreth’s remarkable career and artistic contributions spanning more than 50 years. Each venue will exhibit work from a different period in Hildreth’s career, illuminating the many facets of her complex multidisciplinary practice and showcasing her artistic contributions. In addition to initiating the multi-venue retrospective, SPEEDWELL Contemporary is producing a short documentary film and a comprehensive catalog to mark the occasion of Hildreth’s 50-year career.
“Alison Hildreth’s remarkable career spanning more than 50 years has left an indelible mark on the arts community in Maine, and we are honored to celebrate her continuing legacy with the selections from two ongoing bodies of work created by Alison in our Bruce Brown Gallery that will invite viewers on a journey of imagination and exploration,” said Timothy Peterson, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Center for Maine Contemporary Art.
Darkness Visible is made possible by funds from CMCA’s Suzette McAvoy Exhibition Fund and by the support of donors and members. The exhibition is curated by Timothy Peterson in collaboration with the artist.
About the artist:
Alison Hildreth received a BA in Art History from Vassar College. While in New York, she attended night school at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Art. Later, Hildreth relocated to Maine, where she graduated from the Maine College of Art and Design. She has since established herself as a prominent figure in the state’s arts community, with her practice encompassing mixed media drawing, painting, printmaking, and installation work.
Alison Hildreth has exhibited internationally, with her works represented in the collections of the Portland Museum of Art, Farnsworth Art Museum, Portland, Boston and New York public libraries, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Brooklyn Museum.
Header Image: Alison Hildreth, Soundless as Shadows #3, 2018 (detail), Mixed media on Gampi paper
Footer Image: Alison Hildreth, Darkness Visible #3, Oil on linen, 84 in x 38 in