Rockland, ME – 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, will open on Saturday, September 30, 2023 and remain on view through Sunday, January 7, 2024. CMCA’s fall exhibitions will have an opening reception on September 30 from 3-5pm. Opening reception admission is free.
The works on view will include large-scale paintings on Gampi paper, featuring aerial views of the earth, paired with equally scaled oil paintings on canvas of views of planets and other celestial bodies. The shifting perspective and media between the two series offers 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 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. The documentary film will be screened at the Portland Museum of Art on Friday, October 13.
“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 premiere of new 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 the support of donors and members. The exhibition is curated by Timothy Peterson in collaboration with the artist.
ABOUT ALISON HILDRETH
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 art community, with her practice encompassing mixed media drawing, painting, printmaking, and installation work.
Alison Hildreth have 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.
Image credit: Alison Hildreth, Soundless as Shadows #1, 2018, Mixed media, courtesy of the artist
Header Image: Alison Hildreth, Soundless as Shadows #3, 2018 (detail), Mixed media on Gampi paper
ALISON HILDRETH: 50 YEARS partner exhibitions include:
Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Alison Hildreth: Darkness Visible
Rockland (September 30, 2023 – January 7, 2024)
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 30, 3 – 5 pm
New Era Gallery, Late Summer, featuring Alison Hildreth
Vinalhaven (August 12 – September 20)
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 12, 5 – 7 pm
SPEEDWELL Contemporary, ALISON HILDRETH: 50 YEARS
Portland (September 22 – December 22)
Opening Reception: Friday, September 22, 5 – 7 pm
Portland Public Library Downtown, Alison Hildreth: The Feathered Hand
Portland (Permanent Public Installation)
SPEEDWELL Contemporary presents ALISON HILDRETH: 50 YEARS at the Portland Museum of Art
Friday, October 13, 6 – 7:30 pm
Documentary Premiere, Panel Discussion & Awarding of the Second Annual Speedwell Prize.
Join SPEEDWELL Contemporary and the Portland Museum of Art in celebrating the incredible multi-decade career of artist Alison Hildreth. The evening will include a screening of SPEEDWELL’s new documentary by Smith Galtney centered around Hildreth’s work, life, and practice. Followed by a panel discussion with speakers Grant Wahlquist, Sean Foley, Katarina Weslien, and Mark Bessire in conversation with Alison Hildreth. Hildreth will be presented with the second annual “Speedwell Prize.”
Further programming details are forthcoming for Artist Talks at the Portland Public Library and at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, as well as workshops relating to Hildreth’s practice.
ABOUT CMCA
Located in the heart of downtown Rockland, CMCA features more than 5,500 square feet of exceptional exhibition space for the presentation of work by contemporary artists. The complex also includes an ArtLab classroom, CMCA Gift Shop, and a 2,200-square-foot public courtyard displaying the monumentally scaled sculpture, Digital Man, by artist Jonathan Borofsky.
Summer hours are in effect through October 31: Monday – Saturday 10am-5pm; and Sunday 12 – 5pm. Closed Federal Holidays. Admission is $10; $8 for seniors and students with ID; free for CMCA members and visitors under 18. For more information, please visit cmcanow.org.
