CMCA Kicks off the New Year with a Full Slate of Exhibitions

Rockland, Maine | January 16, 2024 – The Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA) will kick off the New Year with three compelling exhibitions opening on Saturday, January 27: Let the World In | Group Show; On This Island | Carla Weeks; and Good Morning Midnight | Sam Finkelstein & Duncan Hewitt. These thought-provoking exhibitions, on view through May 5, offer a unique perspective on the intersection of art, memory, and the world around us. Additionally, due to popular demand, Alison Hildreth’s solo exhibition Darkness Visible has been extended until May 5.

Let the World In
January 27 – May 5, 2024

Hong Hong, Peninsula, foliage, water, sun, dust, mulberry bark, pigment, hand-formed paper, 2023, 91″ x 124″, photographed by Tom Peckham, courtesy of Tussen Takk Foundation.

Let the World In is a collective exploration by seven artists who delve into the realms of openness, observation, and material integration. Guest curated by Maine artist Tessa Greene O’Brien, the exhibition features paintings, sculpture and photography that are as visually inventive and exuberant as they are conceptually rigorous. Through their distinctive visions and tactile approaches to making, artists Sachiko Akiyama, Wilder Alison, Leon Benn, Jordan Carey, Diana Cherbuliez, Carol Eisenberg, and Hong Hong remind us of our interconnected existences and the interdependence of humanity, emphasizing that no human is an island.

On This Island | Carla Weeks
January 27 – May 5, 2024

Carla Weeks, Arrowsic Island (Night), 2023, oil and chalk on linen covered panel, 36”x48”

Carla Weeks’ mesmerizing mural, On This Island, draws inspiration from her home on Arrowsic Island in Midcoast Maine, using her signature style of layering coded landscape elements with architectural details. These symbols are arranged in airy, repeating patterns and rendered in harmonic and muted color palettes. Accompanying the mural is a series of recent paintings by Weeks that explore similar themes of patterned memory and reverence for place. Guest curated by Maine artist Tessa Greene O’Brien.

Good Morning Midnight | Sam Finkelstein & Duncan Hewitt
January 27 – May 5, 2024

Sam Finkelstein, Threes, 2023 foraged Adirondack granite, 7.25 x 6.25 x 8”

Good Morning Midnight features sculptural works by Sam Finkelstein and Duncan Hewitt, who reimagine familiar materials like stone and wood into novel forms that provoke introspection. Finkelstein’s stone creations, fashioned from single Rockland limestone pieces, evoke deep recesses and staring eyes, using natural stone patterning to convey diverse images. Hewitt’s wood sculptures, like ice skates suspended over blocks of ice, challenge our perception with an eerie autonomy. The artists play with the boundary between representation and abstraction, inviting viewers to oscillate between recognition and material appreciation. In the poetic vein of Emily Dickinson, the artists elicit a profound sense of estrangement that allows the heart to venture abroad, rediscovering the inherent power of forgotten objects and traditions. Guest curated by Hilary Irons, Gallery and Exhibitions Director at the University of New England.

Darkness Visible | Alison Hildreth
Extended through May 5, 2024

Alison Hildreth, Soundless as Shadows #3, 2018 (detail), Mixed media on Gampi paper

The Center for Maine Contemporary Art will be extending the solo exhibition: Darkness Visible featuring works from two ongoing series by the acclaimed Maine-based artist Alison Hildreth. The exhibition contains 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.

High Resolution Images available here

###

ABOUT CMCA

CMCA is dedicated to advancing contemporary art in Maine through direct engagement with artists and the public, creating exceptional exhibitions and education programs that communicate the transformative power of the art of our time. CMCA fulfills its mission by supporting and exhibiting the work of artists with ties to Maine; by providing engaging learning opportunities that open new possibilities for artists and visitors; and by serving as an essential platform for making art an accessible and vital part of our communities.

Location: 21 Winter Street, Rockland, Maine

Winter Hours: Wednesday – Saturday: 10 am – 5 pm | Sunday: 12 – 5 pm

Please Note: Our galleries will be closed from January 8, 2024 to January 27, 2024 for de-installation. Our opening reception for our upcoming shows will be held the night of January 27 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Thank you.

Belong to Something Exceptional – Become a Member.

2019 New England’s 10 Best Museum Exhibitions | Boston Globe
2018 Governor’s Award for Tourism Excellence
2018 Yankee Magazine Editors’ Award | Best New Cultural Destination
2018 Best Family Excursion Gallery | Down East Magazine

Our mailing address is:
Center for Maine Contemporary Art
PO Box 1767
21 Winter Street
Rockland, ME 04841

Add us to your address book

unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences

Read Press Release

Categories

Follow CMCA

Archives