It was an extremely windy day in Portland and across the northeast. By the time I arrived at the city’s east end it was close to 12 p.m. and many artists at the show had already packed up their things and left, the wind having put their artwork, tents and equipment at risk of flying away. Nonetheless, the vendors that remained were in good spirits and excited to speak with me. I spent the next hour wandering from “shop to shop,” appreciating the varied crafts and talking with the local artists in attendance. I spoke first with a woman selling Ash Cove’s “Double Double Dip Dinghies,” mugs, figurines and more — the earthy pottery was hearty and stayed steady against the wind. She explained to me that these events (put on by Maine Crafts Association and aptly named “East End Vend”) came about as the Association worked to respond and adapt to the coronavirus pandemic, and have ultimately … [Read more...] about CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR AN ONGOING CRISIS: MAINE CRAFTS ASSOCIATION’S EAST END VEND IN PORTLAND
Portland
PMA BIENNIAL 2018: PORTLAND LETS ITS HAIR DOWN
FEATURED MUSEUM THE 2018 PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART BIENNIAL PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART 7 CONGRESS SQUARE PORTLAND, MAINE THROUGH JUNE 3 by Greg Morell Biennials are an excuse for established institutions to let their hair down and give voice to the more radical wing of artistic endeavor. For their 2018 Biennial exhibition, the Portland Museum of Art elected to anoint Nat May as chief curator. Fluent with the current wave of the Maine avant-garde, May for many years steered the ship at SPACE Gallery in downtown Portland. For the Biennial, May solicited the help of Theresa Secord of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance and Sarah Workneh, co-director of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. May devoted 10 months of thought, careful consideration and numerous studio visits to orchestrate the 2018 Biennial. Although this was a Maine biennial, and a great number … [Read more...] about PMA BIENNIAL 2018: PORTLAND LETS ITS HAIR DOWN
Unbound in Portland
The Kids are Jammin' by Taryn Plumb When Tim Rollins arrived in the Bronx as a 26-year-old in the early ‘80s, it was, as he describes, “on fire” — literally, of course, due to the conflagrations that consumed the borough for an entire decade, but also culturally. It was an electric, inspiring and frightening backdrop for what would ultimately become his life’s work. After growing up in rural Maine and attending the University of Maine in Augusta, he was recruited to “the toughest ghetto in America,” as he described it, to develop a curriculum fusing art, reading and writing for “at risk” youth. What eventually resulted was the group “Kids of Survival” (K.O.S.), which over time morphed into a traveling workshop that has produced art for prestigious museums and exhibits all over the world. This fall, Tim Rollins and K.O.S. are bringing their unique and inspiring … [Read more...] about Unbound in Portland