Kristen Levesque
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Seven Congress Square
Portland, Maine 04101
(207) 775-6148 ext. 3223
klevesque@portlandmuseum.org
Release: February 5, 2008
Contemporary Maine Artists On View at the Portland Museum of Art
(Portland, Maine) Inspired by science and armed with a keen eye for observation, many of Maine's contemporary artists are drawn to the world of natural history. The exhibition New Natural History, on view February 23 through May 11, 2008 at the Portland Museum of Art, includes 25 works that begin with references to older forms of scientific inquiry, but quickly move into the realm of the modern in conception. New Natural History features installation pieces, watercolors, photographs, and works on paper.
In the exhibition, Alex Sax’s installation piece is based on the interest of Margaret Mussey Sweat—former owner of the Museum’s McLellan House in spiders and jaguars at the turn of the last century. Gail Spaien’s watercolors derive from the tradition of 18th- and 19th-century botanical illustrations, and Lauren Fensterstock’s works made from butterfly wings remind us of the kind of specimens displayed in 17th-century wunderkammers, or cabinets of curiosities. Contemporary photographers Gary Green and Tom Birtwistle turn the camera’s ironic eye toward traditional forms of natural history displays like research museums and trophy taxidermy.
Some artists, such as Mary Hart, represent the natural world in exacting detail while others, like Joe Kievitt and Susan Amons, move away from realism toward abstraction. Like the famous French-American artist, John James Audubon, they also include elements that refer to the natural environment in which their specimens live. Sarah Crisp literally embalms her specimens beneath the waxy surface of her encaustic paintings—much like an insect forever preserved in amber. But as Rebecca Goodale’s paper pieces remind us, there are many examples of our local flora and fauna that are truly endangered species.
The artists in the exhibition include Susan Amons, Biddeford; Thomas Birtwistle, Harmony; Crystal Cawley, Portland; Sarah Crisp, Cumberland; Lauren Fensterstock, Portland; Gary Green, Portland; Rebecca Goodale, Portland; Brenton Hamilton, Rockport; Mary Hart, Portland; Joe Kievitt, Portland; Alex Sax, Portland; Gail Spaien, Kittery Point.
Museum Information
The Portland Museum of Art is located at Seven Congress Square in downtown Portland. The Museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday. Memorial Day through Columbus Day, the Museum is open on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Museum admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students with I.D., $4 for youth ages 6 to 17, and children under 6 are free. The Museum is free on Friday evenings from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Museum Cafe and Store. For more information, call (207) 775-6148. Web site www.portlandmuseum.org.