ROCKLAND — The Maine Center for Contemporary Art (CMCA), 21 Winter St., announces four fall exhibits that open to the public Saturday, October 1 and remain on view through January 8. The CMCA is hosting a free public artists’ reception on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 3 to 5:30 p.m., including a light refreshment.
The reception will be preceded at 2 p.m. by a conversation with artists Eneida Sanches and Daniel Minter moderated by Dr. Henry J. Drewal. Learn more about cmcnow.org.
Daniel Minter + Eneida Sanches | “from this to that”
Bruce Brown Gallerthere
Daniel Minter and Eneida Sanches’ collaborative and immersive installation ‘From This to That’ explores the artists’ shared cultural histories as citizens of the African Diaspora in the United States and Brazil (respectively). The exhibit takes visitors on a sequential journey through an 1,800 square foot installation featuring video projections, paintings, sculptures, assemblages, large-scale sculptural environments, and interactive works.
Minter and Sanches focus on two interrelated axes: transport and transmission. Transport serves as a metaphor for the movement of people through time and space, with the exhibition featuring artworks that reference ships, railways and footsteps – mechanisms of movement that convey involuntary stories and volunteers.
Transmission is an unpacking of the ways in which these methods of transportation have impacted the lived experiences of people in the African Diaspora. Shared cultural histories are embodied even across distances. Transmission travels between the human and non-human worlds, including communication with plants, rocks, and all things natural.
No matter where they are taken or choose to go, people of African descent are everywhere.
“Through This To That” is made possible by a grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the support of CMCA donors and members. Direct support to artists and the creation of their works has been made possible by Indigo Arts Alliance.
The exhibition is curated by CMCA Executive Director and Chief Curator, Timothy Peterson, in partnership with Indigo Arts Alliance Executive Director and Curator, Marcia Minter, in collaboration with the artists.
“Crystal Lace” by Ian Trask.
Ian Trask | “Mental loops”
Marilyn Moss Rockefeller Hall + Karen and Rob Brace Hall
For his exhibition, Ian Trask is creating a new series of sculptures and installations created with materials intercepted from the local waste stream. Mimicking the critical role that decomposers (like moss and fungi) play in revitalizing natural ecosystems, Trask’s practice is a holistic system for recirculating man-made debris into remarkable works of art.
Influenced by her training and background in science, this exhibition features a monumental textile-based wall installation with suspended sculptures. His multi-component works rely on suspension and interconnection, resulting in a complex interplay of logic and abstraction.
Trask has exhibited at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Wassaic Project (New York), Cove Street Arts, Waterville Creates, and Danforth Gallery at the University of Maine, among others. Trask has been artist-in-residence at Pioneer Works (Brooklyn, NY), Mass MOCA (North Adams, Mass.), Marble House Project (Dorset, Vt.), and most recently at the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation (Rockland, Maine). In 2018, he self-published his first artist book, “Strange Histories: A Bizarre Collaboration,” and has been featured in numerous publications, such as The New York Times, Hyperallergic, Portland Press Herald, Brooklyn Magazine, and Christian Century.
The exhibition is curated by the CMCA’s Executive Director and Chief Curator, Timothy Peterson, in collaboration with the artist.
“Mind Loops” is made possible by a grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the support of CMCA donors and members.
An image from “CALCIUM” by Elijah Ober.
Elie Ober | “CALCIUM” / “Your Future Ex Squirrel”
Guy D. Hughes Gallery
Elijah Ober’s personal exhibition brings together two works in progress centered on the life of two species often considered as pests: snails and squirrels. Ober’s captivating works uncover information about the lands we reside on and how we use and interact with ecosystems and resources.
“CALCIUM” features two digitally animated videos depicting snails searching for a key supplement for shell health: calcium. Inspired by a small snail crawling up his leg while in his third-floor studio, Ober became fascinated by the tenacity of this little creature. Through imaginary narratives, he explores their translucency and mutability, their hermaphroditic power and their construction of alchemical shell.
“Your Future Ex Squirrelfriend” is a collection of polystyrene sculpted squirrels. Observing the squirrels in his yard, Ober found in them a rich source of intrigue. He noticed their unrecognized physical grace and academic demeanor, appearing and disappearing like a hypervigilant superorganism. For Ober, these little creatures embody many dichotomies. They are brave and fierce, yet gentle and small. They are cute, but despised by many. These sculptures show them in their most self-aware state: playful, diligent, attentive and mischievous.
Ober is a sculptor and animator based in Maine. He studied art and anthropology at Bowdoin College. He has participated in residencies at the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, Monson Arts and Gardenship (NJ). Her work has recently been featured at the Portland Museum of Art, Cove Street Arts, Elizabeth Moss Galleries, and New System Exhibitions, and was featured at the 2020 CMCA Biennial. Elijah is the recipient of a 2021 Maine Arts Commission Project Grant.
The exhibition is curated by Timothy Peterson, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the CMCA, and Rachel Romanski, Curatorial Associate and Director of Exhibitions, in collaboration with the artist.
“CALCIUM” / “Your Future Ex Squirrelfriend” is made possible by a grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the support of CMCA donors and members.
The artist received funding to support the creation of these works from the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
“Mouth-to-Mouth, Set & Setting” by Matthew Brannon from the “Interior” exhibition.
“Interior”
Main Gallery
In a state known for its beautiful outdoor spaces, this exhibition brings together works by nine Maine and connected artists who explore the vast world of indoor spaces. Spanning sculpture, installation, painting, photography, assemblage and printmaking, the works on display explore rural and urban spaces ranging from homes, historic spaces, museums and vehicles.
Whether providing a closer view of a counter; apprehend the intimacy, the grandeur or the decline of the domestic space; looking into a moving automobile; or serving as an inspiration for abstraction; the works of these artists highlight the wealth of discoveries that can be made when we pay attention within.
As we enter fall and winter after two years of the pandemic, it is invigorating to remember that interiors are much larger than sites of isolation and shelter, and can also inspire the imagination, exploration and wonder. Artists featured in the exhibition include Genesis Belanger, Jenny Brillhart, Corinna D’Schoto, Smith Galtney, K. Min, Peter Moriarty, Carrie Schneider, Alec Soth, Gail Spaien and Jay Stern.
This exhibition is made possible in part by a grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the generous support of donors and members of the CMCA.
“Interior” is curated by Executive Director and Chief Curator Timothy Peterson and Curatorial Associate and Director of Exhibitions Rachel Romanski.
CMCA is dedicated to advancing contemporary art in Maine through direct engagement with artists and the public, creating exceptional exhibitions and educational programs that communicate the transformative power of the art of our time. The CMCA fulfills its mission by supporting and exhibiting the work of artists with Maine ties; by providing engaging learning opportunities that open up new possibilities for artists and visitors; and serving as an essential platform to make art an accessible and vital part of our communities.
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Welcoming artists, wine tasting at Good Tern on September 30.
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