Contemporary Maine Art

A groundbreaking survey of Maine’s contemporary art scene, featuring 56 practicing artists whose work defines one of America’s most distinctive creative communitiesRugged, windswept, and deeply rooted in its natural landscape, Maine has a rich and distinctive artistic heritage that can be traced from its indigenous tribes to vibrant 19th century art colonies such as Monhegan Island, Ogunquit and, later, the revolutionary Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Its rich legacy of independent thinkers has attracted generations of writers, craftspeople, photographers, and artists seeking both solitude and creative community.Yet for too long Maine’s artistic community has been thought of as remote and disconnected from contemporary concerns, producing only idyllic landscapes and seafaring paintings. Its striking evolution has been left out of the narrative. In reality, Maine is one of the most vibrant art centers in America today, home to an active community of artists working in pioneering genres and mediums, tackling issues that run the full gamut of today’s complex reality.This landmark survey features 56 contemporary artists working across painting, installation, video, sculpture, photography, and environmental and performance art, ranging from celebrated figures such as Alex Katz, Katherine Bradford, Lois Dodd, and Jamie Wyeth to a new generation of influential and emerging voices.Each artist is presented in a richly illustrated profile accompanied by text based on exclusive interviews. Five roundtable discussions with leading curators and museum professionals working throughout Maine provide additional perspective on the institutions, ideas, and cultures shaping Maine’s evolving art world.A rich, vibrant, and thoroughly of-the-moment volume, Contemporary Maine Art is both an engaging introduction and an essential reference for collectors, artists, students, and anyone drawn to Maine’s distinctive creative spirit. Bringing together the work of artists connected to and working in this storied and windswept state, the book celebrates the breadth, diversity, and vitality of its contemporary art scene – from iconic figures at the cusp of their centenary to emerging voices still in their twenties.