S P E C I A L
A D V E R T I S I N G
S E C T I O N
DESTINATION: MAINE
Installation view of Deborah Zlotsky exhibition in Zillman Art Museum’s Blake Family Gallery. Courtesy of the Museum.
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he Summer of Joy issue conveys the importance of finding joy and making connections through art. Summer is a time of adventure, of spending more time by the water, on the water, and appreciating watercolors. It’s a time for turning off the GPS and seeing where the road takes you. Where better to wander than on Maine’s curving roads and lanes, where a spontaneous turn can lead you to charming inlets and neighborhoods full of galleries, cafés and miles of gorgeous peninsula views. Where a weekend in one of the state’s bustling city centers will leave you exhilarated by a packed calendar of art, music and performances. Whether hugging the coastline or venturing deep upstate, Maine makes every moment wondrous. We’re focusing on summer yet Maine is a four-season destination. Its hospitality, cuisine, relaxed vibe, and arts and culture scene thrive all year-round. Summer’s fleeting, Maine’s appeal is not.
The Zillman Art Museum-University of Maine—Bangor The Zillman Art Museum-University of Maine is a collecting institution that focuses on exhibiting and collecting modern and contemporary art. The museum hosts a diverse roster of exhibitions changing every four months in its eleven galleries. On view through August 24, Living Here Feels Like I Am In My Homeland, Finland features paintings and works on paper from Finnish-born artist Vaino Kola. Young Curators: Human, Nature, also on view through August 24, presents a selection of work curated by the Museum’s 2024 Young Curators, a program allowing high school students to engage in museum curation. The Museum’s permanent collection includes over 4,000 works of art created primarily from 1920 to the present. In addition, the Zillman Art Museum offers events, workshops, education programs and more. The Museum’s presence in downtown Bangor places it at the center of the city’s blooming art scene.
Mathias Fine Art—Boothbay Mathias Fine Art in Trevett, in the town of Boothbay, is known for offering collectible contemporary art. This year’s summer exhibition entitled Relief presents an exploration of the meaning of relief as both an art term and as a word meaning a release from discomfort or distress. Different forms of relief elements are to be found in the displayed images and sculptures. New England and New York artists have explored different materials from clay and granite to steel, wood, paper and glass for this exciting group show. This diverse exhibition of high relief, low relief, relief prints, relief carvings, molded paper, examples of 3-D printing and collages is a scavenger hunt where new discoveries lead to surprises and pleasurable insights. Mathias Fine Art is located on Barter’s Island, the site of one of the few remaining draw bridges in the state and where visitors can explore two Boothbay Region Land Trust preserves. July/August 2024 | Art New England 41