Art Scene: Maine

From Ogunquit and Kennebunkport to Portland and Rockland, the coastal state of Maine is paradise for the artist and collector alike. Its charming maritime atmosphere has provided abundant inspiration for iconic artists like Andrew Wyeth and Winslow Homer, and served as an important destination for the evolution of American impressionism. And that magnetic pull toward the need to create art still swirls in Maine’s misty air today, with local contemporary artists who are continuously inspired by the state’s natural and cultural charms. Boats docked at Five Islands Lobster Co. in Georgetown. Courtesy Visit Maine.

A major facet of the Pine Tree State are its sculpture trails, several of which span a 350-mile stretch across the state, as well as its historic artist studios featuring the residences of Homer, Wyeth and Maine native Bernard Langlais. In the popular destination city of Portland, opportunities for viewing and collecting art are plentiful. Numerous neighborhoods throughout Portland open up an array of opportunities to explore the arts and cultural scene. Take Portland’s Arts District, a few blocks from the waterfront, home to the Portland Museum of Art, the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine, the Maine College of Art, the renovated State Theatre, Portland Stage Company, the Maine Historical Society and a variety of other museums and art galleries. The Portland Fine Craft Show, taking place this year on August 28, exhibits the works of nearly 100 juried artists working in a wide variety of mediums including paper, glass, wood and mixed media. And every month, Portland’s many artists, galleries and arts venues open their doors to the public during the First Friday Art Walk, Maine’s largest free monthly art event.

In the beautiful seaside town of Kennebunkport you can find Maine Art Hill, home to nine unique art galleries in four separate buildings: The Gallery, Shows, The Grand and Studios. The city’s summer highlight The Kennebunkport Festival, a weeklong festival of art, music, wine and fine dining, is set to return in 2022. Collectors can browse more than 20 art galleries and studios during the 2nd Friday Village Art Walk of Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, spanning Dock Square, Ocean Avenue Kennebunkport, Lower Village Kennebunk and downtown Kennebunk. Bar Harbor, Maine. Courtesy Visit Maine.

Moving up the coast to the idyllic village of Bar Harbor, collectors can find galleries that exude local flavor and small town vibes. This June 19 to 20, the town celebrates its 70th annual Art in the Park held in the central town square, the Village Green. The longest-running art event in Bar Harbor, art lovers can explore two-dimensional works from painting to photography by local artists. Also found in Bar Harbor is the Abbe Museum, which preserves and celebrates the artwork of Maine’s Native people the Wabanaki through rotating exhibitions, workshops and special events.

Numerous other locales across the state present opportunities to explore and dive into artwork, both old and new. Surf along the coast to places like Brunswick and Rockland, or venture inland to cities like Ellsworth and Lewiston. The possibilities are endless.

Sculpture Trails

Maine has been set to be a truly adventurous journey for art lovers, with massive hundred-mile-long sculpture trails throughout the state, featuring larger-than-life sculptures from both Maine locals and beyond. Miles Chapin's granite sculpture Nexus on the Maine Sculpture Trail.

Maine Sculpture Trail
This iconic, outdoor trail, produced by the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium, makes up a total of 34 pieces spanning more than 200 miles along the coastal region of down East Maine. From Addison to Deer Isle, art lovers will find unique abstract sculptures all along the way.
www.schoodicsculpture.org

The Langlais Art Trail
The Langlais Art Trail celebrates the artwork of beloved sculptor and Maine native Bernard Langlais—known especially for his monumental wood sculptures—in a 100-mile long stretch across the state coast.
www.langlaisarttrail.org

Alexander Art Trail
This collaborative effort is the result of the hard work of artists, volunteers, a non-profit organization and a local landowner. Differing from Maine’s other sculpture trails, which primarily feature abstract works, the Alexander Art Trail exhibits life-size, solid oak sculptures grounded in realism.
www.arttrail.net Lisa Becu’s Sun and Moon as part of the Boothbay sculpture trail. Courtesy Boothbay Harbor Region of Commerce.

Boothbay Harbor Region Sculpture Trail
The Boothbay Harbor Region Sculpture Trail showcases works of three-dimensional art outside local businesses and institutions in downtown Boothbay Harbor.
www.boothbayharbor.com/boothbay-harbor-region-sculpture-trail

The Maine Art Museum Trail

The Maine Art Museum Trail features a scenic 350-mile journey across the state of Maine. The adventure leads art lovers across nine different art museums, making up about 80,000 works of art—masterworks from historic powerhouse artists, to ancient artifacts, to modern-day works by Maine artists and others. The nine institutions across the state present a diverse array of artists in a plethora of subject matter, genres and mediums. It’s a must-do activity for every passionate art lover and collector at some point in their lives.

Artist Studios and Landmarks

Many important historical artists found inspiration in the shorelines, charming portside towns and coastal culture of Maine, from Frederic E. Church, to Thomas Cole and George Wesley Bellows. For three artists in particular, collectors have the opportunity to explore their studios and experience the inspiration firsthand. A view of Winslow Homer’s studio in Prouts Neck, Maine. Courtesy Portland Museum of Art.

Winslow Homer’s Prouts Neck Studio
Great American landscape and marine painter Winslow Homer’s coastal studio in Prouts Neck, Maine, is where many of his masterpieces were created. The artist relocated from his New York City studio to Maine in the early 1880s and remained there in his carriage house-turned-studio, several dozen feet from the shore until his death in 1910. In 1966, the studio was declared a National Historic Landmark. Currently tours, conducted through the Portland Museum of Art, are on hold through 2021.
www.portlandmuseum.org/homer The Olson House in Cushing, Maine. Photo by Sarah Swajkos Photography | Damn Rabbit Studios. Courtesy Farnsworth Art Museum.

The Olson House
The Olson House, in Cushing, Maine, provided endless inspiration and subject matter for many of Andrew Wyeth’s greatest works. Perhaps the most notable is his 1948 painting Christina’s World, housed today at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In the form of drawings, watercolors and tempera paintings, Wyeth depicted the house, as well as its inhabitants, Christina and her brother, Alvaro Olson, from 1939 to 1968.
www.farnsworthmuseum.org/visit/historic-homes/olson-house The Langlais Sculpture Preserve and Studio in Cushing, Maine. Courtesy Georges River Land Trust.

The Langlais Sculpture Preserve and Studio
A Maine local, born in Old Town, Bernard Langlais purchased this 90-acre homestead in Cushing in the mid-1960s along with his wife Helen. During his time there, the artist produced more than 65 monumental wood sculptures. The Sculpture Preserve opened to the public in 2017, and visitors can view several of the large-scale sculptures Langlais created while there, including Local Girl (Christina Olson), an homage to Andrew Wyeth’s iconic painting.
www.georgesriver.org/langlais-sculpture-preserve