Bo Bartlett, Blue Sky, September 11, 2012, Wheaton Island, Maine, 2012, oil on panel, 18 x 18 in. Courtesy the artist and the Bo Bartlett Center, Columbus, Georgia.
Because the Sky is Blue
This fall, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art is hosting Because the Sky is Blue, a rich examination of critical histories of painting and the status of painting as a critical practice in the present day. Setting works by well-known artists strongly associated with Maine, alongside a mix of fresh voices from outside the region, it reflects CMCA’s renewed commitment to advancing and enriching artistic discourse through thematic exhibitions. The exhibition runs from October 2, 2026, to January 17, 2027, with an opening reception the first day from 4 to 7 p.m. It’s organized by CMCA curator Grant Wahlquist and accompanied by an illustrated publication with a contribution by Patricia Hickson.+++
Kosuke Ajiro, Sayonara, 2026, acrylic on canvas, 51 x 63¾ in.
First US solo show for Kosuke Ajiro
Excavation Record I – Sayonara is the first solo exhibition in the United States by Japanese artist Kosuke Ajiro. The exhibition introduces Ajiro’s distinctive practice through the figure of the archeologist, who ventures into a whimsical and enigmatic imagined realm known as the “Kingdom of Sally.” Across the exhibition, each work reveals a fragment of this mysterious world, uncovering earthbound creatures and curious details before opening onto a vast, fantastical expanse. Excavation Record I – Sayonara will hang at GR Gallery in New York City through October 24.+++
Norman Seeff, Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith, New York, 1969, archival pigment print, 15 x 22 in. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Promised Gift from the Judy Glickman Lauder Collection, 1.2016.1. Courtesy the artist.
Major photography exhibition
A new traveling exhibition organized by the American Federation of Arts features more than 100 photographs by 50-plus artists, drawn entirely from the collection of Judy Glickman Lauder—photographer, collector, humanitarian and philanthropist. After its premiere at the Southampton Arts Center in New York through September 27, Presence: The Photography Collection of Judy Glickman Lauder will then travel to Sarasota Art Museum from October 18, 2026, to April 4, 2027; Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston from May 28 to August 29, 2027; and finally Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami, September 30, 2027, to February 26, 2028. —Powered by Froala Editor
