NOTE: EXHIBITION SCHEDULE IS CURRENT AS OF NOVEMBER 30, 2010.
SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. PLEASE CALL TO CONFIRM DATES.
NEW EXHIBITIONS
Rackstraw Downes: Onsite Paintings, 1972–2008
December 16, 2010–March 20, 2011
This is the first major survey of paintings by the MacArthur Foundation “genius” award-winning artist Rackstraw Downes (born 1939). Featuring more than 30 works, many of them multiple-part canvases, the exhibition will feature his minutely detailed paintings of exterior and interior panoramic scenes of the American landscape and urban locations. The exhibition will trace the artist’s career through major examples of his work that were painted in Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Texas, including a haunting depiction of the untenanted interior spaces in the World Trade Center in 1998.
Weston: Leaves of Grass
December 30, 2010–March 13, 2011
In early 1941, Edward Weston was approached by the Limited Editions Club of New York and invited to make photographs to illustrate its deluxe edition of Walt Whitman’s epic poem Leaves of Grass. Although he balked at the suggestion, the opportunity the project offered to travel cross-country and visit parts of the U.S. that were new to him convinced Weston to undertake it. This exhibition of 53 photographs by Weston follows the route of his cross-country trip. The Whitman photographs, mostly made with a large 8×10 format camera, are exceptionally wide-ranging with particular emphasis on the man-altered landscape rather than images of untouched nature. The exhibition will feature images from the West, the South, the Mid-Atlantic and New England, including two images from Maine.
The Lay of the Land:
A Celebration of Art Acquired by the Friends of the Collection (1983-2010)
January 15–May 8, 2011
The Friends of the Collection was established in 1983 when the Museum opened the Charles Shipman Payson Building in order to enrich the permanent collection. Featuring approximately 30 works, this exhibition will focus on the art acquired with the generosity of the Friends of the Collection. The exhibition will feature landscapes in particular and will include paintings, watercolors, and prints by a diverse group of artists such as Harrison Bird Brown, Charles Codman, John Calvin Stevens, Robert Henri, Will Barnet, and Waldo Peirce. Thanks to the Friends, the Museum has been able to acquire more than 160 works of art-a testament to how crucial the group has been and continues to be to the Museum.
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
Debating Modern Photography: The Triumph of Group f/64
Through December 5, 2010
In the 1930s, a small group of California photographers challenged the painterly, soft-focus Pictorialist style of the day. They argued that photography could only advance as an art if its practitioners exploited characteristics inherent to the camera’s mechanical nature. This small association of innovators created Group f/64, named after the camera aperture which produces great depth of field and sharp focus. The exhibition revisits this debate and includes images by photographers in Group f/64 such as Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Sonya Noskowiak, and Willard Van Dyke, as well as images by Pictorialists such as Anne Brigman, William Dassonville, Johan Hagemeyer, William Mortensen, and Karl Struss. With 90 works by 16 artists, Debating Modern Photography offers a feast for the eyes while illustrating both sides of a high-stakes debate. Outstanding examples of the clean edges and bold forms of Group f/64 stand in sharp contrast to the romantic, hand-crafted Pictorialist work that includes elegant portraits, tonalist landscapes, and allegorical studies.
John Haberle: American Master of Illusion
Through December 12, 2010
Combining a masterful technique with sly, witty historical and personal references to American life from 1870 to 1910, today John Haberle (1856–1933) is considered one of the most accomplished American trompe l’oeil (meaning to “fool the eye”) painters. This exhibition features 20 paintings from the New Britain Museum of American Art along with works from the Museum’s collection, other museums, and private collections. Alluding to the moral and political issues of the time, Haberle’s paintings juxtapose newspaper clippings, tickets, and money with objects such as a pocket watch, playing cards, and rosary beads. The slight but ingenious details make each of Haberle’s paintings exceedingly complex. He spent most of his life in or near his hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, where he worked as an engraver, draftsman, lithographer, and as a custodian and preparator at Yale University’s Peabody Museum of Natural History.
False Documents and Other Illusions
Through January 2, 2011
Trompe l’oeil, meaning to “fool the eye,” in the traditional sense usually references painting in which objects appear to be real rather than rendered. This exhibition showcases 33 works offering a spectrum of approaches to illusion by 13 contemporary artists. This exhibition runs in conjunction with John Haberle: American Master of Illusion, an exhibition of traditional 19th-century trompe l’oeilpaintings on view through December 12, 2010. False Documents & Other Illusions is the second in a series of exhibitions calledCirca that explores compelling aspects of contemporary art in the state of Maine and beyond. Artists in the exhibition are: Susan Collis, Marti Cormand, Carly Glovinski, Carl Haase, Duncan Hewitt, Nina Katchadourian, Angela Lorenz, Vik Muniz, Ken Solomon, Molly Springfield, Mary Temple, Steve Wolfe, and The Yes Men (and Friends).
MUSEUM PROGRAMS
What Do You Think?
Thursday, December 2, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Free with Museum admission.
This group meets monthly to study and discuss one piece in the Museum’s collection. Say what you think and learn from new friends—it may change the way you see. Conversation is led by a member of the Museum’s Education staff and continues over lunch in the Café (bring your own or purchase in the Café).
12/2: At Cassis by Russell Cheney
Gallery Talks
Selected Saturdays at 1 p.m. Free with Museum admission.
Gallery Talks offer unique perspectives about the art on view and the artists who created it. Each talk is presented by a Museum Docent and lasts approximately 45 minutes. Additional Gallery Talks may be scheduled; visit our website for the most up-to-date listings.
12/4: Imogen Cunningham: A Change of Focus by Mickey Friedman
12/11: False Documents & Other Illusions by Judy Cutler
12/18: N.C. Wyeth by Sy Epstein
Movies at the Museum:
Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays. Tickets: $7 and available on the day of the show. For a complete list of movies, visitmoviesatthemuseum.org.
Live-in Maid Saturday, December 4, 2 p.m.
Sunday, December 5, 2 p.m.
Vision: From the Life of Friday, December 10, 6:30 p.m.
Hildegard von Bingen Saturday, December 11, 2 p.m.
Sunday, December 12, 2 p.m.
My Dog Tulip Friday, December 17, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 18, 2 p.m.
Sunday, December 19, 2 p.m.
Sunday, December 26, 2 p.m.
Sunday, January 2, 2 p.m.
Boxing Gym Friday, January 7, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 8, 2 p.m.
Sunday, January 9, 2 p.m.
Jazz Breakfasts
Sundays through December 19, 10:30 a.m. to Noon. Concerts are free with Museum admission. Breakfast items may be purchased.
Jazz Breakfasts are a longstanding and popular tradition at the Museum and offer a blend of traditional favorites, new trends, and everything in between. Get your Sundays off to a jazzy start with great art, entertaining music, and delicious food. The Museum is proud to showcase Maine musicians.
12/5: Sally Davis Trio
12/12: State Street Traditional Jazz Band
12/19: Bob Charest Quartet
Illuminations in the Sculpture Garden: Annual Lighting of the Copper Beech Tree
Friday, December 3, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Free. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
See art light up the night! Join us for a wintery First Friday family night as we gather outside in the Museum’s Sculpture Garden. Children of all ages will delight in the twinkling illuminated prints created by art students from Maine College of Art. The night air will be filled with the lovely sounds of holiday choral music by members of the Vox Nova Chamber Choir as we all take a candlelit walk to the festive Copper Beech Tree lighting ceremony.
An Evening with Jenny Holzer: 2010 Nelson Social Justice Fund Program
Tuesday, December 7, lecture: 6 p.m., Holiday Inn By the Bay, 88 Spring Street (doors open at 5:30 p.m.). Free admission. Light Projection: For Portland, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., On the Front of the Museum.
Jenny Holzer has used light projections, paintings, and text to question contemporary culture for more than 30 years. In international exhibitions and public projections, she presents her provocative and powerful merging of words and images. First known for her text series Truisms, Holzer has since projected poetry and prose onto buildings around the world, collaborated with choreographer Bill T. Jones, and created a new series of paintings and projections using declassified government documents. Never limiting herself to traditional media, Holzer has employed LED signs, bronze plaques, painted signs, stickers, sound, and video to engage and intrigue.
Immediately following the program, we invite you to Congress Square to view For Portland, a one-time-only site-specific projection featuring selections from the poetry of Wisława Szymborska, created by Jenny Holzer for the Portland Museum of Art. To see examples of Jenny Holzer’s projections in Rome, Singapore, Rio de Janiero, and other international locations, visitjennyholzer.com. This evening celebrates a decade of programs made possible by the Nelson Fund for Social Justice at the Portland Museum of Art honoring artists whose commitment to social justice is manifested in their work.
Lecture: On Site with Rackstraw Downes
Thursday, January 6, 6 p.m., Holiday Inn by the Bay. Tickets: $15/$10 members.
We invite you to an evening of insights from Rackstraw Downes in celebration of the exhibition of his work. Downes’ work is in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., among many others, and his essays have appeared is such publications as The New York Times, Art in America, and the Art Journal. The evening’s lecture features works from this MacArthur award-winning artist’s lengthy career, with special attention to paintings made in Maine. This program is made possible in part by the Beatrice Gilmore Fund for Museum Education.
MUSEUM INFORMATION
Discover three centuries of art and architecture at the Portland Museum of Art. Explore the Museum’s extensive collection of fine and decorative arts dating from the 18th century to the present housed in three architecturally significant buildings. Experience the rich artistic heritage of Maine and the United States through the work of world-class artists including Winslow Homer, Marsden Hartley, Rockwell Kent, Louise Nevelson, and Andrew Wyeth. Learn about the story of American art before 1900, from Gilbert Stuart to Frederic Edwin Church, in the newly restored Federal-era McLellan House (1801) and Beaux-Arts L. D. M. Sweat Memorial Galleries (1911). See Maine’s finest collection of European art by masters such as Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Pablo Picasso. Visit the Museum’s changing exhibitions and dynamic educational programs including family festivals, lectures, art classes, performances, and much more.
HOURS
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday. Memorial Day through Columbus Day open Mondays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
ADMISSION
Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students with I.D., $4 for youth 6 to 17, and children under 6 are free. Admission is always free for members.
FREE NIGHT
Admission is free every Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Free Friday evenings are made possible through the generous support of L.L.Bean and Patricia and Cyrus Hagge.
DIRECTIONS
Two hours north of Boston, the Museum is located in the heart of downtown Portland at the corner of High and Congress streets. To reach the Museum from I-295 (north or south) take exit 6A, Forest Avenue South. Bear right at the first light and drive through the park. At the top of the hill, take a left onto Congress Street and proceed 2/10 mile to the Museum, located on your right.
PARKING
Public parking lots are located on High, Free, and Spring streets. Free metered parking available after 6 p.m. on weekdays and all day Sunday.
MUSEUM CAFÉ
Enjoy a variety of homemade healthy fare and delicious treats at the Museum’s Café; open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday; and 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday. Memorial Day through Columbus Day, open Mondays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
MUSEUM STORE
The Museum Store carries a wide selection of crafts, books, cards, prints, and posters, as well as handcrafted jewelry, glassware, and unique personal gifts.
MEMBERSHIP
Become a member today and receive free admission to the Museum for the next 12 months. Benefits include: unlimited free admission to the Museum for a full year; two free admission passes for guests; subscription to the members’ magazine; discounts in the Store; invitations to members-only exhibition openings; discounts on lectures, concerts, classes; and much more.
GROUP TOUR INFORMATION
Group rates apply to groups of 15 or more with advance reservations. Tour escorts and bus drivers are always admitted free. Guided tours are available on request at no extra charge. To reserve a group tour, contact the Education Department at (207) 775-6148, ext. 3228, or email tours@portlandmuseum.org at least three weeks in advance. Group admission: $8 per adult. Bus parking: Free parking for buses is available on West Commercial Street.
INFORMATION
(207) 775-6148 general information
Website: portlandmuseum.org
Email: info@portlandmuseum.org
