Visitors to the ICA at MECA&D can look forward to Bounty, Anguish, In This Realm, and The Unity of Opposites
Portland, ME – The Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design (ICA at MECA&D) is pleased to announce the schedule of upcoming exhibitions. Under the direction of Erin Hutton, Director of Exhibitions and Special Projects, over the next several months, the ICA will present a diverse array of exhibitions exploring topics in artistic practice, gender and identity, isolation and desire, and communication.
Hilary Irons, the V of the S of D, oil on panel 16” x 12,” 2016
Bounty, 2016 Biennial Faculty Exhibition
August 24—September 29, 2016
Exhibition Opening: Friday, September 2016, 2016; 5:00–8:00pm
Curator Sage Lewis ’04 has selected artists and work coalescing around the idea of bounty. Bounty refers to both generosity and reward, but particularly for the reward sought out by the pursuit of artistic practice. The relation of the artist to their subject matter, the histories of makers and philosophers that have come before, and the often private searching that occurs in seeking and finding form for the work are central parts to this theme. Faculty artists include Lucy Breslin, Michael Connor, Jamie Hogan, Hilary Irons, Kate Greene, Justin Kirchoff, Joshua Reiman, Julie Poitras Santos, Gail Spaien, and Gan Xu.
Cobi Moules, Untitled (Fallen tree near LaVerkin Creek II), oil on canvas, 21" x 28", 2012
IN THIS REALM: Five Artists Exploring Gender, Identity, and Transformation
October 6—21, 2016
Exhibition Opening: Friday, October 7, 2016; 5:008:00pm
Traversing the language of the art historical, psychoanalytic, poetic, and philosophic, this exhibition presents five views of becoming in today's culture. This group invites us to delve deeper into ideas of gender, identity, and cultural paradigms. Artists include Allyson Mitchell, Patricia Brace '06, Jung Hur, Cobi Moulesm and Veronica Cross. Curated by Michel Droge MFA '10.
Martha McDonald, Weeping Dress, dress: crepe paper fused to muslin and interfacing, polyester thread, metal fasteners, cotton tape, elastic cord; platform: birch plywood; dimensions, dress: 67” x 55”; platform: 14” x 89” x 89”. Photo courtesy of Christian Capurro.
Anguish
October 28, 2016 — January 14, 2017
Exhibition Opening: Friday, October 28, 2016; 5:00–8:00pm
Curated by Cynthia Nourse Thompson, Director, MFA Studio Art / MFA Book Arts + Printmaking and Associate Professor at the University of the Arts, A nguish is a visceral portrait of isolation, desire, and remorse. Removed from the shadows, a collection of international artists present a visual dialogue that is strikingly raw. Artists include Janine Antoni, Nils Ericson, Louise Bourgeois, Anna Tsantir, Oscar Muñoz, Roberto Mannino, Rosemary Laing, Anders Krisar, Gail Deery, Jenny Holzer, Markus Hansen, Donna Smith, Carson Fox, and Martha McDonald.
Sally Clegg, Riddle, etching and a la Poupee, 16" x 20"
The Unity of Opposites
February 1– March 3, 2017
Exhibition Opening: Friday, February 3, 2017; 5:00–8:00pm
The Unity of Opposites is a visual riff on the childhood game of Telephone, exposing real world issues about communication and interpretation in our contemporary culture. This exhibition features the collaboration between two printmaking studios, Zea Mays Printmaking (Florence, MA) and Peregrine Press (Portland, ME) and begins with one artist from each studio responding to a secret verbal prompt. These two beginning artists will create a print that is a visual interpretation of the verbal prompt. The process will continue until 75 artists have participated over the course of five months.