Artfellows Exhibition: Memorabilia and Archival Ephemera

Attracted by the state’s unique character and way of life, artists have established communities and flourished in Maine for over a century. In 1980, a number of young Waldo County artists teamed up to form the Artfellows, a group committed to supporting artists and to creating more local opportunities for exhibiting contemporary art. For over a decade, the Artfellows gallery served as a hub of ingenuity, dialogue, and camaraderie. Dozens of Maine’s best-known artists got their start at Art Fellows. This show celebrates the 41st anniversary of the founding of this dynamic community, featuring works made by Artfellows in the 1980s and 1990s, and what they are making today.

Take a trip down memory lane–back to the 80s and 90s in Belfast, Maine. These are just a few of the articles, images, and invitations one would see at the forthcoming exhibition Artfellows: Belfast’s Original Cooperative Gallery, 1980-1997.

Do you have a memory from the Artfellows era? Leave us a comment below!

The Artfellows exhibition will be open to the public starting Saturday, September 11th, 2021, through Saturday, November 6th, 2021.

Images courtesy Megan and Dennis Pinette, as well as the Belfast Historical Society and Museum.

Artfellows in the Smithsonian Archives.

Participating Artfellows

Lesia Sochor

Lorna Crichton

Liv Kristin Robinson

Lois Anne

Janice Anthony

Read Brugger

Alan Crichton

Dan Clarke

Squidge Liljeblad Davis

Janelle Delicata

Randy Fein

Jerry Finch

Maggie Foskett

Jane Gilbert

Nancy Glassman

Stew Henderson

David Hurley

Mike Hurley

Phil Kaelin

Janice Kasper

Tony Kulik

Mark Kuzio

Marika Kuzma

Abbott Meader

Oliver Nuse

James Oates

Martha Oatway

Mat O’Donnell

Nell Moore

Richard Norton

Sandy Olson

Chris Osgood

Tom Osgood

Dee Peppe

Dennis Pinette

Megan Pinette

Philip Prince

Alison Rector

Scott W. Redfern

Michael Reece

Denise Remy

Louise Shorette

Marjorie Strauss

Dana Strout

Deborah Vendetti