EXHIBITIONS
All exhibitions and opening receptions are free and open to the public.
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
PHOTOGRAPHING BELFAST’S WATERFRONT: THEN & NOW
Friday, June 18 – Sunday, August 29, 2021
Opening Reception – Friday, June 18, 5PM – 7PM
Gallery Open Hours – Wednesday – Saturday, 11AM – 3PM
At the center of Belfast’s long and colorful history is its dynamic waterfront. From boat building to chicken, sardine and potato processing, Belfast’s shoreline has evolved and transformed with the changing tides of industry, economic cycles, and tourism. Today, we enjoy public access and recreation opportunities alongside a working shipyard.
This extensive photography exhibition explores how Belfast’s identity has evolved –and how it has stayed the same– in tandem with the varied activities and bustle of its harbor. Held at Waterfall Arts in partnership with the Penobscot Marine Museum and the Belfast Historical Society and Museum, the show includes historic images as well as photographs from over a dozen contemporary photographers. The featured works reveal the rich maritime history, commerce, recreation and scenic beauty of Belfast’s waterfront, as documented over the last several decades.
Liv Kristin Robinson, lead curator, has been documenting the evolving Belfast harbor since 1988 and is known for her hand-painted photographic works of the Belfast waterfront, several of which are in the permanent collections of the Portland Museum of Art and the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. Other participating photographers include: Marcie J. Bronstein, Leslie Gregory, Susan Guthrie, Betsy Headley, Jaap Helder, Terry Hire, Kevin Johnson, Lynn Karlin, Mark Kuzio, Ben Magro, Peggy McKenna, Richard Norton, Neal Parent, Joe Potter, and Louise Shorette.
This exhibition would not be possible without the curatorial support of Kevin Johnson of the Penobscot Marine Museum and Megan Pinette of the Belfast Historical Society and Museum.
Images in poster: Top, Steamboat Landing, ca. 1900 (from the collection of the Belfast Historical Society); Bottom, “Boat House with Tents” by Lynn Karlin, September 2019.
OPENING RECEPTION
Join the community for an opening reception, held under tents outside of the Waterfall Arts building on Friday, June 18th, 5-7pm, with the Gallery open to small groups for viewings. The opening event will feature a poetry reading of works themed around the Belfast Waterfront, starting at 5:30pm and planned in collaboration with the Office of the Belfast Poet Laureate. Those unable to attend in person can enjoy a virtual tour of the gallery with the show’s curators, here, on the exhibition website. The exhibition will remain open, for no charge and without reservations required, from Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11AM – 3PM, through August 29th (staying open for the final Sunday).
ART FELLOWS: BELFAST’S ORIGINAL COOPERATIVE GALLERY
Friday, September 10 – Sunday, November 7, 2021
Attracted by the state’s unique character and way of life, artists have been coming to Maine for over a century. In 1980, a growing community of young Waldo County artists teamed up to form the Art Fellows, a group committed to supporting artists and to establishing more local opportunities for exhibiting contemporary art. For over a decade, the Art Fellows 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 40th anniversary of the founding of this dynamic community, featuring works made by Art Fellows in the 1980s and 1990s, and what they are making today.