A dynamic snapshot of art in the United States today, featuring 14 emerging artists connected to Maine.

As We Are features the work of 14 emerging artists, all of whom have strong ties to Maine. With works spanning a range of media—from painting, drawing, and photography to ceramics and sculpture—visitors will have the opportunity to explore the innovative forms of aesthetic practice in American contemporary art today. Themes such as identity, ecology, material history, and kinship create important points of connection and conversation in this exhibition. Perhaps most notable about the artists exhibited is the community they share with one another, some as alumni of the same local institution, others as mentors, and still others as friends.

Living, working, and learning in the 21st century, these artists have adopted many ideas and strategies with roots in the American modernist traditions strongly associated with Maine artists such as Lois Dodd, Marsden Hartley, and John Marin. At the same time, they challenge the tropes of this legacy, bringing their own subjectivities to bear on dominant art histories. When visitors walk through the galleries and participate in the exhibition’s tours, talks, and programs, they will be able to identify shared concerns in the artworks presented, which are in conversation with one another and the place these artists call home.

As We Are is the next chapter in the Portland Museum of Art’s long history of exhibiting and promoting the art of Maine-connected practitioners.

Dates: October 11, 2024 - April 27, 2025