NEW ENGLAND
DESTINATION NEW ENGLAND
Michael Weymouth, Afternoon Sail, Pulpit Harbor, 2021, oil on canvas, 18 x 36". Courtesy of Turtle Gallery.
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fter a year spent mostly inside our homes, many are eager to devote this summer to re-immersing themselves back into the galleries, museums, and artist studios we’ve missed. And New England could not be more ready to welcome us back. An easy and pleasant drive from almost anywhere in the region, Maine has drawn artists to the state for centuries as they seek respite and draw creativity from its bountiful landscape and quaint seaside towns. Collectors, curators, and appreciators alike, looking to explore the new and exciting exhibitions on view, will have infinite choices as they traverse Maine this summer and beyond. Working south to north and hugging the coast as you cross from neighboring Portsmouth, NH, you promptly arrive in the charming town of Kittery, ME, with its wealth of notable art spaces and our first destination—the Haley
50 Art New England
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July/August 2021
Art Gallery. Housed in an antique barn coowned by Jackie Abramian and her husband, this renovated open-air gallery offers original art and handmade items with an emphasis on sharing stories. Over the summer, several paintings by the gallery’s represented artists will be on display, including a series of impressionistic landscapes by Dean Diggins, environmental narratives by Anthony Montanino, built-up canvases of life-inspired moments by Barbara D’Antonio, and dynamic, textural abstractions by Stephen Brandon. The gallery also features a social impact gift shop, providing unique items created by women worldwide. Abramian notes that after a difficult year they’re offering a great summer sale “to make it possible and even more affordable for people to engage with our artists.” The Loomis Gallery is Kittery’s newest art space, so you must pay a visit as you’re explor-
ing the town. Maine newcomer Anita Loomis opened the intimate gallery with a selection of contemporary works in November, 2020. The collection inspires with its original artworks, display cabinets of blown glass and jewelry, as well as an outdoor viewing space featuring a number of larger pieces. Loomis conjures an encouraging optimism when talking about the gallery’s first season. “I tried to take a positive, proactive approach to the pandemic,” she says, “opening a small gallery just seemed perfect. I can support other artists, practice my own art, and participate in the Maine artists’ community in a positive way.” Over the summer you can expect to see a group of smaller artworks from notable New England artists whose inspirations, Loomis describes, range from “whimsical, abstract, architectural, and some rooted in the natural world.”
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