Today the Portland Museum of Art announced the list of artists chosen for inclusion in the 2009 Biennial. This will be the sixth time the PMA has assembled this much-anticipated show, which serves as a snapshot of the state's current art vibe. On the off years when the PMA is not hosting the Biennial, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art picks up the slack (this year's show just closed on Oct. 5).

In a departure from previous exhibitions, the PMA's 2009 Biennial will present a more pared down view. While the 2007 show included 98 works by 61 artists, the 2009 show includes just 28 works by 17 artists. The intent, according to the press release, is to "present a close examination of works by a small but diverse group of artists with ties to Maine, rather than a broad survey of the contemporary art scene here."

The show attracted 970 applications, so selecting just 17 artists must have been tough for the jurors, who are Elizabeth Burke, art consultant and former co-director of Clementine Gallery in New York; Dan Graham, a video, installation, and performance artist based in New York; and Denise Markonish, curator at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams.

As you can see in this photo courtesy of the PMA, Curatorial Coordinator Sage Lewis hardly had room to move around in her office once the submissions began to arrive.

The exhibition opens April 8, 2009 and remains on view until June 7.

Here are the artists whose work will be in the show:

*Eric Aho (Saxtons River, VT and Islesford, ME) (2003)
*Mary Aro (Grosse Pointe Park, MI and Sedgwick, ME) (1998, 2001, 2007)
Dozier Bell (Waldoboro, ME)
Melissa A. Calderon (Bronx, NY)
*Tillman Crane (Camden, ME) (2007)
*Sean Foley (Worthington, OH) (2003)
A. Jacob Galle (Berryville, VA)
Ilana Halperin (Glasgow, Scotland and Camden, ME)
*Ethan Hayes-Chute (Berlin, Germany and Freeport, ME) (2007)
*Tanja Alexia Hollander (Auburn, ME) (2001, 2007)
Wade Kavanaugh (Brooklyn, NY and Brunswick, ME)
Steven Perkins (Bath, ME)
Andrew Rosen (South Portland, ME)
Julianna Swaney (Portland, OR)
Susan Hayre Thelwell (Santa Fe, NM and Hulls Cove, ME)
Susan Prince Thompson (Wilton, NH)
*Sam Van Aken (Syracuse, NY and Portland, ME) (2007)

* exhibited in past Biennials