Contemporaries explore Artist Studio Building

Last night The Contemporaries membership group of the Portland Museum of Art enjoyed a private tour of the Artist Studio Building on Congress Street. This amazing space is overflowing with creativity from the stellar group of more than two dozen emerging and mid-career artists who work in the building. This is a shot of just some of the people at the party, which I was able to snap when everyone paused to learn more about the building from owner, architect and all-around cool guy Christopher Campbell (you can't see him because he's speaking on the floor below). He also owns One Longfellow Square and was recently profiled in Dwell magazine.

Remarks followed from the museum's new Director Mark Bessire and Curatorial Coordinator (who also works out of the Artist Studio Building) Sage Lewis. Both emphasized the value to be gained by collectors when they buy art from artists early in their careers. Mark also drove home the point that the museum relies on the generous donations of works collected by members. Without such acts of philanthropy, the museum would never have been able to amass the excellent collection it boasts today.

Educating members about art and how to collect it is a goal of The Contemporaries. The popular membership group is co-chair by Chris Robinson, left, pictured here with the museum's Chief Curator (and new dad!) Tom Denenberg.

And these lovely ladies are standing in front of work that is popular with collectors. Artist Shoshannah White (left) is known for her photographs of flowers and desserts, printed on watercolor paper and then layered with encaustic. I was thrilled to discover on display in her studio some of her more recent work, which involves portraits of friends and strangers covered in dark encaustic giving the pieces a vintage feel. Shoshannah's pictured with Heidi Fisher, Kerry Conway and Elizabeth Fraser, known for the daily paintings she creates from her Munjoy Hill studio.

Here's Sage Lewis in her studio space. You can see a few of her intricate works on the wall, which she creates using techniques including ink on paper and embroidery. Her work was included in last year's Biennial at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport.

If you've ever seen the quirky messages displayed on the sign in a Artist Studio Building window, the artist responsible for them is Patrick O'Rorke. I snapped this shot of him and Ivan Cardona standing in front of a work that was recently shown at Whitney Art Works. This piece is a favorite of Ivan's wife, Erica Schair-Cardona. We can only hope this work will make it into their collection. Come to think of it, Memorial Day is coming up. Isn't that a big art buying holiday?

The sound track for the evening came from local favorites The Toughcats, who rocked the art-filled hallway.

There was another performance artist who created quite a bit of buzz at the party. Here I am checking it out. Behind the cardboard door, Greta Banks is working on a life-sized portrait. What had people talking is that she was doing it in the nude.

After witnessing her work (and consuming three glasses of wine), I was caught in the act of my own piece of performance art. Sure, pretending to sit on one of Greta's chairs fully clothed isn't that exciting. If only I'd had another drink, maybe then I would have taken off my top. Oh well, there's always next time.

Speaking of next time, The Contemporaries will get together again on May 12 when Curator Susan Danly leads us on a private tour of the Biennial. Want to join us? Here's how you can become a member.

What the world needs

One of my favorite pieces of public art in this funky city is the ever-changing sign in the window of the Artist Studio Building on Congress Street. Located next to the Maine College of Art and upstairs from SPACE Gallery, this building provides creative digs to dozens of local artists. A couple times a year, the artists welcome in the public for a tour. Mark you calendars: the next open house coincides with the December First Friday Art Walk on Dec. 5.

Until then, just be sure to look up when you pass this building to get a dose of artistic inspiration or creative humor. When I saw today's message, I wondered if it's a not-so-subtle reminder to MECA's returning students that more lucrative employment can be found elsewhere? And while I appreciate an artistically dug ditch as much as the next person, I hope the art students stick to their guns (er ... paint brushes). Because as far as I'm concerned, there's no such thing as too much art. Especially when it's public.