DESTINATION: MAINE
The Summer of Joy issue conveys the importance of finding joy and making connections through art. Summer is a time of adventure, of spending more time by the water, on the water, and appreciating watercolors. It’s a time for turning off the GPS and seeing where the road takes you. Where better to wander than on Maine’s curving roads and lanes, where a spontaneous turn may lead you to secluded inlets and neighborhoods full of galleries, cafés and miles of gorgeous peninsula views. Where a weekend in one of the state’s bustling city centers will leave you exhilarated by a packed calendar of art, music and performances. Whether hugging the coastline or exploring deep upstate, Maine makes every moment wondrous.
We’re focusing on summer yet Maine is a four-season destination. Its hospitality, cuisine, relaxed vibe, and arts and culture scene thrive all year-round. Summer’s fleeting, Maine’s appeal is not.
Monhegan Museum of Art & History—Monhegan
With its rugged shoreline, magnificent Cathedral Woods, and rustic fishing village, Monhegan Island has long been a haven for artists drawn to the splendor of its ocean vistas and picturesque wildlands and for ecologists fascinated by its complex natural history. Art, Ecology, and the Resilience of a Maine Island: The Monhegan Wildland, on view through September 30 at the Monhegan Museum of Art & History, brings together artworks, objects and representations of ecological inquiry, and historical documents and photographs to chart forest conversion and recovery on the island. The extraordinary natural resilience displayed by the Monhegan Wildlands is only possible thanks to conservation-minded islanders, no one more so than Theodore Edison, who acquired much of the island outside of the village and conveyed it back to island residents with the formation of the Monhegan Associates. The story of Monhegan Island is well told by artists, ecologists, and community members alike. Monhegan’s history offers lessons for all.
Mathias Fine Art—Boothbay
Mathias Fine Art is located on Barter’s Island, a coastal island which is also home to Porter Preserve, a twenty-three-acre property with scenic trails and cove access. The gallery has been offering museum-quality contemporary art from New England and beyond since 1991. The solo exhibition Bettinson’s Maine on view through September 14 includes works from 1991 to 2008 when artist Brenda Bettinson developed her iconic style. Check out the gallery’s website for related gallery talks and an unveiling of the late artist’s glass death mask. In the annex, Summer Medley brings together works by gallery artists. Collectors will find a lively mix of painting, photography, silkscreen, drawing and more. Mathias Fine Art is pleased to collaborate with The Holocaust and Human Rights Center in Augusta, ME, on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, where Bettinson: Ravensbrück Series is on loan from through September 5.
Cynthia Winings Gallery—Blue Hill
Located in the scenic coastal town of Blue Hill, Cynthia Winings Gallery is a true haven for art lovers. This artist-owned gallery is a vibrant testament to creativity and inspiration, offering a serene space where artistic expression flourishes. The exhibition Conversations in Layers, opening July 2, features new works by Diane Zaitlin, Carol Pelletier and Anne Hedebrand. This exhibition highlights the expressive paintings of Jerry Rose alongside artworks by Cynthia Winings, Avy Claire, Robin Reynolds and Lari Washburn. In the Project Space, visitors can find Anna Dibble’s paintings from her series “Terra Incognita.” Cynthia Winings Gallery is a place where art inspires and challenges while touching the human spirit in profound ways. Its carefully curated exhibitions create a welcoming atmosphere, inviting visitors to explore and immerse themselves in a world of artistic brilliance.
Center for Maine Contemporary Art—Rockland
Located in scenic downtown Rockland, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA) creates opportunities for new developments in contemporary art through exceptional exhibitions and education programs that communicate the transformative power of art in our time. CMCA’s 2025 summer season features three compelling exhibitions that captivate visitors. Cheek to Cheek, takes its title from the iconic 1935 song composed by Irving Berlin for his musical Top Hat. This exhibition by Nicole Wittenberg embraces the viewer in the heart-stopping sensuousness of her floral compositions. The show is on view until September 14. Ellis-Beauregard Foundation Fellow Carlie Trosclair’s the shape of memory, on view through September 7, explores the vulnerability and ephemerality of home, as both a physical space and a concept. The resulting sculptures and installations were created by painting liquid latex onto man-made and natural surfaces, allowing it to dry, and then peeling it away. Elizabeth Atterbury’s sculptures in Leaf Litter, also on view through September 7, emerge through a process that is both deliberate and intuitive, embracing improvisation and intention as ways to engage with history, memory, and personal narrative.
Langlais Art Preserve—Cushing
The Langlais Art Preserve offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore over a dozen large-scale wooden sculptures created by Maine artist Bernard Langlais (1921–1977) along an accessible quarter-mile path winding through meadows and woodlands. The site includes a seasonally open Barn Studio that showcases smaller sculptures and an historic film, and offers art activities inspired by Langlais’s creative process, as well as his preserved workshop, filled with his tools and works-in-progress. Visitors can also enjoy over two miles of forest hiking trails and experience how Langlais’s vision of integrating art with the natural landscape continues to evolve through conservation efforts and new artistic programming. The Langlais Preserve is open to the public daily from dawn to dusk with a suggested admission of $10. On Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in July and August the Preserve hosts free family programs integrating nature exploration and hands-on art projects!
