…following quote taken from the Center for Maine Contemporary Art website.  “The Center for Maine Contemporary Art has been supporting, exhibiting, and sustaining arts and artists with ties to Maine since its founding in 1952. In that time, CMCA has grown from a scrappy upstart presenting shows in barns and backrooms to become the state’s preeminent contemporary arts organization, hosting a slew of internationally-known artists along the way. With its new space in the heart of downtown Rockland, CMCA extends its reach exponentially, allowing it to continue its mission on a whole new level. 

Initially an artists’ cooperative known as Maine Coast Artists, the center was founded with a collaborative, catalyzing spirit, around an excitement for not just Maine’s rich artistic history, but also as a way to showcase the work of painters, sculptors, and photographers working contemporaneously. For its first fifteen years, the center had no permanent space and a rotating slate of volunteer curators. Early exhibitions were held at the town office, in a barn, and in a potato barrel storage loft. But those shows also included such future luminaries as Alex Katz, Louise Nevelson, and Fairfield Porter, to name a few.”

For more information visit the Center for Maine Contemporary Art website link above.