Art from the Island

by Sarah Knock, is an oil on canvas, 26 by 34 inches.

By Courtney Kasianowicz

“The show is quite eclectic,” says Laurie Perzley, curater of Thos. Moser’s gallery at the furniture maker’s Freeport, Maine, showroom where Monhegan Artists’ Residency 25th Anniversary Exhibition, runs June 19 through October 14. The show includes work from 34 artists who, over the last 25 years, have benefitted from the Monhegan Artists’ Residency Corporation, a nonprofit organization that provides housing and studio space on Maine’s Monhegan Island. Many of those artists will be on hand for the opening reception on June 19 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Monhegan Artists’ Residency was started in 1989 by Raquel and Peter Boehmer to provide young artists the opportunitty to spend time on the beautiful remote island, located 10 miles off shore and measuring only 1 square mile. The program has housed one to three artists per summer for a total of 48 artists to date, with three more artists lined up for summer 2014.
Installing a group exhibition such as Anniversary Exhibition can be a challenge, “but a fun one at that,” says Perzley, because the pieces are diverse in both subject matter (traditional Maine landscapes and seascapes to photo realism and abstraction), and medium (oil, acrylic, watercolor, egg tempera, pastels, screen prints and monotypes, mixed media, and photography).

Bait Barrels

by Kenny Cole is a screen print, 14 by 17 inches.

Artist’s Studio

by Daniel Anselmi, is a collage, 28 by 28 inches.

Mill Rd., Vermont

by Connie Hayes, is an oil on canvas, 18 by 18 inches.

Mountainside #9

by Lynn Travis, is ink and conte on grey paper, 8 by 5½ inches.

Monhegan Fisherman Rowing

by Michael Vermette, is a watercolor, 19 inches by 24 inches.
Perzley, along with her colleagues at Thos. Moser and Barbara Solely, an intern who is studying art history at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, worked closely on the exhibit with artists’ residency board members Susan Danly, Mary Harrington, and Marguerite Robichaux.
“In the process, I became familiar with many artists with whom I had no familiarity,” says Perzley, “which is always enriching and fun, as well as had the ability to reconnect with artists whose work I’ve previously exhibited.”
Monhegan Artists’ Residency 25th Anniversary Exhibition, Thos. Moser, 149 Main Street, Freeport, ME; thosmoser.com. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.