2009 Portland Museum of Art Biennial
April 9 through June 7, 2009
Artists Chosen for 2009 Biennial:
*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. Calderón (Bronx, NY)
*Tillman Crane (Camden, ME) (2007)
*Sean Foley (Worthington, OH) (2003)
A. Jacob Galle (Berryville, VA and Bowdoinham, ME)
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)
Andy 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)
Stats:
970 applicants
17 artists selected
28 works
7 artists have exhibited in previous Biennials*
After receiving a record number of 970 entries for the 2009 Portland Museum of Art Biennial exhibition, the Portland Museum of Art is pleased to announce that 28 works by 17 artists have been selected for the show. This past summer, artists submitted 3,800 works of art to be considered by a panel of three jurors: Elizabeth Burke, Dan Graham, and Denise Markonish. The jurors spent a weekend in September viewing images and selecting the work for next year's Biennial.
Each Biennial is uniquely formed by the jurors' collective vision and the work presented to them. This year more than ever before, the selected works reflect the jurors' intent to curate the exhibition as a whole and allow for a more intimate experience of each artist's work. The sixth Biennial will 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.
Of the 17 artists chosen, 7 have participated in previous Biennial exhibitions. The majority of Biennial artists are full or part-time residents, and a number of them are affiliated with one of Maine's many prestigious art programs. Their work is created in media ranging from painting, drawing, printmaking, and photography to sculpture, installation, and video. This blend of influences and experiences enriches the state's artistic community and defines its art scene as one that reflects a diversity of traditions-both established and new.
The 2009 Biennial will be on view from April 8 through June 7, 2009. A full-color catalogue will be published in conjunction with the exhibition and will be available in the Museum Store next spring.
The Portland Museum of Art Biennial is made possible by the William E. and Helen E. Thon Endowment Fund.
Notification of jurors' selection was mailed to artists on September 30th, 2008. If you would like to be added to the Biennial mailing list, please email Sage Lewis with your mailing address.
Jurors
Elizabeth Burke is co-founder and co-director of Clementine Gallery in New York. Known for launching and developing careers, the Clementine Gallery exhibits emerging and established contemporary artists who work in a variety of media. Burke lectures regularly for undergraduate and graduate programs at New York University, the New School University, the School of Visual Arts, and Parsons School of Art, to name a few.
Dan Graham is a video, installation, and performance artist also based in New York. Graham has pioneered the use of film and video in performance and installation works since the 1970s and has published numerous critical essays on subjects from music to urban planning. Recent works address architecture and public space and have been exhibited and collected by institutions worldwide.
Denise Markonish is Curator at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams. Her most recent exhibition, Badlands: New Horizons in Landscape explores the work of contemporary artists who approach landscape through history, culture, and science. Previous to her position at Mass MoCA, Markonish was the Gallery Director/Curator at Artspace in New Haven, Connecticut.