A dynamic snapshot of art in the United States today, featuring 14 emerging artists connected to Maine.
October 11, 2024, through April 27, 2025
As We Are features the work of 14 emerging artists, all of whom have strong ties to Maine. With works spanning a range of media—from painting, drawing, and photography to ceramics and sculpture—visitors will have the opportunity to explore the innovative forms of aesthetic practice in American contemporary art today. Themes such as identity, ecology, material history, and kinship create important points of connection and conversation in this exhibition. Perhaps most notable about the artists exhibited is the community they share with one another, some as alumni of the same local institution, others as mentors, and still others as friends.
Meg Hahn
United States, born 1995
Cut Out Shadows 1, 2024
oil on panel
14 5/8 x 11 1/2 inches
Meg Hahn.
© Meg Hahn.
Image courtesy Petegorsky/Gipe Photo
James Parker Foley
United States, born 1993
Divers Approaching Infinite Density, 2023
oil on linen, 72 x 60 inches
Courtesy of Sarah Bouchard Gallery
© James Parker Foley
Image courtesy the artist
Elana Adler
United States, born 1986
Can a Pile Be Sideways?, 2024
aluminum and epoxy clay, 25 x 25 x 18 inches
Elana Adler
© Elana Adler
Image courtesy Petegorsky/Gipe Photo
Jay Stern
United States, born 1991
Green House and Table, 2023
oil on canvas, 40 x 45 inches
Courtesy of the artist and Grant Wahlquist Gallery, Maine
© Jay Stern
Image courtesy the artist
Brian Smith
United States, born 1994
Gay Bar, 2024
vintage glass, plastic, and stone beads, chatons, gemstones, foam, adhesive, and pigment, 30 x 24 x 10 inches
Brian Smith
© Brian Smith
Image courtesy Brian Smith
Tessa Greene O'Brien
United States, born 1982
Bayview Market & Takeout, 2024
oil on linen, 14 x 11 x 1 1/4 inches
Tessa Greene O'Brien
© Tessa Greene O'Brien
Image courtesy Petegorsky/Gipe Photo
Maya Tihtiyas Attean
Penobscot, born 1994
Becoming a ghost of myself, 2023
archival inkjet print, 32 x 40 inches
Maya Tihtiyas Attean
© Maya Tihtiyas Attean
Image courtesy the artist
Jenny Ibsen
United States (born China), born 1996
#1 Bun, 2024
terracotta, underglaze, glaze, and luster, 17 1/2 x 8 x 3 7/8 inches
Jenny Ibsen
© Jenny Ibsen
Image courtesy Petegorsky/Gipe Photo
Rachel Gloria Adams
United States, born 1987
Cherry Yoplait, 2024
acrylic, denim, cotton, corduroy, silk, and wool, 84 x 91 inches
Private Collection
© Rachel Gloria Adams
Image courtesy Petegorsky/Gipe Photo"
Hector Nevarez Magaña
United States, born 1994
norway center no. 7, 2024
gelatin silver print, image: 6 x 9 inches; sheet: 11 x 14 inches
Hector Nevarez Magaña
© Hector Nevarez Magaña
Image courtesy the artist
Holden Willard
United States, born 1999
The Bathers (When We Were Kids), 2024
oil on burlap, 75 x 45 inches
Holden Willard
© Holden Willard
Image courtesy Kat Miller
Dylan Hausthor
United States, born 1993
barbed wire on a stick, 2024
archival pigment print, 40 x 32 inches
Dylan Hausthor
© Dylan Hausthor
Image courtesy the artist"
Oscar Chacon
United States, born 1984
The Waiting, 2021
Xylene image transfer, colored pencil, graphite pencil, and soft pastel on paper, 30 x 22 5/16 inches
Oscar Chacon
© Oscar Chacon
Image courtesy the artist
Anna Valenti
United States, born 1991
Woven Vessel, 2024
hemp fiber clay and glaze
17 x 11 x 11 inches.
Anna Valenti.
© Anna Valenti. Image courtesy the artist
Living, working, and learning in the 21st century, these artists have adopted many ideas and strategies with roots in the American modernist traditions strongly associated with Maine artists such as Lois Dodd, Marsden Hartley, and John Marin. At the same time, they challenge the tropes of this legacy, bringing their own subjectivities to bear on dominant art histories. When visitors walk through the galleries and participate in the exhibition’s tours, talks, and programs, they will be able to identify shared concerns in the artworks presented, which are in conversation with one another and the place these artists call home.
As We Are is the next chapter in the Portland Museum of Art’s long history of exhibiting and promoting the art of Maine-connected practitioners.
Programming and Events
About the Artists
In the News
"Art for all.” That's the message of the Portland Museum of Art with the aim of making art accessible and open to everyone.
“The exhibit features painting, photography, and sculpture from 14 artists with deep connections to Maine.”
Photograph by iBec Creative
“Sayantan Mukhopadhyay, who moved to Maine last year to take a job at the Portland Museum of Art, got to know the state through the process of curating 'As We Are,' on view all winter.”
Photograph by iBec Creative
The Portland Museum of Art is thrilled to announce the opening of As We Are, an exhibition showcasing the work of 14 emerging artists with deep connections to Maine.
As We Are is made possible by the Helen E. and William E. Thon Endowment Fund.
This exhibition is part of Art for All.
Art for All supports the PMA's dedication to being an open, accessible, inclusive, and welcoming museum for all, through exhibitions and programs that reflect our community and create experiences with art that strengthen our bonds and bring us together.
Corporate support:
Foundation Support:
A grant from the Mimi Fund of the Maine Community Foundation