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Melissa Shook, ‘May 6, 1973,’ from the series Daily Self-Portraits 1972-1973, 1973. Gelatin silver print, 4 3/8 by 4/3/8in. Museum purchase with support from the Irving B. Ellis Fund, the Photography Fund, and the General Acquisitions Fund, 2023.14.1. Image courtesy of the Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine

Five decades of photography celebrated at Portland Museum of Art

Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Melissa Shook, ‘May 6, 1973,’ from the series Daily Self-Portraits 1972-1973, 1973. Gelatin silver print, 4 3/8 by 4/3/8in. Museum purchase with support from the Irving B. Ellis Fund, the Photography Fund, and the General Acquisitions Fund, 2023.14.1. Image courtesy of the Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine
Melissa Shook, ‘May 6, 1973,’ from the series Daily Self-Portraits 1972-1973, 1973. Gelatin silver print, 4 3/8 by 4/3/8in. Museum purchase with support from the Irving B. Ellis Fund, the Photography Fund, and the General Acquisitions Fund, 2023.14.1. Image courtesy of the Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine

PORTLAND, Maine – The Portland Museum of Art is showing Drawn to the Light: 50 Years of Photography at Maine Media Workshops + College through September 10.

Maine Media Workshops + College has drawn photographers to Rockport, Maine, for half a century. Founded in 1973 as the Maine Photographic Workshops, it was one of the few places completely dedicated to photography as the medium sought acceptance in the realm of fine arts while also skyrocketing in significance in popular culture. For five decades, aspiring and established creatives have gathered to immerse themselves in learning new skills and techniques, critique, and stylistic developments, and to learn from both peers and mentors such as Kate Carter, Dick Durrance, Ernst Haas, Mary Ellen Mark, Craig Stevens and Joyce Tenneson.

Jay Maisel, ‘Blue Wall with Doves, jun 1972,’ dye transfer print, 14 5/8 by 21 7/8in. Gift of the artist for the Ernst Haas memorial collection, 1998.73. Image courtesy of the Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine
Jay Maisel, ‘Blue Wall with Doves, jun 1972,’ dye transfer print, 14 5/8 by 21 7/8in. Gift of the artist for the Ernst Haas memorial collection, 1998.73. Image courtesy of the Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine

With around 100 works made through an array of photographic practices, Drawn to the Light: 50 Years of Photography at Maine Media Workshops + College demonstrates the incredible vitality of the artists that passed through Maine and the wide influence of the Workshops throughout the field of photography.

Sally Mann, ‘Leah and her Father’ from the series At Twelve, 1983-1985. Gelatin silver print, 10 3/8 by 13in. Promised gift from the Judy Glickman Lauder collection, 7.1998.39. Image courtesy of the Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine
Sally Mann, ‘Leah and her Father’ from the series At Twelve, 1983-1985. Gelatin silver print, 10 3/8 by 13in. Promised gift from the Judy Glickman Lauder collection, 7.1998.39. Image courtesy of the Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine

Maine Media Workshops + College was founded to create a community around photographic practice. With the creation of weeklong workshops, aspiring photographers were given access to equipment and the opportunity to learn from leading professionals and devoted artists. Instructors and students formed a tight-knit community around their passions for image-making and its capacity for both individual expression and visual storytelling. Being immersed in the natural landscape of Rockport, Maine — among peers profoundly dedicated to making pictures — inspired the prolific and diverse array of photographs represented in this exhibition.

Rodney Smith, ‘Three Men with Shears No. 1, Reims, France,’ 1997. Gelatin silver print, 10 9/16 by 13in. Gift of Leslie Smolan. 2022.19.1. Image courtesy of the Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine
Rodney Smith, ‘Three Men with Shears No. 1, Reims, France,’ 1997. Gelatin silver print, 10 9/16 by 13in. Gift of Leslie Smolan. 2022.19.1. Image courtesy of the Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine

Drawn to the Light is co-curated by Anjuli Lebowitz, PhD, Judy Glickman Lauder associate curator of photography at the Portland Museum of Art and Elizabeth Greenberg, Arnold and Augusta Newman provost from Maine Media Workshops and College. “This collection illustrates the enduring legacy of Maine Media Workshops + College and the remarkable impact that this institution has had on the field of photography over the past fifty years,” said Dr. Lebowitz. “It is a celebration of the creativity, passion, and skill of the many artists who have passed through its doors, and a testament to the power of community and collaboration in the pursuit of artistic excellence.”

Visit the website of the Portland Museum of Art and see its dedicated page for Drawn to the Light: 50 Years of Photography at Maine Media Workshops + College.