Plenty of art-world denizens relocate to Cape Cod, the Hamptons, or upstate New York for the summer. But a growing contingent of artists, advisors, dealers, and museum leaders are now congregating a bit further north—in Maine.
The hip New York gallery Karma opened a seasonal outpost in Thomaston in 2021; a museum dedicated to the late Robert Indiana is taking shape on the nearby island of Vinalhaven; and Colby College is expanding programming on Allen Island and Benner Island, where painter Andrew Wyeth created some of his most iconic works.
One of the region’s most effective ambassadors is the artist Ann Craven, who is best known for her moody paintings of birds, moons, and other wildlife. Craven has been coming to Maine every summer since childhood and inaugurated Karma’s seasonal gallery with a two-person show with fellow Mainer Reggie Burrows Hodges. Here, Craven shares her favorite Maine haunts with CULTURED alongside the unlikely sequence of events that led her to become her own gallery’s summertime landlord.
When did you start coming to Maine?
I started coming to Maine as a child with my family, but I never stayed too long. It wasn't until I was older that I came back to paint. I fell in love with Maine and its pointy trees, and I needed to make it a part of my life.
You have a number of connections to Karma’s seasonal outpost in Thomaston. How did you end up there?
I was asking a local about stained glass windows in a historic tavern in town, and someone said, "You could always give them to the old Catholic church that's for sale." St James Catholic Church had been on and off the market for many years. I remembered that church. I had prayed for my mom in that church. My brother had just died and he had left me some money, so I wanted to buy it for my family.
I leave the tavern and it's a rainy late afternoon in 2016, and I drive straight to the church and kneel on the ground and I say "Mom, Dad, Joe, please help me to make the right decision here." I go back to the tavern and I call the realtor and I buy it. It took forever to finish the renovation and then, in 2021, Brendan at Karma suggested a two-person show between myself and Reggie Burrows Hodges to take place in the summer of 2021 at the church. A deadline was exactly what I needed!
Where are you right now? What do you see, hear, and smell?
I am sitting on the banks of the Saint George River in Cushing, Maine. I am looking at the high tide, and I smell jewelweed and salty water.
What's your favorite place to paint?
My favorite is in Cushing, Maine at my little house. I can see the trees and the moon rising over the lawn right from my studio.
Where do you go for alone time?
My studio.
Who are your favorite artists in the community?
Lois Dodd, Katherine Bradford, and Alex Katz are important to me. Barbara Sullivan, Melanie Essex, Jay Stern, David Wilson, Henry Austin, Nicole Wittenberg, Emilie Stark-Menneg, and Hilary Irons all inspire me.
What are your favorite galleries in the area?
I always stop by Caldbeck Gallery, Grant Wahlquist Gallery, Dowling Walsh, Dunes. For museums, it's always Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Colby College Museum of Art, the Farnsworth Art Museum, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, and the Portland Museum of Art.
Favorite place for a quintessential Maine meal?
The Slipway in Thomaston, Maine and the Block Saloon, also in Thomaston. And of course, Sammy's Deluxe in Rockland.
Best place for antiques?
Ross Levett has a beautiful shop in Thomaston. He has a special eye, and is an expert in everything from stoneware to textiles.
Best place for a glass of wine?
Luce in Rockland! Most fun party place with great music, homemade aperitif concoctions, and the best people.
Best Saturday activities?
Swimming in Megunticook Lake in Camden off the side of the road. Also, you can take the ferry from Rockland Harbor to Vinalhaven and see the Robert Indiana house and then go swimming in the quarry.
What's the best art pilgrimage?
You must go to the Christina Olson house, owned by the Farnsworth in Cushing, Maine. Don't forget to wander down the hill to visit Andrew Wyeth's grave. From there, you can imagine him painting Christina's World.
