New Season for CMCA at Bicknell Building in Rockland

Rockland, Maine - This is an exciting time for the Center for Maine Contemporary Art. Its building in Rockport is for sale and after more than sixty years, the organization is moving its base of operations to Rockland. Construction of CMCA’s new building on Winter Street, designed by architect Toshiko Mori, is well underway and is on schedule for completion in early summer 2016.

During this season of transition, CMCA is taking a first step into its new community by mounting exhibitions and holding events in a temporary space at the Bicknell Building, 11 Lime Street, Rockland. The first exhibitions open on Friday, June 5, with a reception from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. The event is free of charge and open to the public.

Reflecting CMCA’s nomadic nature this year, the two opening installations, Kevin Cyr: Becoming Nomads and Sean O’Brien: Everywhere Forever, investigate the idea of living lightly in the world, exploring themes of what it means to be autonomous, or at the very least an adventurer.

CMCA also has some unique pop-up activities planned for Arts in Rockland’s First Fridays and for other community events. Its plans are fluid, so please check cmcanow.org for the most up-to-date information on times and places, and a full schedule of activities. CMCA’s administrative offices will remain in Rockport at 162 Russell Avenue and are open by appointment. Call 207-236-2875 for more information.

CMCA is grateful for the generous support of major media sponsor Maine Home + Design magazine. The Center for Maine Contemporary Art is a nonprofit organization advancing contemporary art in Maine through exhibitions and educational programs.

Portland Ovations Members Get First Look at New Season

PORTLAND, Maine - Wednesday night at the Masonic Temple on Congress Street Portland Ovations unveiled their 84th season to Ovations Members and guests at their Annual Members-Only Preview Party.

With the capacity-crowd buzzing about what the non-profit performing arts presenter may bring to greater Portland next year, Executive Director Aimée M. Petrin stepped into the spotlight and announced an eclectic season, featuring artists from as far away as Pakistan and as close to home as Fort Kent. A multidisciplinary presenter, Ovations' season features 27 performances across genres as varied as Broadway, Classical Music, Dance, Music of the World, Family, and Innovations, a new category made up of multi-media performances that push boundaries and defy conventional categorization.

Portland Ovations kicks off the new season with their annual party fundraiser POP! at the Portland Company complex on October 1st . That same week will see the first performance of the season when Ovations partners with the Victoria Mansion to present the Metropolis Ensemble - led by Maine native and Bates Alum Andrew Cyr - on October 3rd as part of the First Friday Art Walk.

The season that follows includes four Broadway National Tours that boast a total of 21 Tony Award nominations and five Tony Award wins: Sister Act, Million Dollar Quartet (featuring the music of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash), Memphis, and - back by popular demand - the