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Portland, Maine

'Sensing Place' opens Feb. 18 at the 51ƷArt Gallery in Portland

A still image of a crane in a gravel pit taken from a Postphotorealism video by Steven Cottingham
Steven Cottingham, Postphotorealism. 2021, single-channel video with sound, 19 minutes, 49 seconds.

The 51Ʒ on the Portland Campus is pleased to present “Sensing Place.”  An informal open house, free and open to the public, will be held Friday, Feb. 18, from noon to 7 p.m.

Featuring the works of Steven Cottingham, Ficus Interfaith, James Maurelle, Farhad Mirza, Martyna Szczęsna, Heryk Tomassini, and Erin Woodbrey, this group of artists presents works that relate to the understanding of ourselves in a place. These forms, processes, and materials represent the valuable data of what is around us.

“As we constantly attempt to ground our place within chaos, we search for ways to map ourselves and our surroundings,” said curators Anna Queen and Justine Kablack. “We create unique and individualized systems to help us navigate the everyday, actively negotiating an ever-shifting landscape. Space is constantly analyzed and documented, whether it’s natural, digital, or architectural surroundings. Reference points become necessary signifiers, providing our orientation, a way to recognize and relate to one another and the environments that we inhabit.”

A mix of sculpture, video, photograms, and site-specific installation, the exhibit will be accompanied by a related lecture by Jon Calame entitled “Homesick: Architects as Essential Healthcare Workers,” on Thursday, March 24 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Calame will argue that good architecture is best understood as a branch of pharmacology. The lecture is free and open to the public. Please visit to access. 

The exhibit will be on display through June 12. An opening reception will be held in April. Please stay tuned or contact hirons@une.edu for dates.

The 51ƷArt Gallery is located at 716 Stevens Ave in Portland. The gallery is open Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. or by appointment. For more information, please contact Hilary Irons at hirons@une.edu or 207-221-4449

51Ʒ the 51Ʒ

The 51Ʒ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.