OMAA Director’ Message 2011
The state of the art.

Welcome to the 58th season of the Ogunquit Museum of American Art.

Earlier Opening Brings Over a Thousand Visitors in May

In 2010, the Museum opened on May 22nd and tested the waters of a late spring opening. This year, the Museum opened on May 1st to crowds of visitors at the opening reception and throughout the month. Over 200 people attended the opening reception and 1,116 visitors, including several school groups and bus tours, came to the Museum during the month of May. My hope is that in future years opening on May 1st will allow local residents to visit the Museum more freely, offer increased opportunity for visitation by area school groups, and entice ever-more early season visitors to attend.

New Front Lobby and Landscape Study Thanks to the Quimby Grant

Last fall, the Museum was a fortunate recipient of a major grant from the Quimby Family Foundation. As a result of the grant, you may have noticed the new front lobby in the Museum last year. This year the Museum has hired SiteCreative Landscape Architecture to study the Museum’s grounds and design a plan that addresses parking and roadways, signage, fences and lighting, placement of sculptures, and ground drainage. Stephanie Hubbard, Principal of SiteCreative Landscape Architecture, brings a wealth of site planning experience to the project, including her work with art museums, sculpture parks and as a Landscape Architect on the PBS program This Old House. Look for a public presentation of the project at our Tuesday night programs on September 6th, at 7pm. Click here to read more about that program.

The Maine Drawing Project and Associated Shows

Where to Draw the Line, The Maine Drawing Project, is a statewide visual arts initiative developed by the Maine Curators Group which celebrates the art of drawing in museums and galleries across the state. The OMAA is featuring several important shows this summer. The Question of Drawing will look at the act of drawing that stretches the bounds of what can be considered a drawing. Drawn to Modernism features master drawings selected from the Permanent Collection which have a Modernist tendency. Many of the artists in these show were members of the Ogunquit art colonies. Henry Strater: The Drawing Tradition features Strater’s early drawings and the influence they had on the development of his paintings. More detail on all of these exhibitions can be found on our Exhibitions page. Information on The Maine Drawing Project can be found on this page or by picking up a brochure at OMAA.

Our New Catering Kitchen

Over the winter, the Museum’s kitchen was transformed into a catering kitchen through a major renovation. Now there are plenty of counter spaces for caterers to work, an office workstation, Museum shop storage, a new convection oven, microwave, dishwasher, ice maker, and wine cooler. Partial funds for the kitchen renovation came from the Estate of Bruce G. Thayer and the Museum’s maintenance fund. Many thanks to Board member Carole Aaron for her financial contribution and volunteer efforts on behalf of the kitchen. Thanks also to Anne Whitney Architect, Portsmouth, for donating the design of the kitchen. Demolition, construction and materials were accomplished by Seawood Enterprises, Just in Time Odd Jobs, and Eldredge Lumber. And take a look at the article about the Gift Registry at Crate and Barrel and help us with our wish list for the new kitchen.

—Ron Crusan, OMAA Executive Director

OMAA Director’ Message 2011 The state of the art.

OMAA Director’ Message 2011
The state of the art.