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The latest Portland Press Herald Article on MMPA

Installation video by Jon Pelletier

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A JAMES R. SALOMON MEMORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT

Of Home + Place

With an original sound scape composition by contemporary composer Barry Morse

JUNE 5 - AUGUST 1, 2026

      Join us for a Looking at You panel, Friday, JULY 24, 5-8pM

Jon Pelletier
Todd Watts
 Keily Anderson Staley
 Jeffery C. Becton
 James Mullen
 Cole Caswell
 Lin Lisberger
 Jodi Colella
 Gary Green
 Barry Morse
 Justin Kirchoff
Chris Schiavo
 Jim Nickelson
Suzanne Theodora White
 Jean Noon
Eugene Cole
 Emily Belz
 Megan Jones
 Joan Fitzsimmons

Home is not merely a structure; it is a fabric woven from the landscapes we inhabit and the roots we decide to put down. My own path- shaped by the tidal marshes of Connecticut on Long Island sound and the rugged permanence of Maine - has been a lifelong study of place-making. From designing spaces to managing properties, I have always looked for the point where conservation, stewardship and personal history converge. In this exhibition, Conservation, longing, nostalgia, alter ego, experience of place, the subconscious experience, time, peace + war, domesticated animals, the romanticism of the woods, echo and syphoning through experience, mans relationship to landscape, site specificity, home as theatre, inheritance, designing the landscape, time before the abyss, and the moon are just some of the topics covered in this exhibition.

Of Home and Place is born from this shared language of looking. It is presented in the memory of James R. Salomon (1963 -2024), a distinguished photographer whose thirty - year career was defined by a sensitive eye for the intersection of architecture and light. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts, Jamie possessed a rare ability to capture the soul of a home. Whether photographing major magazines or documenting the Maine woods and waters he loved, his work was always and act of deep observation.

The artists gathered here join Jamie and me in a vital inquiry: What does it mean to belong to a place or have a home? We are grateful to the Salomon family for their generous sponsorship of this exhibition. It is an honor to celebrate Jamie’s legacy through a dialogue that invites us all to consider where we are rooted, and why it matters.  - Denise Froehlich, Dir. MMPA

Sense of place is the sixth sense, an internal compass and map made by memory and spacial perception together. The desire to go home that is a desire to be whole, to know where you are, to be the point of intersection of all the lines drawn through all the stars, to be the constellation-maker and the center of the world, that center called love. To awaken from sleep, to rest from awakening, to tame the animal, to let the soul go wild, to shelter in darkness and blaze with light, to cease to speak and be perfectly understood. - Rebecca Solnit

The sense of place, as the phrase suggests, does indeed emerge from the senses. The land, and even the spirit of the place, can be experienced kinetically, or kinesthetically, as well as visually. If one has been raised in a place, its textures and sensations, its smells and sounds, are recalled as they felt to a child’s, adolescent’s, adult’s body. Even if ones history there is short, a place can still be felt as an extension of the body, especially the walking body, passing through and becoming part of the landscape. - Lucy Lippard

The Woods are my personal reflections on the meaning of landscape. I do not relate to landscape with a grand sense of romanticism. In this landscape I have ventured into the forest, the unknown, to discover that not only is it a place of both fear and fantasy, but that its very history embodies all of that. I have walked as long as I can remember. My Father would gather me, and my siblings, and we would walk for miles. We would walk to our grandparents' home. In summers, we walked in the Michigan woods, searching for evidence of past histories. When I walk, I dream. I don't start with that intent. I just want to move, but my mind moves with my body. It moves in time to places of memory and imagination. My early landscape work began with a walk in the woods. As an artist-in-residence at the Weir Farm National Historic Site I took daily walks in the surrounding woods.  Imagination came into play, both then and now, with imagined creatures and events in the extreme. While lost near twilight, I conjured everything, Bambi, deer ticks, sudden sounds weren’t necessarily animals. Some of the fantasy was Disneyesque, some was extremely frightening. I wasn’t always sure of how based in reality it was. In Poland I visited Bialoweiza, one of the last remaining bits of primeval, European Forest. This speaks to the history of the woods in Europe (and other places). The woods are rife with histories of oppression and execution. They were often places of escape from such. While there I was also introduced to the traditional cut-paper art of Wycinanki.

My series, The Woods, was inspired by my experience of frequently being lost therein. It invited new formal challenges. Breaking from the traditional small photographic rectangle, I chose to respond to the immense scale of the woods and its seemingly infinite depth by augmenting the scale of my medium. I projected negatives onto mural-sized paper that I pinned to a moveable wall and then developed in an oversized sink with sponges. I then collaged the pieces together, with regard to the movement and dynamics of line. I treated the prints in a looser, more painterly fashion by collaging and cutting negatives, selectively bleaching and toning the images, and adding inks, often recreating the act of gestural drawing that I saw performed by the winter landscape. Currently I am also incorporating photograms, handcrafted birds, bits of yarn, yard debris, informed by Wycinanki and my imaginative landscape. In this body of work, I have attempted to recreate the experience of an environment through the use of abstraction, line, and scale , inviting the viewer into a disorienting space. It may be a place of discomfort, an abstraction of reality, an other reality. I am interested in creating landscapes that confer, or imply their own meaning, their own world. - Joan Fitzsimmons

Looking at You

JUNE 5 - AUGUST 1, 2026

Talks:  Looking at You panel Friday, July 24, 5-8M

Kevin Brusie
Arlene Collins
Denise Laurinaitis
Jack Montgomery
Barbara Peacock
Jan Pieter van Voorst van Beest
Richard Wexler
Bret Woodard
CLAY ATKINSON

This exhibit entitled  Looking at You presents a compelling exploration of street photography, emphasizing its instinctual, unpremeditated, reactive, and spontaneous nature. This form of photography captures fleeting moments—chance encounters and random events—that together weave visual narratives reflecting the human condition. While these characteristics define street photography, the exhibit reveals that it transcends this definition, showcasing the unique perspectives and approaches of eight distinct photographers.

Drawing inspiration from Edward Steichen’s reflections on the “Family of Man” exhibit, this exhibition highlights a dynamic interaction between the viewer and the photographed subjects. Steichen observed that audiences often felt a connection, as if the people in the pictures were looking back at them, creating a profound sense of recognition and participation. Similarly, street photography frequently captures moments that verge on portraiture, fostering a silent dialogue between photographer, subject, and viewer.

The images in this collection document seemingly small, everyday moments that collectively form the rich tapestry of human experience. The exact location or context is secondary to the act of witnessing and preserving these slices of time. By capturing these transient instants, photographers contribute to an ongoing historical record of life itself.

Throughout photography’s history, the human condition has remained its dominant theme. The power of the medium lies in its ability to capture people in their complexity, relationships, and environments. This exhibit invites us to look at each other and ourselves, to reflect on our shared humanity through the lens of these candid images. As Henri Cartier- Bresson famously said, “We are passive onlookers in a world that moves perpetually. Our only moment of creation is that 1/125 of a second when the shutter clicks, the signal is given, and the motion is stopped.” Looking at You encapsulates this fragile, decisive moment, inviting us to pause, observe, and connect.  - Jan Pieter van Voorst van Beest, MMPA Board member and Curator of Looking at You

MMPA IS PROUD TO PRESENT A SOLO EXHIBITION AND NEW MONGRAPH BY MELONIE BENNETT

HOLY COW! IS AN UPCOMING BOOK THAT OFFERS A PLAYFUL YET POIGNANT JOURNEY THROUGH 20 YEARS OF FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY BENNETT BETWEEN 1990 AND 2011. THESE BLACK-AND-WHITE IMAGES FORM AN UNCONVENTIONAL FAMILY ALBUM CAPTURING RITUALS, TRADITIONS, DRAMAS, LAUGHTER, GATHERINGS, DOGS, AND DRUNKEN EXPLOITS, ALONGSIDE QUIETER MOMENTS OF REPRIEVE. TOGETHER, THEY PORTRAY THE ROLLERCOASTER OF HUMAN LIFE WITH HONESTY AND WARMTH.

AUGUST 7 - OCTOBER 3, 2026.

OPENING RECEPTION:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 5–8 PM

ARTIST TALK & BOOK SIGNING: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 5–8 PM

The monograph 'Holy Cow!' is a romp through 20 years of family photographs by Melonie Bennett. The black and white images in this unconventional family album were made between 1990-2011. They depict the rituals, traditions, dramas, laughter, gatherings, the dogs and the drunken exploits alongside quieter moments of reprieve—they show the rollercoaster of human life.

'Holy Cow!' was published in May 2026 by Gost Books and is available for Purcase Here.

INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE METAPHYSICAL

AUGUST 7 - OCTOBER 3

OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 5-8PM
ARTIST PANEL: FRIDAY AUGUST 21, 5-8PM

ARTIST TALK, READING + BOOK SIGNING: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 18, 5-8PM

ANDREW O BRIEN
GARY GREEN
MARIANNE BERNSTEIN
KEILY ANDERSON STALEY
BRENDAN BULLOCK
JOHN GINTOFF
JOYCE ELLEN WEINSTEIN
SARAH SALOMON
BRENTON HAMILTON
FERN NESSON
PETER SHELLENBERGER
ELIZABETH OPALENIK
LUC DEMERS
SUSAN MURIE

A CALL FOR WORKS

"CANINE" 

Send us an email with “CANINE SUBMISSION” in the subject line, a short bio (2–3 sentences), an artist statement (3–5 sentences about the content of the work) An image list, and 6-12 JPGS (sized to 1500 pixels on the long edge) to CONTACT.MMPA@GMAIL.COM.

(Please send CONCEPTUAL FINE ART IMAGES ONLY)

It is to Jamie Salomon and his family that we owe this terrific upcoming exhibition, as it was generously underwritten by the Salomon family.

Jamie Salomon (1963 - 2024) was a distinguished photographer whose passion for the art began at age 12 with his father's Rolleiflex camera. He earned a BFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York City and later established his career in Maine after relocating with his wife, Susan. Over more than three decades, Jamie specialized in architectural, editorial, and commercial photography, developing a unique style characterized by a keen eye and a sensitive use of light. An avid nature enthusiast, his deep knowledge of the woods, oceans, and flora and fauna often permeated his photography, bringing his passions vividly to life in his images. 

Deadline for Submission Tuesday, December 1, 2026

SUBMIT YOUR WORK

HAVE A PORTFOLIO THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?

Send us an email with “PORTFOLIO SUBMISSION” in the subject line, a short bio (2–3 sentences), an artist statement (3–5 sentences about the content of the work, an image list, and 24-48 JPGS (sized to 1500 pixels on the long edge) to CONTACT.MMPA@GMAIL.COM

Please Note: A small donation to MMPA of $50. is suggested.

Every submission gets a response. Works that aren’t right for MMPA are often forwarded to curators friends in Southern Maine.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND GOOGLE DRIVE LINKS or pdf FILES. Dropbox or WETransfer is best.

Volunteers Wanted

Office Assistant

We need someone who loves administrative work and has excellent follow through - 15hrs a week.

Email us at contact.mmpa@gmail.com with “VOLUNTEER” in the subject line. Include a resume.

Book Features

MMPA is proud to have offerings from Radius Books, MW Editions + Artist monographs and Book Arts
New titles are constantly coming in. A new book just in by clay atkinson below.

Clay Atkinson

(1941-2026)

This is a deeply moving and evocative piece of writing.  The soulful narrative walks us through Clay's journey from the rigid world of business through the lens of his camera into the vulnerable world of art.
- S. D. Gemini

Artist Monographs and Book Arts

Support Maine photographers by purchasing from the MMPA Store: Books, Prints, Framed works + Secondary market finds. Selections from the exhibition are typically available for 8 weeks. Works can be borrowed, taken on trial, and paid for in installments. Our goal is to have Maine photographic work in your home, office, business or museum. We don’t care how it gets there, we just want you to revel in how wonderful our artists are, and how important they/their works can be to your collection and your life. Your purchase makes opportunities for artists + future exhibitions. Thank you for your involvement.

Secondary Market feature From the Flat files

Dan Dow

Dan Dow, Leaves, Hawaii, 1/1, n.d., Inkjet print, 17 x 22 inches, $950.

Dan Dow, Montana, Landscape with Clouds, 1/1, n.d., Inkjet print, 16 x 24 inches, $950.

Dan Dow, Autumn Leaves, 1/1, n.d., Inkjet print, 17 x 24 inches, $950.

Dan Dow, Photographer (1940-2024)

It was always difficult to get Dan Dow to talk about his own work. He was just not into promoting himself, be that to discuss his own work or even to make a lot of effort to show his work in exhibits or to get it published. He photographed and made art because that was what he did. He did not feel he needed anyone’s input or approval. After some substantial encouragement he would sometimes give in and show his work. As a longtime member of the Portland Camera Club he would show his work but had little interest in making his photographic art subject to their competitions. He did not feel art was something to compete with but he knew his photographs were good. He was a master photographer, with an Ansel Adams like advanced technique and an exceptional feeling for composition. He always knew what was in his compositions, what function every detail has. If something was in the photograph he wanted it to be there. After a long career as a fine art photographer Dan passed away in the spring of 2024. His work can be found in several collections such as the Stephen Halpert Collection at the University of New England. He did show his work in exhibitions at the Art Gallery of the University of New England and also at the Addison Woolley Gallery in Portland Maine and later in many regular exhibits with the Addison Wooley Group. His work was chosen for the 1979 and 1981 Maine Biennial exhibits while it was also, nearly annually, selected in the Maine Photo Show in Boothbay. - Jan Pieter van Voorst van Beest, Dear friend and colleague

At the Maine Museum of Photographic Arts we are privileged to be able show his work.

Do you have work in your collection that you would like to sell? to schedule an appointment contact.mmpa@gmail.com