Summer may be winding down, but the Ogunquit Museum of American Art will remain active well into autumn. The museum is open through Oct. 31, with exhibitions that highlight recent acquisitions, the work of Edward Betts and found objects.

In addition, the museum is preparing for its sixth annual Almost Labor Day Auction from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday. The auction is a major fundraiser for the museum, and includes art by local and national artists as well as items donated by residents, organizations and businesses. Admission is $50 per person, or $135 to be recognized as an auction patron and attend a champagne preview with the artists.

Additional Photos

Katherine Doyle's "Garden, Late Afternoon" will be among the items on the block at the Almost Labor Day Auction on Saturday. Courtesy photo

For exhibitions, “Recent Acquisitions” features art that has been acquired for the permanent collection over the past year through gifts and purchase. Featured artists are Bernard Langlais, Bernard Karfiol, Dewitt Hardy, Pat Hardy, Robert Laurent, Edward Hergelroth, Reuben Tam, Richard Lahey, Sumner Winebaum, Carlo Pittore, Karl Zerbe, Frank Gallo and Nicolai S. Cikovski.

“Edward Betts: An Ogunquit Master” includes work from the artist’s estate and work that is part of the museum’s permanent collection. Betts was active in the Ogunquit Art Association and the Ogunquit Museum of American Art for many years. He first painted in Maine on Monhegan Island in the 1940s. When he died in 2008, he left 15 works, including 12 of his own, to Ogunquit.

“Assemblage: Art of the Found Object” highlights work by contemporary and historic figures including Joseph Cornell, Louise Nevelson, Varujan Boghosian, David Madasci, Laura McCarty, Harvee Riggs and Bernard Langlais.

Assemblage was recognized as a legitimate art form with the cubist pasting and gluing collage experiments of George Braque and Pablo Picasso in France in 1912. Since that time, collage and assemblage art have grown into media accepted by artists and the public.

All three shows are on view through Oct. 31.

The museum also hosts a range of Tuesday-evening programs, including a listening tour by Maine Arts Commission Director Donna McNeil on Tuesday; a concert by Silver Roots on Sept. 7 featuring Juilliard graduates Shawn Myckoff on flute and Maria Millar on violin; and a talk by Dahlov Ipcar biographer Carl Little on Sept. 14. Little will offer a mini-retrospective of Ipcar’s life and work, and will sign copies of his recent book about the artist.

For information, call 646-4909 or visit www.ogunquitmuseum.org.

The museum is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Related Stories