BOWDOINHAM — The Merrymeeting Arts Center’s summer show opens June 22 and June 23.
The show features three artists — Carlo Pittore, Bryce Muir and Carter Smith — with strong ties to the town. Each developed a national and international following in very different media.
Each artist will have a separate exhibit in a room in the arts center and will be honored by special events later in the summer.
The exhibition, which will run through Sept. 23, is part of the celebrations of Bowdoinham’s 250th anniversary, as well as the fifth anniversary of the Merrymeeting Arts Center. It has received support both from the Carlo Pittore Foundation for the Figurative Arts and the 250th Anniversary Committee of Bowdoinham.
A gala preview of the show will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 22. Tickets, available at the door, cost $25 apiece.
A free public opening of the show will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 23, the same day as the annual Red, White & Blue Festival that features a revival of the famous Bowdoinham Chicken Barb-B-Q.
A newly renovated gallery space will display more than 30 of Pittore’s works. Muir’s wood sculptures, wooden portraits and watercolors of the area will be displayed in the Bryceworks gallery.
Smith’s photographs will be arranged as a collage on the walls of a third gallery. His films will be shown in September.
Carlo Pittore
Carlo Pittore moved to Bowdoinham in the 1970s and was active in the Maine art world, helping establish the Union of Maine Visual Artists, exhibiting his work at galleries throughout Maine, and hosting a drawing circle through the decades at his Academy of Carlo Pittore in Bowdoinham.
He created portraits of boxers, friends, American heroes (including a series of portraits of Abraham Lincoln), as well as extensive figure drawing, mail art and landscapes.
His work can be viewed at www.carlopittorefoundation.org.
Bryce Muir
Bryce Muir moved to Bowdoinham in 1984. He exhibited his sculptures at the Maine Festival in Brunswick and at galleries and shows throughout Maine. He also wrote articles for the National Fisherman, Maine Times and CoEvolution Quarterly.
Muir created wooden sculpture portraits of luminaries such as William Buckley, Margaret Mead, Babe Ruth and Marilyn Monroe.
In 1999 and 2000, he did a series of watercolors of the town of Bowdoinham and surrounding area.
Bryce Muir’s work can be viewed at www.brycemuir.com.
Both Pittore and Muir died in Bowdoinham in 2005.
Carter Smith
Carter Smith was raised in Bowdoinham, moving to New York after high school to pursue his art career. After establishing himself as a wellknown fashion and advertising photographer, he has followed his passion for filmmaking. His short film, “Bugcrush,” won the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival and was also shown at Cannes.
His second film, “Yearbook,” premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. After seeing that film, Steven Spielberg chose Smith to make “The Ruins,” a full-length film for DreamWorks.
Smith is currently working on his second full length film. His work can be seen at www.allthedeadboys.blogspot.com.
The center, located at 9 Park St., is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and other hours by appointment.
For more information, call Lee Parker at 710-0349.
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