Two years ago, Kiersten Wilcox was visiting her mom here during a particularly terrible January ice storm, and she and her husband fell in love with the Kennebunks.

“We looked at each other and said, “We love it here.’ We decided that if we could love this place in the middle of January, we would really enjoy living here year-round,” said Wilcox.

So last year they packed up their home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and moved east to be near family. The Kennebunks were exactly what this couple was looking for: a small town with a strong community vibe in which to raise their 2-year-old daughter, that is close to big cities with museums, art galleries and concerts, yet small enough to know your neighbor while surrounded by breath-taking scenery.

Plus the Kennebunks has a vibrant arts scene – and as an art consultant and gallery curator, she saw an opportunity to bring a new aspect to the art scene.

“There wasn’t really a gallery showing the work and artists I know many of my clients collect, and many of my clients are from the New England area. There was something missing, and I thought ‘I can fill that. Let’s bring something in that complements what’s already here. I want to add to an area that’s already known for its arts scene,” she said.

“If everyone works together to promote the arts – restaurants and lodging all benefit from having great art and galleries benefit from their draw – art can be a huge backbone to a community and overall contributor to its growth,” she said.

Raised in Southport, Connecticut, Wilcox started her successful career as an art consultant in Jackson Hole after receiving her bachelor of arts from Bucknell and master’s from Savannah College of Art and Design. She worked with clients from across the world helping them acquire new and exciting works for their homes and collections. Wilcox also volunteered her time as the president of the Jackson Hole Gallery Association and as a board member for the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival.

In Kennebunk, Wilcox started work as a private art consultant, doing her homework and research in hopes of opening a gallery. Despite a pandemic, she opened her doors June 1, virus or no virus.

“The internet has been a great thing,” she said with a laugh. “And we are thrilled to finally be open to the public and look forward to more visitors. Art is up on the walls, more art is coming in, and we look forward to being part of the arts community.”

KW Contemporary Art will host a grand opening party from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, July 10. Located upstairs from Spaces by Nicki Bongiorno, at 184 Port Road in Lower Village Kennebunk, the newest gallery in the Kennebunks features contemporary art from emerging and established internationally collected artists, notably Paul Villinski and Jeremy Houghton.

Villinksi, from York and now living in New York and collected around the world, has created studio and large-scale artworks for more than three decades. A pilot of sailplanes, paragliders and single-engine airplanes, he uses metaphors of flight and soaring in his work. With a lifelong concern for environmental issues, his work frequently re-purposes discarded materials, effecting surprising and poetic transformations. “They’re even more stunning in person,” said Wilcox. “He will hopefully be here for the opening in July.”

Houghton is noted for some high-profile work recently from Windsor Castle and Highgrove to 2017’s Wimbledon championships, and the competitors at the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. He paints places, journeys, sport and adventure to explore the essence of movement, favoring themes of space and light. The subjects that characterize these scenes are illuminated by the way that he shapes the spaces between things, and the spaces in which bodies linger, shimmer, move and often take flight.

“I think their art will really resonate well around here,” Wilcox said.

Next up in August will be Transmarinus, a solo exhibit of work by Chloe Saron, opening with a public reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14.

For gallery information, call 207-204-0480 or visit www.kwcontemporaryart.com.

 

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