At Maine Audubon, we are engaging with the creative community through exhibitions of Maine artists in the Gilsland Farm Gallery, workshops and programs that connect to the art, nature, wildlife, and conservation efforts of Maine.
Gilsland Farm Gallery
Located in the atrium of the Visitor Center at Gilsland Farm, the Gilsland Farm Gallery holds between 6 and 8 rotating exhibitions per year. We look for artists who have a connection to Maine, Maine Audubon and our mission, and/or nature and conservation. To submit your work for review, please email: art@maineaudubon.org. We are not scheduling new shows for 2025 at this time.
On View
Joy Grannis – through September 3, 2024 with an Artist Reception Sunday, August 4, 2-4 pm
About the Artist
Joy Grannis is an illustrator and artist originally from Downeast Maine, currently residing in South Portland. With a background in environmental science, fine art, and scientific illustration, Grannis integrates her diverse expertise to illuminate the natural world and advocate for environmental conservation through her artwork. Her preferred mediums include watercolor and digital media, where she draws inspiration from reference photos, field sketches, and her own imaginative interpretations. Her creations range from meticulously detailed renderings to abstracted expressions, each imbued with rich textures and intricate detail.
Gilsland Farm at 50 Call for Artists
Help us celebrate 50 years of Maine Audubon at Gilsland Farm!
Submissions due: July 26 at 11:59 pm
Notifications emailed: August 2
Drop off of accepted works: September 3-10
Show opens: September 13
Reception for artists: Sunday, September 15, 2-4 pm
Full details and application here
Upcoming
Joy Grannis – July 12-September 4, 2024. Reception: Sunday, August 4, 2-4 pm
Gilsland Farm at 50 – Juried show of artwork depicting or connected to Gilsland Farm – September/October 2024
Emerson Frost – October 2024
Taking Wing – a Juried show of bird art, November 2024-January 2025
Brush with Nature
Brush with Nature 2024 Update
In 2024, Maine Audubon is moving away from the plein air painting, gallery show, and fundraiser structure. Instead, we invite you to participate in Brush with Nature Maker Day on Saturday, August 24, 10 am to 2 pm, at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth. The event will be a casual day for families to come together and make art while enjoying nature. We will have a couple of activity stations for family participation, and materials for those who want them. We hope to have artists at work during the event so visitors can be inspired by the creative process and understand the importance of art and nature together.
In September, we will host a juried show of works depicting Gilsland Farm. It is the 50th anniversary of Maine Audubon’s work taking place in this location, and we will be celebrating in multiple ways. These works are not limited to plein air landscapes created for the event. We would love to see submissions of recent work that connects to Gilsland Farm in some way. This show will be featured at the annual Portside Autumn Equinox event on September 19.
And finally, during the holiday season (mid-November 2024 to mid-January 2025), we will host another juried show of bird art. The details for both shows will be available in June and all updates will be posted on this page.
Brush with Nature 2023 included Maker Days at three centers (Gilsland Farm in Falmouth, Fields Pond in Holden, Scarborough Marsh) where the public was invited to get creative outside; art-focused workshops at each center; and a juried art show and sale.
Background: In 2021 and 2022, Maine Audubon’s juried Plein Air painting event took place at our sanctuaries. Maine artists painted at our sanctuaries in August, the paintings were on display at our Falmouth headquarters, and an auction of the paintings raised money for Maine Audubon’s education, conservation, and advocacy programs.