Art at Bartlett 2025 presents . . .

HANDS AT WORK: Fiber Art by the Bartlett Woods Community                                                                                       

 

The Art at Bartlett exhibition program is pleased to present a free Opening Reception for the exhibition HANDS AT WORK: Fiber Art by the Bartlett Woods Community, on Friday, February 7th at 2-4PM at Bartlett Woods Retirement Community, 20 Bartlett Drive in Rockland. A survey of works in cloth, wool, thread, yarn, and paper will include quilting, weaving, knitting, felting, hooking, needlepoint, quilling, and more created by residents and staff of Bartlett Woods, and family members. Light refreshments will be served. Parking is limited to unmarked spaces, the driveway and along Talbot Avenue.   The public is also invited to visit during regular open hours, Monday to Friday, 8AM to 4PM; the exhibition remains on view through May 5, 2025.

Handwork and the needle arts have a long tradition in Maine, and remain very much a part of the creative community living and working at Bartlett  Woods,” confirmed Kelly Osborn, Executive Director at Bartlett Woods. “Our Art at Bartlett Program includes and supports the performing and visual arts. Through hosting public events and learning opportunities, we look to encourage the creative spirit within our community and beyond. This particular exhibit is exciting for its breadth and depth of talent and inspiration.”                                                                                                                                                  

Examples of contemporary and vintage fiber art work will include Memory Quilts, paper quilling, original petite point objects, appliqué, rug hooking, wearable art, and traditional Albanian textiles. Multiple generations will be represented by current makers living and working at Bartlett Woods, and their respective family members.

Additionally, artist talks, demonstrations and workshops are planned for the next few months to compliment the exhibition, which remains on view until May 5, 2025. Admission is free and accessible during regular business hours, which are 8am to 4pm; please call 207 593-1608 for more information.

About Bartlett Woods Retirement Community: Founded in 1998, Bartlett Woods Retirement Community is a 501(c)3 55+ apartment facility featuring 58 one and two bedroom apartments with Amenities and Respite rental options. Led by Executive Director Kelly Osborn, and a staff of nearly 40, Bartlett Woods is one of the smallest nonprofit communities in Maine, offering independent living as well as a full spectrum of support services and lifestyle enrichments. Located in Rockland, the art capital of Maine, Bartlett Woods provides convenience, accessibility, stimulation, and advocacy for individuals, couples, and their families. For further information, visit www.bartlettwoods.com or call 207 593 1608.

Continuum closes, reception for artist January 3, 2025

 The Art at Bartlett exhibition program is pleased to present a free public Closing Reception, featuring 97-year old resident artist Constance Kiermaier on Friday, January 3rd, 2025 from 4-6PM at Bartlett Woods Retirement Community, 20 Bartlett Drive in Rockland, ME. Her current show, “CONTINUUM: Old and New Works by Constance Kiermaier” will close after the weekend.  The exhibition is one part classic Kiermaier mixed media objects, and one part called The Portrait Project. Light refreshments will be served. Parking is limited to unmarked spaces, the driveway and along Talbot Avenue.

Constance has been our beloved resident teacher for many years,” confirmed Kelly Osborn, Executive Director at Bartlett Woods. “The arts are important at Bartlett Woods. Celebrating the close of this survey exhibition and learning about her life’s work is a privilege for all of us.  We hope to see many friends and make new ones at our upcoming Artist’s Talk”                                                                                                                                                  

Ms. Kiermaier’s constructions, paintings and prints are personal, mysterious, and timeless. Crafted with great skill, each piece demonstrates a refusal to be limited by material, method, or subject. Additionally, she is showing a new series of pastel portraits of some neighbors at Bartlett Woods, specifically those 95 years of age and older. The artist, herself 97 years old, is included with a self-portrait. “The Portrait Project’ began as a series of self-portraits to be given to each of my children,” confirms Constance. “This effort evolved into capturing the likenesses of some neighbors who are 95 and above, up to 100 years old! I believe it is vital for people our age to be noticed. This is an important issue for me.”

Constance Kiermaier is a graduate of the School of Fine Arts, Yale University. She has shown her work throughout the USA, including: Rhode Island School of Design, Yale University, National Academy of Fine Arts, Center for Maine Contemporary Art, and the Portland Museum. She has received many awards, including a fellowship from the New England Foundation on the Arts/National Endowment for the Arts. She was raised in Virginia, lived in Connecticut, Tenants Harbor, ME, has called Bartlett Woods home since 2016.

About Bartlett Woods Retirement Community: Founded in 1998, Bartlett Woods Retirement Community is a 501(c)3 55+ apartment facility featuring 58 one and two bedroom apartments with Amenities and Respite rental options. Led by Executive Director Kelly Osborn, and a staff of nearly 40, Bartlett Woods is one of the smallest communities in Maine, offering independent living as well as a full spectrum of support services and lifestyle enrichments. Located in Rockland, the art capital of Maine, Bartlett Woods provides convenience, accessibility, stimulation, and advocacy for individuals, couples, and their families. For further information, visit www.bartlettwoods.com or call 207 593 1608.  –end–