MATTER, Amy Stacey Curtis' 8th of 9 solo-biennial exhibits of interactive installation, will be installed throughout ~24,000 square feet of Parsonfield's Robinson Mill. As with Curtis’ previous "solo biennials," each of 9 large-in-scope, temporary works will have instructions, the instructions themselves, an integral part of the art. MATTER is part of an 18-year commitment to interactive art, a project which began in 1998 and has been culminating through 9 solo biennials through 2016. In the end, Curtis will have installed 81 ambitious audience-activated works in the vast mills of 8 or 9 Maine, USA towns. Each exhibit is a 22-month process, exploring a different theme while requiring audience to perpetuate its multiple installations. "The audience completes my creative process. Without the audience's careful participation, my work is literally static and unfinished."

MATTER will be open for participation October 4-24, 2014 after an intense 9-week period beginning August 1, when the artist begins preparing the mill and installing her concepts. "By putting efforts into fortifying and beautifying these mills, I also give something back to the towns which so graciously host my work." Curtis' previous solo biennials--EXPERIENCE (2000), MOVEMENT (2002), CHANGE (2004), SOUND (2006), LIGHT (2008), TIME (2010), SPACE (2012)--took place in Lewiston's Bates Mill, Westbrook's Old Sebago Shoe Mill, Brunswick's Fort Andross, Waterville's Lockwood Mill, Sanford's Millstone Place, Biddeford's Pepperell Mill, and Winthrop's former Carleton Woolen Mill respectively. The final solo biennial is MEMORY in 2016, which Curtis hopes to mount in Lewiston, bringing the project full circle. 

There are a lot of ways you can help: For 1 of the 9 installations at MATTER, Curtis needs 999 people each to commit to BRING (during the exhibit in October) or SEND to her Lyman, Maine studio (by August 1), 3 cups of loose dirt/soil/earth from home. In addition, art assistants contribute, barter for drawings, or are paid for labor. All art assistants are listed on exhibit signage and in her 2018 publication. To provide dirt, and/or to art assist, please contact Curtis at amy@amystaceycurtis.com for more information. Other programming [write artist for updated schedule--other talks to be scheduled in Parsonsfield area]: Artist Talk (biennial project): Ogunquit Museum of American Art, Tuesday, September 16, 7:00 p.m. Artist Talk (MATTER drawings): Ogunquit Museum of American Art, Saturday, October 18, 10:00 a.m.  Solo Exhibit: "Amy Stacey Curtis: Drawings," September 4-October 31, Ogunquit Museum of American Art About Robinson Mill, Parsonsfield, Maine.

Once one of the largest woolen textile mills in Maine, the Robinson Mill (formerly Kezar Falls Woolen Company) was erected on the Ossipee River in 1880 by John Devereux, Elijah Fox, and George W. Towle. Allen Garner, who was employed in 1881 to manage the machinery and run production, eventually owned the mill. Through his leadership the Kezar Falls Woolen Company became the most important enterprise in Parsonsfield employing a large part of its residents. The company's success reached its peak in the 1950’s, continuing to operate until 2000. Today the property is owned by the Town of Parsonsfield. Please contact Dan Flint at  selectmen@parsonsfield.org for more information regarding purchase/development of this mill.

MATTER is funded in part by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. MATTER is sponsored by the Town of Parsonsfield, and collaboratively sponsored by the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, with a grant from the Joan and Jane Dwyer Fund. MATTER, October 4-24, 2014, Robinson Mill, 10 Mill Street, Parsonsfield, Maine. Opening: Saturday, October 4, 2:00–5:00 p.m. Other Hours: Every day 12–5:00 p.m. Free admission or donation. Enter at own risk. Please bring cell phone (set to vibrate). Because of vulnerable/fragile nature of Curtis' work, not appropriate for small children. For ages 7 and up; 16 and under admitted with adult only. Not handicap-accessible. No elevators. No plumbing (see website for suggested restroom stops). Curtis will be at exhibit during all hours. For more information: www.amystaceycurtis.com or 207-838-3390.