The Maine Arts Commission announced today that Alison Ferris, of Brunswick, has joined the agency as the new Assistant Director. Ferris, who spent the last twelve years working as curator of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, will primarily oversee the human resources and budgetary workings of the agency while lending her considerable expertise to its various programs.
"The Maine Arts Commission is thrilled to welcome Alison Ferris as its new assistant director," said the agency's director, Donna McNeil. "Alison's depth of curatorial experience, her knowledge of Maine's cultural landscape and her work at the Kohler Foundation, that connected blue collar folks with artists, make her a valuable resource as we establish Maine's cultural assets as an integral economic driver during these challenging times."
Arguably, one of the most notable contributions Ferris has made to Maine's cultural community in recent years is that of overseeing, alongside former director Katy Kline, the installation of the entire Bowdoin Museum of Art when it reopened in the fall of 2007. This reopening followed a major renovation and expansion by the acclaimed architectural firm Machado and Silvetti.
During her twelve years as curator of Bowdoin Museum, Ferris specialized in finding creative ways to contextualize contemporary art through the use of the permanent collections and loans, as well as through publications and extensive educational programming.
"I am delighted to have this opportunity to devote my time, energy, and expertise to the Maine Arts Commission," explained Alison Ferris. "This agency, under the directorship of Donna McNeil, has done inspiring work supporting and advocating for the arts and artists in Maine, and I am proud to be a member of her team. I believe that fostering the human imagination is crucial, especially now that we, as a state and as a nation, must radically re-imagine our future."
The most recent exhibitions organized by Ferris during her time at Bowdoin Museum included Fantastical Fables: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints by Amy Cutler and Parterre, An Installation by Lauren Fensterstock (both in 2008). Other notable exhibitions she curated included The Disembodied Spirit (2003); Without Likeness: Paintings by Anne Harris (2003); Simple Pleasures: An Outdoor Sculpture by Patrick Dougherty (2001) and Skin and Bones: An Installation by Polly Apfelbaum (2000). She also curated a number of the solo exhibitions for the Museum?s summer series of unconventional responses to the Maine landscape featuring work by Lois Dodd, Thomas Joshua Cooper, Emily Nelligan, and Susan Hartnett.
For more information:
Contact: Darrell Bulmer
Phone: 207/287-6746
email: darrell.bulmer@maine.gov
WWW: mainearts.com
