(Blue Hill, ME) Crystal Clutching is co-curated by Annika Earley and Em Gift, and features works by Annika Earley, Dana Sherwood, Haley Wood, Jennifer Coates, Jenny Ibsen, Lindsay Montgomery, Mark Dion, Rachel Alexandrou, Rebecca Munce, Shari Mendelson and Stacey Rozich.

Crystal Clutching reflects upon the historical murk of the dark ages while refracting contemporary anxieties around belief, doubt, and the seductive pull of the fantastical. In doing so, these artists ask not what we know, but how we know, and what we are willing to believe when the light grows uncertain?

The exhibition opens April 1 and runs through June 13. There will be an opening reception on Friday, April 3 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

More on the Exhibit

In the mid-1990s, Carl Sagan warned that modern society was drifting toward a second dark age. He argued that as our dependence on technology grew, our understanding of it would diminish and the sheer abundance of information would erode our sense of truth. In The Demon-Haunted World, Sagan imagined a culture that, unable or unwilling to think critically, would retreat into superstition—into demons, humours, and “crystal clutching.

“When reasoning falters,” he wrote, “the flame gutters. Its little pool of light trembles. Darkness gathers. The demons begin to stir. 1”

Today, that warning feels less prophetic than descriptive. AI-generated slop is promoted as the inevitable future of visual culture; cult remedies circulate as medical fact; truth collapses into opinion, algorithm, or just convenience. Answers are instant, outsourced, and frictionless—whether from a search engine, a feed, or a chatbot—while consumption continues uninterrupted, masking what has quietly disappeared: discernment, skepticism, and shared reality.

Within this landscape, the eleven artists in Crystal Clutching point back to the magic mirror to ask for clarification. Like the mythic amphisbaena — facing forward and backward at once — the works in this exhibition inhabit a space containing past and present, reason and superstition, truth and fable.

About the Artists

Dana Sherwood draws inspiration from ancient imagery, in this case the powerful mythological figure of Medusa. An enduring symbol whose meaning shifts with culture from monster to victim, Medusa glares out from Sherwood’s ceramic vessel as a snake coils around its neck.

Mark Dion, whose work often swims in the brackish waters of sculpture and scientific taxonomy, contributes a new print in which Medieval European and ancient Egyptian monsters are labeled with contemporary cultural plagues. A Boschian creature stands in for The Super Rich while a sword-wielding lizard monster is labeled as Scam-Artists and Identity Thieves. The levity created by the pairings only
emphasizes the strangeness of our current news cycle. It’s not difficult to find all sorts of monsters today.

Equally brackish is the work of Shari Mendelson, whose sculptures feel freshly unearthed and ancient until you learn that they are made of reclaimed and recycled plastic. Delicate and mysterious, they exist in two epochs at the same time, creating a crease or collapse in reality: viewing Mendelson’s sculptures is to look backwards and forwards at the same time, the magic mirror reflecting and refracting our own image once again.

About Working Loose

Located at 49 Main Street in Blue Hill, Working Loose is a concept shop and multidisciplinary art gallery playing at the intersection of commerce and creativity. More than just a retail destination, it’s a hub of possibilities — a place where ideas flourish, connections are forged, and new ventures can take flight. With an array of eclectic goods, immersive art shows, and engaging community events, Working Loose invites visitors to explore, connect, inspire, and be inspired! For more information, please visit www.workingloose.com.