The Art in the Capitol program features work throughout the Capitol Complex and offers Maine artists an additional venue for their work. It is designed to expand the audience for Maine artists or artists working in Maine on Maine-based themes.
All Art in the Capitol exhibits are free and open to the public. Exhibitions are self-guided and may be viewed during the building hours where the exhibition is on display.
Building hours:
| Maine Arts Commission Office: | Capitol and Burton M. Cross Buildings: |
| 8:30am - 4:30pm, Mon - Fri | 8:00am - 5:00pm, Mon - Fri |
For more information about Art in the Capitol, contact Danielle Moriarty, Program Director at vog.eniam@ytrairom.elleinad
CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY:
Artist Statement:
I make art because I have to. I don’t always enjoy the process, but those moments when I am able to work through the struggles of trying to transform my own internal essence into visual form are incredibly rewarding and worth whatever effort is necessary. Each of us sees the world through our own set of subjective eyes, tempered by our unique personality and history. Although the inspiration for most of my work comes from landscape motifs, each of my paintings is really a self-portrait. Painting and drawing allow me the opportunity to manifest the intangible and to show you the world that I see through my eyes via the use of visual language.
Artist BIO:
Frank Sullivan moved to Aroostook County in 2006 to make art fulltime, leaving a successful career in Boston as a graphic designer, illustrator and art director. He converted the old potato house on his Littleton property into a studio and gallery. Now on the faculty at the University of Maine in Presque Isle, he also directs the Reed Art Gallery there. He has a BA in Studio Art from the College of the Holy Cross, studied printmaking on a graduate fellowship at the American University, and received a Graphic Design Certificate from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Frank’s works hang in private collections throughout the United States and elsewhere. To purchase a painting or his recent book, "Frank Sullivan: Images and Words," email ten.worrabniar@knarf.
Annually, the Maine Arts Commission partners with Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D) and Maine’s two Congressional offices to highlight exemplary high school student artists. Almost one thousand Maine works of art were submitted this year to a national youth competition, the Scholastic Arts & Literary Awards, organized locally by MECA&D.
Coming from all over the state, 230 students received awards through the Scholastic competition.
The 44 works on display in the Maine Excellence in Arts Education exhibition at the Burton R. Cross Building at the Capitol Complex were selected from those Scholastics winners by a separate jury and represent the breadth of creativity of high school students from around the state. Two works, one from each Congressional district, were also selected to be displayed at the US Capitol for a year through the Congressional Art Awards program. Runners up are included in the Maine Excellence exhibition.
All these student artists thrive through the careful and dedicated mentoring of their art teachers, along with the encouragement of their friends and families. The Maine Arts Commission is honored to share this inspiring work with Capitol complex visitors. The exhibition at the Cross building will be on display March 12 – May 30, 2025.
A ceremony in Portland on March 8th, 2025, brought together these students, teachers and families to celebrate their accomplishments and encourage their continued creativity.
