SHOWCASE – January 2014

A photography exhibition from Greater Portland Landmarks showcases Portland’s cityscape since 1960

In honor of its 50th anniversary, Greater Portland Landmarks presents Images of Change: Greater Portland’s Cityscape since 1960. The photography exhibition at the Lewis Gallery in the Portland Public Library runs from January 3 through February 28, kicking off a year-long calendar of events designed to raise awareness of the historic preservation movement in Portland and its link to quality of life, community sustainability, and economic vitality. 

The juried exhibition features 67 photographs by 40 artists that interpret the built environment, explore architecture and urbanity, and demonstrate the change and evolution of greater Portland’s cityscape over the past 50-plus years. The images highlight buildings, streetscapes, neighborhoods, and designed landscapes, including those that have been saved, lost, changed, and newly built. In addition, there are five historical photographs documenting key buildings from the 1960s and early 1970s. Photographs were selected from 238 submissions.

“We had so many good submissions, and that is a very good indication of the enthusiasm that people have for the city,” says Earle G. Shettleworth Jr., director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and State Historic Preservation Office and one of the show’s three jurors. “I think it’s really a reflection of each person’s personal way in which they experience Portland.” The other jurors were Bruce Brown, curator emeritus at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, and Susan Danly, recently the senior curator of Graphics, Photography, and Contemporary Art at the Portland Museum of Art. 

“The real emphasis of this show is on the architecture, as opposed to people doing things in and around town,” says Brown. “The human spirit of Portland is expressed through the changes in the buildings that have transpired through the last five decades.” 

On the following pages, MH+D presents a preview of the exhibition.

1. Don Woods, Stratton Place Colorful Row Houses, 2012, archival ink on matte photo paper, 7.75” to 15” x 20.5”

2. Matthew Robbins, Miss Portland Diner, 2am, 2009, archival pigment  print, 24” x 30”

3. Merita McKenzie, The Portland Observatory in Winter, 2013, photo on matte-finish archival paper, 24” x 20”

4. Mark Marchesi, Smith Street, Portland, ME, 2012, digital pigment print,    24” x 30”

5. Anna Low, Off Shore, 2010, archival pigment print, 16” x 20”

6. Corey Templeton, Corner of Park and Pleasant Streets, 2012, Fujicolor     crystal archive print, 16” x 20”

7. Doris Johnson, Union Station Demolition, 1961, silver gelatin print, 11” x 14”

8.  Evan Carroll, Movies on Exchange, 2007, archival pigment print, 24” x 30”

9. Andy Cross, Eastland Park Hotel, 2002, C-print, 30” x 34”

10. Ben Gross, Grand Trunk, Grand Ship, 2012, photo inkjet, 11” x 14”

11. Ben Gross, Middle Street Façades, 2012, photo inkjet, 11” x 14”

Images of Change: Greater Portland’s Cityscape since 1960 will run from January 3 through February 28 at the Lewis Gallery in the Portland Public Library. For more information, visit portlandlandmarks.org.