Caron Zand and Don Head are passionate collectors of Maine art and patrons of Maine artists. They are engaged in supporting both

the visual and performing arts— Zand serves on the Board of Maine College of Art and Head is the President of Board of the Portland Opera Repertory Theater. Their collection, featured in MH+D’s April story “Where the Art Is,” is constantly evolving as they continue to discover and encourage emerging artists and encourage the contributions of those more established in their careers.

Nearly two years ago Thomas Denenberg was named chief curator of the Portland Museum of Art. This past winter he

added “and deputy director” to his title. Denenberg continues a tradition at the PMA—the state’s oldest and largest public art museum—of bringing Maine art to the world and the world’s art to Maine. During the interview that led to MH+D’s April Profile, “Curating a Mythical Maine,” we asked Denenberg to name a few of his favorite painting the PMA’s permanent collection…

Rich Lemoine, the chef at the heart of our April Feast “A Palette for the Palate,” has helmed the kitchens of some of Southern Maine’s most loved restaurants, such as the White Barn Inn and the Salt Marsh Tavern. Today, Lemoine plates his classic yet sophisticated take on Maine cuisine at the Cape Arundel Inn. With this impressive resume and an unflappable disposition, we knew Lemoine was the perfect candidate for our all new Maine (Home + Design) Questionnaire.

Raised in an 11th century house in Devon, England, Cig Harvey found a job at a local photography studio—“making tea and tidying up”—by the time she was just 12-years-old. Her passion for the art of photography hasn’t wavered since.

By 17, Harvey was traveling to places like Bolivia and Peru to makepictures that documented the hardships of silver mine workers. For atime she thought her future was photojournalism. “When I was younger Ireally had no interest in being an artist…I wanted to change theworld,” she laughs. However, Harvey soon discovered that documentarywork didn’t jibe with her sensibilities—she grew so attached to her“subjects,” and felt such an obligation to how their images wereportrayed, that it made the work too emotionally exhausting.

“So,” she says, “I decided that I would just tell my story.”

Samuel Van Dam was a painter long before he studied architecture at two of the Northeast’s most venerated educational institutions: Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In MH+D’s March feature, “The Effects of Careful Observation,” Van Dam delves into the art of architecture and the architecture of art.

In Bath, a little city flush with fine Federal, Greek Revival, and Italianate architecture, there are many men involved in the industry of boatbuilding. On Front Street, the city’s main thoroughfare, there is one man involved in the industry of food: Esau A. Crosby II. In MH+D’s March Feast feature, “Layers of Flavor,” we explore story behind Solo Bistro Bistro and the visionary in its kitchen.

This week, the Portland Museum of Art kicked off a stunning new exhibition. The show is something of a rarity for the PMA in that it features the work of a living Maine artist. “Bright Common Spikes: The Sculpture of John Bisbee” is a bold, inspired show by one of the most exciting sculptors at work in the state today. It was a true pleasure to interview Bisbee last month for the Maine HOME + DESIGN feature “Something Will Be Revealed” [January/February, 2008].