Multiple Maine museums are collaborating this summer to present simultaneous exhibitions of two mid-career gestural painters, Nicole Wittenberg and Ann Craven, whose work deeply engages with nature and landscape painting. Wittenberg's shows include "A Sailboat in the Moonlight" at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art (through July 20), "Nicole Wittenberg: Cheek to Cheek" at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art (through Sept. 14), and a Paris exhibition at the Fondation Le Corbusier. Craven's exhibitions span the Farnsworth Art Museum ("Ann Craven: Painted Time," through Jan. 4, 2026), the Portland Museum of Art ("Spotlight: Ann Craven," May 14 to Sept. 14), and Bowdoin College Museum of Art (starting May 22).
This coordinated, multi-institutional approach marks a generational shift in Maine's art scene, moving from competition to collaboration, according to curators. By pooling resources and venues, these museums can present the full breadth of each artist's work—something no single institution could achieve alone. The exhibitions also highlight the growing recognition of women painters in mid-career and strengthen Maine's cultural identity as a destination for contemporary art.