The Bollard Bulletin for May 1, 2025
You can hardly believe how much interesting stuff is happening!
Highlights
Good Theater is celebrating its new performance space, the Stevens Square Theater (631 Stevens Ave., Portland) inside the former Catherine McAuley High School, with I’ll Drink to That!, a show of Broadway tunes about booze featuring LaKisha Jones, George Dvorsky, Valerie Perri and Kevin Smith Kirkwood, at 7 p.m. Continues through Sunday. Tix: $50 ($10 students and patrons 30 and under).
Speaking of good theater, Mad Horse Theatre Company opens The Legend of Georgia McBride tonight on its stage (24 Mosher St., South Portland) at 7:30 p.m. Written by Matthew Lopez and directed by longtime East End Community School teacher Joshua Chard, the play is about an Elvis impersonator whose life and career take an unexpected turn when he wanders into the world of drag. Continues through May 25. Admission is pay-what-you-want.
Here’s a mashup nobody expected: Celtic musician and step-dancer Neil Pearlman in a duo with Ugandan folk singer and musician Giovanni Kiyingi, blending their cultures’ traditional music into delightful new permutations at Mayo Street Arts (10 Mayo St., Portland) at 7 p.m. Tix: $20-$23.
The first round of the Empire Comedy Classic begins tonight at Empire Comedy Club (575 Congress St., Portland) at 9 p.m. Dozens of comics from all over New England (but probably not Connecticut, those snobs) compete for a cash prize and a shot at stardom in this competition that runs well into the summer. Tix: $10 (21+).
And we already know the winning submissions to Maine College of Art & Design’s Animation and Film Festival, so now you can watch ’em at Mechanics’ Hall (519 Congress St., Portland) at 7:30 p.m. Tix: $15.
Acclaimed Haitian musician and composer Nathalie Joachim performs “Ki moun ou ye,” an “immersive musical experience” combining “voice, bass, percussion, textured vocal samples, somber flute tones, and longing melodies” in an exploration of the significance of voice, at Aura (121 Center St., Portland) at 7 p.m. Tix: $35.
Visual Arts
33 by Hand Opening reception for The Repair Shop, paintings and t-shirts by Lorien Rain, with music by Won Pound, Fri., May 2, from 5-8 p.m. Shows through May. Hours: Thurs.-Sun. noon-6 p.m. 142 High St., Portland. 33byhand.com.
82Parris Opening reception for Shadow Surface, paintings by Emily Stroud, and Interlace, a group show about memory, identity and the world, Fri., May 2, from 5-8 p.m. Shows through May 23. 82 Paris St., Portland. 82parris.com.
Art House Picture Frames Artwork by the Addison Woolley Group shows through May during business hours. 61 Pleasant St., Portland. 221-3443. View more at addisonwoolley.com.
Bowdoin College Museum of Art
• Reimagining the Américas: Empathy and Activism Beyond Borders, work by contemporary American artists promoting human rights, shows through June 1
• Irreplaceable You: Personhood and Dignity in Art, 1980s to Now, shows through June 1
• Art, Ecology, and the Resilience of a Maine Island: The Monhegan Wildlands, work by past and contemporary artists, shows through June 1.
• Poetic Truths: Hawthorne, Longfellow, and American Visual Culture, 1840-1880 shows through July 20
• Hello, Stranger: Artist as Subject in Photographic Portraits since 1900 shows through Aug. 10
• Flora et Fauna: Nature in Ancient Mediterranean Art and Culture shows through March 7, 2026
Free admission. Hours: Tues., Wed., Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thurs. 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sun. 1 p.m.-5 p.m. 245 Maine St., Brunswick. 725-3275. bowdoin.edu.
Center for Maine Contemporary Art
• The Sun, Trying to Disappear, work by Sara Cwynar, Kate Greene, Ian Kline, Elle Perez, Lieko Shiga, and Carmen Winant
• Fruition, collaborative works by Allison Cekala and Nate Luce
• i forgot to remember, large-scale works by Katarina Weslien
• From the Collection of Lord Red, wall sculptures by Kyle Downs
All on view through May 4. Hours: Wed.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m. Admission: $10 ($8 students and seniors, under 18 free). 21 Winter St., Rockland. 701-5005. cmcanow.org.
Colby Museum of Art
• Radical Histories: Chicanx Prints from the Smithsonian American Art Museum shows through June 8
• Into the Wind: American Weathervanes shows through June 8
• Hors-champs, a video installation by Stan Douglas, shows through Aug. 24
• Alex Katz: Repititions, paintings by Katz, shows through March 29, 2026
• Some American Stories, works from the museum’s Lunder Wing, shows through Sept. 26, 2026
Free admission. Hours: Tues., Wed., Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thurs. 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m. 5600 Mayflower Hill, Waterville. 859-5600. colby.edu.
Cove Street Arts
• Infinite Light, sculpture in various media by Sonja Weber Gilkey, shows through May 24
• Variations, a group show curated by Bruce Brown, shows through June 7
• Out of My Mind, paintings, drawings and prints by Richard Wilson, shows through June 14
• Adventure of the Unknown, paintings by Grant Drumheller, shows through June 14
• Emergent, prints by Alice Spencer, shows through May 10
Hours: Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sat. 10 a,m,-5 p.m. 71 Cove St., Portland. 808-8911. covestreetarts.com.
Farnsworth Art Museum
• Arts@theIntersection: Year Two, work by middle and high school students in the Midcoast, shows through May 4
• Capturing Her Environment: Women Artists, 1870-1930, shows through July 20
• Manors, paintings and murals by Anne Buckwalter, shows through Sept. 21
• Re-Indigenizing Sacred Landscapes: From the Wigwam at Catawamkeag, shows through Jan. 4, 2026
Hours: Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission: $20 ($18 seniors, $10 students, under 16 free). 16 Museum St., Rockland. 596-6457. farnsworthmuseum.org.
Greenhut Galleries Opening reception for The Through Line, new paintings by Jim Flahaven, Thurs., May 1, from 5-7 p.m. Shows through May. Hours: Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 146 Middle St., Portland. 772-2693. greenhutgalleries.com.
LA Arts Gallery Inside Vision: An Outside Exhibition of Inside Art by Maine State Prison inmates shows through May 9. Hours: Tues.-Thurs. 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Fri. noon-6 p.m. 168 Lisbon St., Lewiston. 782-7228. laarts.org.
Maine Jewish Museum Traces, paintings by Masha Ryskin and Serge Marchetta, Lorica: Masks of Eternity, photography by Craig Becker, and Elements of Light and Color, abstract paintings by Linda Gerson, show through May 2. Hours: Mon., Wed.-Fri. and Sun. noon-4 p.m. Free admission. 267 Congress St., Portland. 773-2339. mainejewishmuseum.org.
Maine Historical Society Best Friends: Mainers & Their Pets, an educational exhibit of historical photographs and artwork, shows through June 6. Maine’s Untold Vegetarian History shows through May 17. Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690-1940, photographs, prints and other historic materials, shows through Dec. 31. Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: $10 ($5 kids 6-17). 489 Congress St., Portland. 774-1822. mainehistory.org.
Maine Museum of Photographic Arts Trace, photography by Jodi Colella, Joseph Podlesnik, June Kim, Frank Lopez and others, shows through May. Hours: Tues., Thurs.-Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Donations encouraged. 15 Middle St., Portland. 808-8919. mainemuseumofphotographicarts.com.
Mayo Street Arts Opening reception for Imposing Figures, work by Pepper O’Hara and Greg Jamie, Fri., May 2, from 5-8 p.m. Shows through June 30. 10 Mayo St., Portland. 879-4629. mayostreetarts.org.
Moss Galleries Falmouth Gallery (251 Rte. 1; 781-2620): Playing Notes, watercolor paintings by Frances Hynes, and Angels Above Fear, paintings by John Hultberg, show through May 31. Portland Gallery (100 Fore St., 804-0459): Keepers, a group show curated by Cody Castle-Stack and Lauren Donovan, shows through June 21. Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (both locations). elizabethgmossgalleries.com.
Ocean House Gallery Light Through the Clouds, paintings by John Knight, shows through May 30. Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 93 Ocean St., South Portland. 956-1988. oceanhousegallery.com.
Ogunquit Museum of American Art
• A Sailboat in the Moonlight, paintings by Nicole Wittenberg, shows through July 20
• Where the Real Lies, work by 19 contemporary artists, shows through Nov. 16
• Henry Strater’s Ogunquit, local landscape paintings by Strater, shows through Nov. 16
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Admission: $15 ($13 seniors, students and vets, kids under 12 free). 543 Shore Rd., Ogunquit. 646-4909. ogunquitmuseum.org.
Portland Art Gallery Work by Cooper Dragonette, Dan Daly, Sarah Verardo and others shows through April. Hours: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. 956-7105. portlandartgallery.com.
Portland Museum of Art
• Skin Deep, photograms by Jo Sandman, shows through Aug. 17
• Passages in American Art, works from the museum collection, is ongoing.
Hours: Wed., Thurs., Sat. & Sun. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Fri. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Admission: $20 ($18 seniors and students; under 21 free). 7 Congress Square. 775-6148. portlandmuseum.org.
Portland Public Library Opening reception for Washed Away, work by members of the Union of Maine Visual Artists, curated by Carl Little, Fri., May 2, from 5-7 p.m. Shows through June 21. Hours: Mon., Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tues.-Thurs. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 5 Monument Square. 871-1700. portlandlibrary.com.
Richard Boyd Art Gallery Paintings in Oil, a group exhibition, shows through May 29. Hours: Fri.-Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 15 Epps St., Peaks Island. 712-1097. richardboydpottery.com.
SPACE Opening reception for Just Passing Through, work by Julia Arredondo, and An Appeal to Heaven, prints by Vin Caponigro, Fri., May 2, from 5-8 p.m. Shows through June 21. Hours: Thurs. and Fri. noon-6 p.m., Sat. noon-4 p.m. 534 Congress St., Portland. 828-5600. space538.org.
University of New England Art Gallery Circle of the Sun, Arctic art by Justin Levesque, Katie McElearney and Shoshannah White, shows through June 8. Hours: Thurs.-Sun. noon-5 p.m. 716 Stevens Ave., Portland. 221-4499. library.une.edu.
University of Southern Maine Art Gallery The 2025 Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition shows through May. Call for hours. 780-5409. 5 University Way, Gorham. usm.maine.edu.
Zero Station Lace, photographs by Peter Shellenberger, shows through May 17. Hours: Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 222 Anderson St., Portland. 347-7000. zerostation.com.