The Bollard Bulletin for May 22, 2025
In which we let you in on several secrets...
Highlights
Intriguing lineup tonight at The Apohadion Theater (107 Hanover St., Portland), where local jazz group Future Mailmen are on a bill with experimental sound collagist id m theft able, art-bent cabaret act Alma June and The Persian Cats, and Brandolino, who may or may not be a Berlin-based techno DJ. Find out at 8 p.m. Tix: $10-$20 (pay-what-you-can; all ages).
The intrigue continues with rumors of a new punk-rock venue above Mulligan’s, the friendly and super-affordable pub at 23 Lincoln St. in Biddeford’s fast-gentrifying mill district. Informed sources tell The Bollard this venue is actually called Rumors, and furthermore, there’ll be a show there tonight at 9 p.m. with Western Mass. “fuzzy power pop” act Ian St. George, the Maine “ex-girlfriend rock n’ roll” band Freak Phone, and local punk group Omen Negation. Tix: $15 (possibly all-ages).
The Telling Room, a Maine literary organization that helps young people find their writerly voices, has a new anthology celebrating its 20th year. It Rains Diamonds on Neptune (likely true, but don’t tell Musk; actually, let’s tell him in hopes he goes there) pairs stories, poems, essays and recipes by emerging and established authors in a collection embellished with pen-and-ink illustrations by local artists. Four pairs of writers — including Brooks Miller with Maya Williams and Jules Vázquez with Mira Ptacin — present their work at Mechanics’ Hall (519 Congress St., Portland) at 6 p.m. Free (register here).
You may not know it now, but by the time the sun goes down tonight, you might really need a laugh. We hope you don’t, but if so, here are two suggestions. The sketch-comedy troupe Hey Party People presents its Pre-Tourist Takeover show at The Hill Arts (76 Congress St., Portland) at 7 p.m. Pay-what-you-can (all ages; 14+ recommended). And down the hill at Empire Comedy Club (575 Congress St.), it’s an improv Cage Match between Sporks and Pitch to Pilot at 7 p.m. Tix: $15 (21+).
Visual Arts
33 by Hand The Repair Shop, paintings and t-shirts by Lorien Rain, shows through May. Hours: Thurs.-Sun. noon-6 p.m. 142 High St., Portland. 33byhand.com.
82Parris Shadow Surface, paintings by Emily Stroud, and Interlace, a group show about memory, identity and the world, show 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 shape of memory, sculpture and installation by Carlie Trosclair, shows May 24 through Sept. 7
• Leaf Litter, composite sculpture by Elizabeth Atterbury, shows May 24 through Sept. 7
• Cheek to Cheek, paintings by Nicole Wittenberg, shows May 24 through Sept. 14
Hours: Mon.-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
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
• Native Prospects: Indignity and Landscape, paintings by Thomas Cole and work by indigenous artists, shows through July 6
• Capturing Her Environment: Women Artists, 1870-1930, shows through July 20
• Manors, paintings and murals by Anne Buckwalter, shows through Sept. 21
• Home Places: Andrew Wyeth in Chadds Ford, paintings and watercolors by Wyeth, shows through Oct. 19
• Re-Indigenizing Sacred Landscapes: From the Wigwam at Catawamkeag, shows through Jan. 4
• Ann Craven: Painted Time (2020-2024) shows through Jan. 4
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 The Through Line, new paintings by Jim Flahaven, 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.
Maine Jewish Museum
• Turbulence, Fragility, Resilience, paintings by Joanne Tarlin
• no one leaves home unless, paintings based on archival architectural plans of Berlin buildings occupied by Jews and persecuted artists of the 1930s, by Emily Haas
• Being There and Everywhere, photographs by Ron Faris
• YAYA, paintings by Tigist Yoseph Ron
All on view through June 26. Hours: Mon., Wed.-Fri. and Sun. noon-4 p.m. Free admission. 267 Congress St., Portland. 773-2339. mainejewishmuseum.org.
Maine Historical Society
• Maine’s Untold Vegetarian History shows through May 31
• Best Friends: Mainers & Their Pets, an educational exhibit of historical photographs and artwork, shows through June 6
• Of Note: Maine Sheet Music shows through July 28
• 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 Imposing Figures, work by Pepper O’Hara and Greg Jamie, shows through June 30. 10 Mayo St., Portland. 879-4629. mayostreetarts.org.
Merrymeeting Arts Center Pouring It On, acrylic pour paintings by Linda Murray and Merrymeeting Arts shows through May 24. Hours: Sat. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 9 Main Street., Bowdoinham. merrymeetingartscenter.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 Jean Jack, Ann Trainor Domingue, Carlos Gamez de Francisco and Greg Day shows through May 27. 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
• Painting Energy: The Alex Katz Foundation Collection at the Portland Museum of Art shows May 23 through Sept. 14
• Passages in American Art, works from the museum collection, is ongoing.
Hours: Tues.-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 Washed Away, work by members of the Union of Maine Visual Artists, curated by Carl Little, 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 Just Passing Through, work by Julia Arredondo, and An Appeal to Heaven, prints by Vin Caponigro, show 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 23. Hours: Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 222 Anderson St., Portland. 347-7000. zerostation.com.