A highlight of the 2026 season at Maine Art Gallery in Wiscasset is a curated group exhibition of 10 esteemed artists, “Song of the Wild: Honoring the Natural Beauty and Wildlife of Maine.” It will run from Thursday, June 18 through July 26 with an opening reception on Saturday, June 20 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. 

Jane Dahmen’s large-scale canvases immerse viewers in forests, rivers, and coastal landscapes while Eric Hopkins’ paintings focus on aerial views of land and sea. Sarah Farragher’s paintings capture glimmering waters, Matt Barter paints the Midcoast’s working waterways, and Katherine Shagas expresses the area’s elemental energy in her abstract paintings.

Barbara Sullivan creates three dimensional hanging frescoes of local mammals while Lesia Sochor uses birch bark in her 3D depictions of wildlife. The photography of Liv Kristin Robinson highlights backyard insects, and visionary naturalist painter Emily Sabino celebrates the area’s healing plants and seeds. Abstract painter Joy Vaughn is inspired by seascapes and landscapes of her South Bristol environs. The exhibit is co-curated by Dahmen and Sabino. 

In addition to being a painter, Sabino is a musician and will be singing with her husband Lenin at the reception. Their group, “The Flying Seeds,” combines musical styles from the Peruvian Andes with folk traditions of the Unites States. Lenin plays a variety of Peruvian instruments and the guitar. Their first album was ”Street Songs and Meadow Music” and their soon-to-be-released album, “Cielo Azul,” is a collection of visionary troubadour ballads. Music critic Dan MacIntosh wrote that their music “is filled with expertly played and sung music,” and that “Emily sings...in a Karen Carpenter-like voice over a pop backing with just the right amount of Peruvian instrumental spices….” 

Also performing during the reception will be Eenor's Sonic Wallpaper, a one-man-band who mixes electronic sounds to create multilayered soundscapes tailored to fit specific environments. 

Concurrent events during the exhibition include a talk on July 11, “The Impact of Air,” by Community Science Director for Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, Sarah Gladu, and a panel discussion, “Nature as Muse,” on July 16.

Maine Art Gallery is grateful to Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust (CRCT) for its sponsorship of this exhibition. The mission of CRCT is to care for the lands and waters of the Damariscotta-Pemaquid Region by conserving special places, protecting water quality, creating trails and public access, and deepening connections to nature. 

The gallery is also grateful to Sherri Dunbar of Tim Dunham Realty, a season sponsor, and Ames True Value Hardware, capital sponsor. 

A nonprofit organization, Maine Art Gallery is dedicated to the advancement and preservation of the visual, fine and applied arts through exhibitions, lectures, demonstrations and educational programs for children and adults since 1958. More information can be found at www.maineartgallerywiscasset.org and on Facebook at Maine Art Gallery Wiscasset. The gallery is located at 15 Warren Street, Wiscasset.