Barn Gallery 2026 Season Recap | Ogunquit Art Association

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Barn Gallery, the exhibition space of the Ogunquit Art Association at 3 Hartwig Lane in Ogunquit, Maine, wrapped up its 2026 season in October, and this recap is a thank you to the artists, volunteers, donors, collectors, visitors, community partners, and Friends of Ogunquit Art who made it possible. The Ogunquit Art Association, founded in 1928 as Maine’s original artists’ group, presented four exhibition cycles, the 46th Annual Student Art Show, an open regional juried show of 109 works, summer workshops, and concerts with Ogunquit Performing Arts. The 72nd OAA Art Auction was a huge success. In 2027, Barn Gallery will be open Sundays from 11 AM to 5 PM. Behind-the-scenes preparations are being made to celebrate the Ogunquit Art Association’s 100th anniversary in 2028.

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Barn Gallery closed its doors for the season in October, and we are still talking about what an unforgettable year we shared with all of you. Between the first student artwork hung in May and the last piano note in October – 2026 filled the gallery at 3 Hartwig Lane with more art, music, and people than we could have asked for. This is our look back, and our thank you.

It started with the youngest artists

In May, the 46th Annual Student Art Show opened with a Friday reception and a weekend of visitors. K-12 students from coastal Southern Maine showed landscapes, portraits, sculpture, photography, and jewelry on the same walls where Maine artists have exhibited for generations. Many of them saw their names beside their work in a gallery for the first time. Our thanks to Dr. Gary Tirrell, who sponsored the show again this year.

A season of exhibitions

Every exhibition at Barn Gallery this season included the Ogunquit Art Association Members Show and invited New England sculptors. Three of the four also featured showcase artists. The Opening Exhibitions (May 20 to June 20) showcased printmaker Nancy R. Davison and painter Madeleine Hopkins. The Mid-Season Exhibitions (June 24 to July 25) were the exception: in place of showcase artists, the Open, Regional, Juried Show (described in more depth below), filled the walls, following a June entry day that brought artists through the door with their work in hand. The Late Summer Exhibitions (August 5 to September 5) showcased photographers Amy Hagberg and Carol MacLeod, and the Fall Exhibitions (September 9 to October 12) closed the season with photographers Charles Laurier Dufour and Annie Lemieux. Each of those two pairs spoke about their work in a gallery talk. We thank the artists, the jurors, and the volunteers who hung, lit, and took down each show.

NEW JURIED OAA MEMBERS: We also welcomed seven new exhibiting members this year: Dennis Cardalisco, Margaret Dwyer, Darlene Furbush Ouellett, Jessie Lozanski, Cheryl McAlister, Jeanne’ McCartin, and Lynn Szymanski. Their work is a welcome addition to the walls.

Regional Artists: An Open, Juried Show: 2026

This year’s juried show drew 124 artists from across New England, who entered 206 works. Juror Pamela “Posey” Moulton, a Maine-based environmental artist known for large-scale installations made from salvaged materials, judged the work blind on originality, personal voice, and technical skill, and she did it in person, at the gallery, on the afternoon the art was dropped off. She watched the delivery from the parking lot, where she saw “bubble wrap flapping in the breeze,” then walked into a floor of work arranged in corridors and chose 109 pieces: 30 by 24 OAA members and 79 by 58 regional artists. Posey wrote that she could not fit in everything she wanted to: “I wish I had a magic wand and could have expanded the space to accommodate more art.” The show hung from June 24 through July 25 alongside the OAA Members Show and the invited sculptors, with an opening reception on June 27. Thank you to Posey, to every artist who entered, and to the volunteers who moved each piece where she asked.

The 72nd Ogunquit Art Association Art Auction

On August 1, the 72nd OAA Art Auction brought 72 works by 53 artists to the room and raised more than $30,000 for Barn Gallery. Auctioneer William J. Milliken ran the evening. CIRE Travel sponsored the event. The auction depends on a long chain of people: the Auction Committee, the participating artists, advertisers, donors, bidders, and the volunteers who staffed the preview days and the night itself. Thank you also to the artists who created the 5×7-inch original artwork bid cards.

Workshops and demonstrations

This summer’s instructors were Russel Whitten, who led a plein air watercolor day in July, and Dustan Knight, who demonstrated and then taught watercolor flowers. Ethel Hills taught watercolor and collage, Jane Petschek direct trace monoprinting, and Deloris White gelli print landscapes. Pamela duLong Williams closed the series in September with a still life demonstration and workshop. Thank you to every instructor and to everyone who came to learn.

Music in the gallery

Ogunquit Performing Arts has been a steady partner, and this year it brought chamber music and piano to the gallery. The 30th Annual Chamber Music Festival opened in June with the Boston Chamber Music Ensemble, followed by the Frederick Moyer Jazz Trio a week later. In October, Janice Weber played a piano concert, and after the gallery closed for the season, Zahili Zamora and her Afro Cuban Trio gave a concert on October 16. The Student Piano Recital on October 18 finished the run. The June concerts and the October finale bring many people to Barn Gallery for the first time, and they hear the music surrounded by the work of OAA artists. Thank you, OPA.

Books and conversation

The Perkins Cove Bookshop also hosted events at the gallery this year. They added cultural and educational programming that suits the space, and we are grateful for it.

Our neighbors

Barn Gallery sits within a community, and that community showed up. The Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce held September’s Business After Hours here, and The Front Porch catered it. Lady of the Vine donated wine for our opening receptions. The Ogunquit Playhouse made room for parking during our monthly events, which anyone who has hunted for a space on a summer Saturday will appreciate.

The people you don’t see

Visitors meet the art. They rarely meet the gallery sitters, committee members, and volunteers who keep the doors open and the walls ready. This season depended on this group of important individuals, and we thank every one of them. Thank you as well to our donors and the Friends of Ogunquit Art, whose support pays for the exhibitions, workshops, and programs the community enjoys.

A new Thursday in Ogunquit

This fall, SeaArt Ogunquit launched its Third Thursday art walk, linking galleries, studios, and creative spaces across Ogunquit and Perkins Cove. We were glad to take part. The walk returns in May 2027.

Looking ahead to 2027

Expanded Hours: Barn Gallery will be open Sundays from 11 AM to 5 PM next season. We are planning new and compelling programs, along with another auction and a full season of exhibitions. And – not too far off – in 2028, the Ogunquit Art Association, Maine’s original artists’ group, turns 100. 2027 is the run-up, and we intend to make the most of it.

See you in May 2027!