49 Oak

About

49 Oak is a flexible, experimental space where students gain real-world experience presenting their work to the public. Through pop-up shops, exhibitions, and project-based programming, students build essential professional skills; curating, installing, promoting, documenting, selling, and staffing exhibitions, under the guidance of Artists at Work and faculty mentors. During the summer, 49 Oak shifts its focus to showcasing work by the College’s alumni, strengthening professional networks and career pathways.

Current

Bitter/Sweet

Junior Fine Arts Group Show

10/23/26-11/1/26

Opening Reception: 10/23/26 5:30-7:00pm

Sat/Sun: 12-9pm

Mon/Thu/Fri: 9am-12pm & 6-8pm

Tue: 6-9pm

Wed: 9am-3pm

Bittersweetness is not a compromise between two feelings but a third, distinct condition, one that refuses its subject the comfort of knowing they are experiencing either pain or pleasure alone. It is a pleasure hollowed out with a sense of loss. It is the flowing tide between the soul's desire and the physical body's harsh reality. To dwell in the bittersweet is to accept that some experiences may never grace one's life again. The bitterness seeps in like a ghost of the past and reminds us we live in the absence of our desires. The works gathered here were produced by eighteen third-year Maine College of Art & Design students working across painting, sculpture, and photography. Each artist explores the topic Bitter/Sweet as a way of translating this distinct and personal feeling into a physical work. This theme visually connects these students as well as viewers to this common existential experience.

Artists: Lucien Beauchemin, Grey Bond-Warner, Renée Caisse, Taylor Cookson, Evelyn Grace Cymerman, Clio Evans, Aselin Fream, Eddie Gottmann-Hanrahan, June Herrick, Kaya Dylan Jurczak, Dulcinea Lacey, Bridget Lincoln, Jac M Ordway, Abby J Poreda, Aydan Rodriguez, Ollie Sharry, Grayson Shettler, Nathaniel Shaw Walker

Upcoming

Post Mortem: In The Wake of Craft

On View: November 6 - 17

Opening Reception: Friday, November 6 5:30 - 7:00pm

Open Hours:

Saturday November 7, 12:00-4:00

Sunday November 8, 12:00-4:00

Monday November 9, 3:00-5:00

Wednesday November 11, 10:00-2:00

Friday November 13, 12:00-2:00

Saturday November 14, 12:00-4:00

Sunday November 15, 12:00-4:00

Post Mortem: In The Wake of Craft represents the final group exhibition for the five MECA&D Craft majors: Ceramics, Metalsmithing, Printmaking, Textiles, and Woodworking. The College’s decision to cut three of these majors reflects a broader national and global trend away from Craft practice. In such a state of transition, we are compelled to examine the past, present, and future of our disciplines, question the presumption of Craft’s decline, and reassert the importance of our skilled labor. Post Mortem simultaneously mourns the cultural and institutional erosion of our fields and celebrates the enduring nature of Craft traditions. We are under no illusions; the institutional, national and global outlook for Craft appears bleak. As emerging makers entering into this reality, we look to the future with some apprehension. This exhibition is our answer. Equal parts survey, memorial, and manifesto, bringing together a collection of diverse viewpoints from across our disciplines, it questions the wisdom of the world’s current trajectory. Post Mortem implores us to consider what is lost when we lose Craft.

Featuring: Sally Ames, Abby Bailey, Katie Clark, Apollo David, Brooke Ferro, Lilah Grove, Alec Grover, Jules Herrera, Seven Hinnov, Anastasia Jackson, Poppy Lord, Maple Newlin, Danielle Prestia, Kassidy Quinlan, Max Rubinstein, Vivian Sorce, Zachary Wogalter