Recent Exhibits at the HHRC

Child of War and Rethinking Place

Two Cambodian sisters and artists, Chanthu and Mardi Millay, generously offered to display their work in the Michael Klahr Center in the spring of 2024. We organized an Artist Talk to share some reflections about their homeland and current work, then join the guests in experiencing the two exhibit, Child of War and Rethinking Place. Afterward thirty attendees mingled in the Atrium for some refreshments and conversation. It was our first artist opening, and inspired us to offer more.

Chanthu's paintings and sculpture are arresting. Her use of metal and ceramic sculpture and paintings depict the emotions she experienced as her family’s lone survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. Many contain images of war and disruption, while others touch on selfhood, freedom, abstraction. On her website she writes, "Not only can art connect us to our various identities, heritages, and cultures, but it enriches our respect and appreciation for the world around us." 

For her debut photographic exhibition, Mardi Millay traveled to her birth culture and country of Cambodia and neighboring Southeast Asia. She engages with her subjects to reflect and capture a sense of home—be it a physical place, a feeling or chosen community. Using this expanded definition of place, Mardi explores identity through her adoptive family and relationships with an underexposed perspective. Her portraits suggest so many emotions, compelling one to wonder about a child, woman, elder's life and the stories behind their complex expressions. 

The two exhibits were made possible from a collaboration with Khmer Maine, and our friend and former HHRC colleague, Marpheen Chann. They opened on Monday, May 20th in recognition of Cambodia National Day of Remembrance, which commemorates the victims of the genocide in Cambodia that took place between 1975 and 1979

29 Mainers

The 29 Mainers exhibit was created by Portrait Photographer Erin Moore, owner of Mercy Street Studio. Moore’s 29 beautifully rendered portraits draw you into a narrative. Each canvass also stands on its own as a work of gorgeous art, depicting a moment, a story, an identity or close relationship as she explores the complex richness of race and cultural identity in its many forms. Moore says the 29 Mainers project was birthed out of the desire to add Black faces to the world of fine art portraiture. Defying stereotypes and bias, Moore presents Black men as loving, fatherly, scholarly, loyal, and successful and Black women as devoted, passionate, intellectual, commanding, and powerful. Named Maine's 2018 Portrait Photographer of the Year, Erin's photographic style is modern and fun with the goal of capturing the inner spirit and beauty of each person she photographs. She is passionate about using her camera to show people how beautiful they are. Erin's inspiration for 29 Mainers came in part from a desire to add Black faces to the world of fine art portraiture.

Says Executive Director Tam Huynh: “I love bringing exhibits into our beautiful space. It takes thought, time, conversation, collaboration, and work to go from concept to ready for viewing—and I enjoy the whole process. It's a pleasure to discover local artists and enjoy time with them, often visiting their studios for a chat. Discussions around which pieces to include, where and how they should be displayed and appreciated is all part of the process. And then comes decisions around space and placement, and carefully hanging each piece. When it is finally ready and open, I'm always thrilled; I just can't wait to share it. I feel this strongly about our new exhibit, 29 Mainers. It is spectacular. Impossible to adequately describe, these 29 stunning, moving, beautifully rendered portraits draw you in. Each stands on its own as a work of art, depicting a moment that suggests a story, an emotion or relationship. They leave you mesmerized, intrigued, wanting to know more. Simply put: you must come and experience this exhibit.”

Artists Response to Ukraine

The recent exhibit entitled Artists Response to Ukraine featured three Maine artists’ responses to the Ukrainian war. André Benoit creates wood assemblage out of objects he discovers on his daily walks or gifts from friends. Last year he composed abstract scenes and images of the war-torn country that are beautiful and poignant. A second Maine-based artist, Lesia Sochor, is a painter who practices the ancient ritual of transforming an ordinary egg into Pysanky—a cherished Easter tradition of egg decorating that dates back to 5,000 BC. Photographs from Ukrainians citizens, collected by Maine Jewish Museum Curator of Photography Nanci Kahn, reveal everyday life during the war. Some of them show ordinary places and interactions; others chronicle destruction and grief. We were so fortunate to have all of these pieces showcased in the Michael Klahr Center for six months. The wood ensemblages are still in the Center for visitors to see.

Generational Layers

The amazing Generational Layers exhibit by Paula Gerstenblatt filled the gallery room at the Michael Klahr Center. The artwork uses photographs, paint, and handwritten text to explore the layers of nationality, race, and religion that comprise Paula’s family history. The collage paintings weave individual experiences into a collective narrative of Jewish immigration in the early 1900s—from Czarist Russian Ukraine and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, through the Great Depression, two world wars, Jewish South Beach in the 1950s, the artists coming of age in the 1960s-70s, to the present times as the mother of two adult Black/Jewish children. The works are gorgeous, complex and evocative.

Reflections on Genocide

We were thrilled to display striking works of art created by Casco Bay High School students. Leslie Appelbaum and Matt Bernstein, teachers at Casco Bay High School, learned that students were no longer studying the Holocaust. Believing that education alone can render students feeling helpless, they wanted them to experience how art can be a tool of peaceful empowerment. So they developed a course, “Art and Genocide: A Case Study of the Holocaust” to inform students about how the Holocaust was allowed to happen and to understand both the perpetrators and the heroic efforts of those fighting against it. Secondly, they wove in art to illustrate how individuals at the time protested, and how artists so often create powerful forms of activism. The student projects are memorials to relatives and protests against attacks against members of any community. They expresses how audacious hope can be, evoking the horror in every act of genocide and the powerful forces that fight against hatred with love. We are honored to have been gifted the pieces into our permanent collection, where they will be displayed throughout the Michael Klahr Center.