Shown is “Reveal: Pastoral, Flora and Fauna,” 2007, by Susanne Slavick. Submitted photo

The L.C. Bates Museum’s summer 2023 exhibition, “In Balance/ Imbalance,” is scheduled to open from 4-6 p.m. Saturday, May 6. For the first time since the onset of COVID-19, the exhibit is being offered in person exhibition again. The selected works will also be featured in a virtual exhibition.

Shown is “Crow and KFC,” 2009, a shaped fresco by Barbara Sullivan. Submitted photo

“In Balance/Imbalance” will showcase the work of 25 contemporary artists from Maine or with close ties to the state that explore, in a variety of mediums, the complex systems of balance that exist in nature and what happens when they are disrupted, according to a news release from Deborah Staber
with the museum.

Izzy Van den Heuvel explores balance through the interlocking presence of flora and fauna. Although the two appear united as an image from afar, both reveal smaller stories upon closer inspection. Her goal was to imitate the experience of searching through the grass as a child, exploring and discovering the balance of nature.

Some artists chose to address the intricate systems of balance that exist between the human and the unspoiled world. Barbara Sullivan considers how many wild animals and birds are just like us, consumers of remnants of fast food, discarded along the highways like modern-day roadkill.

Susanne Slavick shows how the human impulse to create ends up destroying idyllic, peaceful nature.

Similarly, Jeff Epstein places flora in the midst of human development.

These works, among the many others that have been selected, will be displayed alongside the permanent collections of the L.C. Bates, a non-traditional, encyclopedic museum with a focus on the natural world.

“In Balance/Imbalance” is a collaborative effort between museum staff and two Colby College students, Zehra Gundogdu and Anna Jaubert, under the supervision of Professor Véronique Plesch.

The exhibit is up until Oct 15. Summer museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and other times by appointment.

For more information, call 207-238-4250 or email lcbates@gwh.org.

Check out other upcoming area events!