Maine Art Gallery (MAG) is hosting a multi-media exhibition titled “Art to Table: Visual Sustenance,” which investigates the deep connection between creativity, nourishment and societal norms surrounding food. The exhibit, free to the public, runs through June 14 (Thurs. – Sunday 11 a.m. -4 p.m.). About 200 people packed into the gallery for the opening reception May 9. It featured music by bassist Scott Elliot and acoustic guitarist Evan Haines. Rain prevented the event from flowing outdoors, while seeming to deter few from attending this collaboration that joins artists, sponsors, experts on sustainable food and farming, and an engaged public.

The art selected for this exhibit  delves beneath the surface of food desires and sentiments of food aesthetics, inviting questions regarding food ethics, sustainability, resiliency, anxiety and social/familial order. Just under 100 pieces of art in all, curated by juror Tina Ingraham, showcase the cultural and ethical significance of Maine’s food systems, asking us to question what has become normative. The event celebrates the state’s status as a leader in sustainable agriculture and its vibrant culinary scene through various artistic lenses. By focusing on the rituals of eating and harvesting, the exhibition aims to connect viewers to the emotional and historical stories found within every meal, honoring the vital role food plays in building communal identity and personal memory.

Ingraham is an internationally recognized artist and teacher. Her professional accomplishments include prestigious honors such as Guggenheim and MacDowell Colony fellowships. Her context for evaluating submissions balanced theme, technique and creative vision. She drew from multiple inspirations, though two stood out to her: “Land of Cockaigne,” a 1567 oil painting by Pieter Bruegel on display at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich – representing the roots of gluttony and fear of famine, and “Not in Front of the Kids,” a 2020 oil painting by Aaron Maier-Carretero on display in the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C. – representing family tension and violence hidden by urban facades. “One eats veraciously when they can because they never knew when famine was coming,” Ingraham said about the Bruegel painting, and “It’s a contemporary table setting, with a big house, a ham in the middle of the table and a soda can; items of a middle class family, and two children standing in the corners, with a man protecting them from a dark figure – it’s all about anxiety,” she said about the Maier-Carretero painting. “So, when I was asked to jury the show, these are the kind of flashpoints I found interesting.”

Beyond the gallery walls, the program includes a panel (Thursday, May 21, 4:30-6:30 p.m.) focused on organic farming featuring Maine Farmland Trust, Morning Glory Natural Foods and Veggies to Table, sponsored by Back River Bistro. Also, on June 9 (9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.), MAG will offer a class in still life, “Setting the Table” by instructor Elizabeth Reed, sponsored by Red’s Eats.

Maine Art Gallery gratefully acknowledges Restoration Resources, sponsor of “Art to Table,” Sherri Dunbar of Tim Dunham Realty, season sponsor, Ames True Value Hardware, capital sponsor, and Maine Farmland Trust, sponsor of the opening reception.