Opening Celebration: “East-Northeast: Charting Moments in Maine”

Please join us for the keynote lecture and opening reception to mark the opening of “East-Northeast: Charting Moments in Maine,” four exhibitions at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art featuring the work of Maine-focused artists Ann Craven, Rudy Burckhardt, John McKee, and Gordon Parks. Learn more at bowdoin.edu/art-museum/exhibitions

Saturday, June 28, 2025

4:00 p.m. | Keynote Presentation, Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center* (next door to the Museum) or remotely via livestream (bowdoin.edu/live/index.html).

“Gordon Parks: The Sphere of Conscious History” with Philip Brookman, Consulting Curator, Department of Photographs, National Gallery of Art

In January 1944, at the height of World War II, Gordon Parks photographed Herklas Brown, owner of the general store and Esso gas station in Somerville, Maine. These 65 photographs, which are being exhibited at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art in partnership with The Gordon Parks Foundation, highlight an important early chapter in Parks’ career—before he joined Life magazine in 1948 and began to achieve wider recognition.

5:00–6:30 p.m. | Opening Reception, Bowdoin College Museum of Art

All events are free and open to the public; no registration required. Presented by the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.

Pictured: Gordon Parks, “Herklas Brown, Somerville, Maine” (detail), 1944, gelatin silver print. Courtesy of and copyright The Gordon Parks Foundation.

*On this date, guests must navigate stairs to reach Kresge Auditorium. Bowdoin College is committed to providing an accessible and welcoming environment. Please contact the Events Office (events@bowdoin.edu or 207-725-3433) with any questions regarding the accessibility of this event and/or to request accommodations.