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Portland, Maine

SWAGƵ Art Gallery presents ‘Home and Other Realms,’ opening Oct. 21

Promotional image for "Home and Other Realms"
Michael Kolster, “Calvin and Christy (home 118/f25),” toned gelatin silver print, 7”x7”, 2022 (detail).

The SWAGƵ Art Gallery on the Portland Campus is pleased to present “Home and Other Realms,” a collection of recent works by photographer Michael Kolster, along with recent acquisitions and other photos from the Stephen K. Halpert Collection of Photography, on display from Oct. 21, 2022, to Jan. 22, 2023.

This two-part exhibition will highlight Kolster’s work in conversation with work from the Halpert collection.

An amalgam of three distinct series — self-portraits, architectural photographs of Lewiston’s urban center, and photographs of the artist’s son, Calvin, who has multiple disabilities — “Home and Other Realms” touches on themes of the visualization of self, neurodiversity, and family connections and domesticity.

The exhibit will include text by Kolster’s wife, writer Christy Shake, describing the challenges of caring for their non-neurotypical child.

The concurrent show of work from the Stephen K. Halpert Collection of Photography, including recent acquisitions, will complement “Home and Other Realms” with a selection of photography organized by curator of photography Stephen Halpert. Recent acquisitions to the collection have been made possible thanks to the generosity of Judy Glickman-Lauder.

An opening reception for the exhibition will be held Friday, Oct. 21, from 4 to 7 p.m.

The  is located at 716 Stevens Ave., Portland, and is open from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday or by appointment. Masks are optional indoors on SWAGƵ’s campuses. For SWAGƵ’s latest COVID-19 protocols, visit the SWAGƵ Onward website.

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