By Dagney Ernest / Village Soup
After a month of renovations, Archipelago, the Island Institute store, will officially unveil a newly redesigned space that features a modern, open concept, new artists and new products.
The store, located at 386 Main St., will host a grand re-opening celebration during Rockland’s First Friday Art Walk Friday, June 2, from 5 to 8 p.m. The public is invited to stop in to enjoy some light refreshments and see the new look.
Highlighted artists for June include egg tempera painter Amy Peters Wood and oil painter Andrea Peters, as well as a wide array of Maine artists whose work runs the gamut from pastels, oils and watercolors to glass, hand-carved wooden whales and laser-cut birch.
Wood uses egg tempera paint made from her own hens to knit together intersecting perspectives and juxtapositions that ultimately consolidate to form a single image. Peters, a keen observer of the landscape around her, paints the views surrounding her home in each season — her flower gardens, the shore’s edge and her beloved spruce trees.
Other artists whose work will be featured this spring include Benoit’s Design Co. (laser-cut birch), Nina Devenney (watercolor and pencil), Karen Gola (Gola glass), Lelani Havens (collage), Joe McBrine (carved wooden whales), Helena Melone (paintings on silk), Kathleen Perelka (pastels) and Kim Traina (pastels).
In addition, throughout the summer and while supplies last, Archipelago will feature a special, limited edition throw celebrating Swans Island Company’s 25th anniversary. The Island Collection 25th anniversary edition throws are handwoven with fleeces from Vinalhaven’s Long Cove Farm, and Swans Island Company is donating 10 percent of proceeds from the sale of each throw to the Island Institute to support Maine’s island and coastal communities.
The gallery and store are open seven days a week. Hours are weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For questions regarding Archipelago or the grand re-opening celebration, contact Archipelago Director Lisa Mossel Vietze at 596-0701.
