Gallery
The Coastal Ecology Center Gallery showcases the intersection of art and science.
Located in the front of the Coastal Ecology Center, our gallery showcases the intersection of art and science through rotating exhibitions that explore themes of nature, wildlife, coastal ecosystems, and resilience.
Visit the Gallery
The CEC Gallery follows Visitor Center hours
Beginning May 24: open every day, 10am-4pm
Entrance is free with regular site admission.
2025 Exhibitions
CURRENT EXHIBITION
Notes from the Coast, 2025:
Kathie Florsheim & Barbara Pagh
On View: July 24 - September 14, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, July 24, 5:30-7:30pm
Artist Talk: Thursday, August 7, 12pm
This joint exhibition pairs two artists making work that explores the coast, calling attention to what is usually considered ordinary. Both artists observe small, momentary changes that can be seen over time, capturing an instant that blends into the next instant - Pagh’s work does so on a microlevel through her lithographic collages detailing tidal changes. Florsheim’s photographs about water and light, in the series Room 10, do so on a microlevel and her images from the series Living on the Edge, about a coastal community living with climate change, approach her concerns on a macro level.
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UPCOMING
Nikon Small World (2023)
On View: September 21 - November 14, 2025
For more than 50 years, the Nikon Small World Competition has brought the wonders of the unseen world into focus, showcasing a gallery of breathtaking photos taken through optic microscopes. The competition is open to artists, scientists and hobbyists alike, and receives international recognition each year. Competition judges analyze entries from all over the world, with submissions evaluated based on originality, informational content, technical proficiency, and visual impact. This exhibition showcases selected winners from the most recent competition.
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Past Exhibitions
2025
Awash: Coastal Watercolors by Suzanne Demeo & Sculptures by Baxter Academy Plastics Project
May 12 - July 20, 2025. The Coastal Ecology Center Gallery reopens for the season with Awash, a pair of exhibitions on display through July 20. In the front room, local artist, student, and educator Suzanne Demeo’s sublime watercolors of seaweed and the intertidal zone are sure to please. In the back gallery, marine debris scavenged from Portland’s Back Cove becomes colorful, courageous art in the hands of high school students from STEM charter school Baxter Academy.
2024
Consider the Lobster: A Decapod Odyssey in Art
June 14 to November 22: A unique and engaging exploration of lobster through the lens of art, this exhibition invites the viewer to consider what this remarkable creature can teach us about ourselves and the world we inhabit. "Consider the Lobster" showcases pieces that explore the life cycle and soul of the plentiful and delicious creature that occupies such a unique place in both marine ecology and Maine's coastal community. This group exhibition includes painting, photography, and mixed media works by local artists including Amy Kelly, Sue Rioux, Peter Sheppard, Wade Zahares, and others.
2023
Krisanne Baker
September 1 to October 13: "subMerge: An Oceanic Relationship" - Underwater intertidal images, a glass "mutating" plankton installation, and paintings inspired by microscope plankton gazing and NASA and NOAA satellite images.
Nikon Small World
May 9 to August 31: Twenty images celebrating the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope from the 47th annual Nikon Small World photomicrography competition.
2022
B.A. "Tony" King
August to October: "Honoring Trees"
Daisy Braun
July 28 to August 22: "being the current"
Jessica Brunacini
July to August: "What Makes This a Special Place: A Photovoice Exhibition"
Nikon Small World
May to August: Twenty images celebrating the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope. From the 46th annual photomicrography competition.
2021
B.A. (Tony) King
August 25 to October 24, 2021: "The Peace of Wild Things: Herons & Egrets Through the Lens of B.A. (Tony) King"
Gillet T. Page
July 21 to August 22, 2021: "Summer Splashes" sculpture and collage
Nikon Small World
May 28 to July 18, 2021: The top 20 images from the 44th annual Nikon Small World photomicrography competition, selected out of nearly 2,500 entries from scientists and artists in 89 countries. Nikon Small World celebrates the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope.