Throughout Maine’s history, women have played key leadership roles in the shaping of the state. From groundbreaking politicians to cultural pioneers, women in Maine have been and continue to be trailblazers in their respective fields.
In 2020, the Farnsworth will honor 13 Women of Vision with the Maine in America Award for the profound impact they have made on Maine’s role in American art.
Cig Harvey
An artist whose practice seeks to find the magic in everyday life, Harvey’s work has been reviewed and featured in the New York Times, BBC, Vogue, the Wall Street Journal, the Independent, and New York Magazine. She is the author of three sold-out books, and her work is in the collections of major American museums, including the Farnsworth Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.
Field Notes: From the NY Times
You have to work hard at living in Maine in late March. You have to make an effort at being happy when your day can peak with the orange light at dawn. Wear a pink scarf, cook with pomegranate seeds, paint a wall red, something to show you’re not defeated by the unrelenting winter. For the majority of the country, the start of April is glorious, spring bursting full of color and smells. But where I live, the trees are still completely bare.
Everything is beige except when it snows. Our reward is the kaleidoscope of summer and fall and then, just like new mothers, we forget about early April, remembering only just how much we love Maine.
This year the virus intensifies these feelings. I am overwhelmed by the news and feel short of breath standing in front of the television. I want to show my daughter the world, but not this one.
I have never been more grateful to be able to go outside, yet I am desperate for blossom. I force spring in our house and plant row after row of zinnias, cosmos, morning glory, nasturtium. Enlisting an army of flowers around me. Planting seeds is like living with your fingers crossed, an act of hope. Five days ago I cut bare branches of forsythia and force them to bloom in warm water. This morning they opened, turning my whole kitchen gold and I wept on my knees.
Click here for a terrific podcast from Allen Clark, produced by Marcus dePaula entitled Stealing Moments with Cig Harvey—part of The Photo Untaken Podcast…
Follow @cig_harvey on Instagram to keep up-to-date with new images, books, and ideas…