Bruce Brown. Collector of Contemporary Photography. Lecture on April 3. 2 pm.

  Portland native and resident Bruce Brown served as curator at the Center of Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport for twenty years beginning in 1987.  He curated more than 200 exhibitions promoting Maine visual artists before retiring as curator emeritus in December, 2006 to become an independent curator. 

In February, 2013 he became a partner of Portland's PhoPa Gallery in Portland  specializing in Maine photographs and works on paper with photographer Jon Edwards and the Maine Media Workshops + College in Rockport where he has been on the Advisory Committee since 2006.  Brown's unorthodox and self-tutored art career began in 1975 when he unexpectedly bought a painting while visiting galleries to learn about Maine artists to share with his students early in his 28 year career at Freeport High School.  

Little Calf Island, 2000, by Gifford Ewing (Sorrento)

 Relying solely upon his income as a public school teacher and curator, he has built a notable collection particularly of contemporary American prints and more recently Maine photography.  Portions of his collection were exhibited at the Portland Museum of Art in 2000, the Colby College Museum in Waterville in 2003 and at the University of Maine at Presque Isle in 1993 and 2004. 

Please click on this wonderful article below by Sharon Kitchens to read more on Brown's history and what he brings to this series! 

http://www.themaineblog.com/master-shots-bruce-brown/