ANNOUNCING: Atlantic Morning 🌅
A new dawn rises upon the Safford House in Portland, Maine.
What: Atlantic Morning Opening Party
When: Thursday, May 29th. 4pm - 8pm
Where: Woodhull, 93 High Street, Portland, ME
Woodhull’s Safford House opens its doors to present Atlantic Morning, curated by Lights Out. Lovingly restored to its historic splendor, the house will be home to the works of 17 artists celebrating painting, tapestry, and sculpture as unified under the theme of architecture. Channeling the clarity of early light, Atlantic Morning is a testament to the timeless qualities of thoughtful design. The exhibition produced by Lights Out will run from May 29 to October 26, 2025, with special events and programs scheduled throughout the season.
Main exhibition spaces span four floors, including gallery rooms, ballroom studios, and a cupola—each offering a unique encounter with art and architecture. The show features artists with deep ties to the Maine arts community, working across media including installation, painting, tapestry, and ceramics.
Artists in Atlantic Morning are unified by their fastidious natures and respect for materials—qualities that resonate with the Safford House’s own careful restoration. The attention and respect given to this house are mirrored in the artwork within, unifying the old and the new. Whether abstract or figurative, material or illusory, against the careful proportions of the house all forms are dedicated to thoughtful style and attention to detail.
“First the night blues and reveals dark ambiguous forms. Is that a bush or a man? Out across the quiet Casco Bay the sky and ocean separate into two distinct planes. A subtle prism appears beneath the horizon, the sun rising from within the earth, its first rays piercing up through the water. Whiteness rises and bleeds into the world slowly. In the clear new day, a house is a house, a bush a bush. Through the high windows of the Safford house streams the first light, bathing the warm wood of the mansion. The stalwart curves of the historic building, the clean architectural elements integrated with them all stand clear. It is as if some architect makes the day, steadily drawing out the lines of each morning.” - Reed McLean
Exciting Community Update!
We are incredibly excited and thankful to announce that Norway Savings Bank has committed $30,000 over the next three years towards our capital campaign to renovate the snowshoe factory at 10 Tannery St in Norway. Pictured in our recently demolished office, we are making headway in our co-working space. The wood fiber insulation donated by Timber HP has been covered up by drywall, loose floorboards have been pried up and removed, and new ones have been delicately measured and inlaid to match.
“It’s amazing to see the progress that has been made over the course of the last year and the passion on display is incredible,” said Dan Walsh, President and CEO of Norway Savings. “It’s exciting for us to be a small part of this large and growing group of supporters who believe in both the power of possibility and the potential of a flourishing arts center right off Main Street.”
Donations from our community are what make this project possible. We are energized and excited for this new year, and we are counting on you to help make it happen! Donations are what are keeping us going, from paying electricity bills to paying for nails for the floorboards, every cent and dollar adds up. If you can help our project, right now is the time and we appreciate everyone who supports us.
Looking forward to seeing the show. I had a darkroom in that building in the early eighties when it was part of the Portland School of Art!