Leaving room for the ghosts
Lights Out shows the work of the late Emily Nelligan thanks to partnership with Alexandre Gallery of NY
A heartfelt thank you to Alexandre Gallery and The Marvin Bileck and Emily Nelligan Trust.
We wish to extend our gratitude to Alexandre Gallery for their generous partnership to display the haunting charcoal drawings of Emily Nelligan in Silvering Toward Invisible. Nelligan’s drawings grounded this show with the presence of an old master as 2024 marks her 100th year. As one visitor to the show mentioned, “You have left room for the ghosts.”
We remain haunted by her gossamer drawings frozen between being and unbeing. And that has provoked us to reflect on the importance of showcasing artists no longer with us. Preserving and displaying Nelligan’s legacy as a master of her craft honors the impact of a life lived, and in some way, respects our own wishes to be remembered after we depart. It was a joy to show these works, to spend time with an artist in the form left of her, a gift we are privileged to receive through this partnership.
Emily’s work is still available on our online gallery – view and learn more about the work from ‘Silvering Towards Invisible’ today.
Manifold by Reed Mclean
An Essay written for the The Maine Arts Journal: UMVA Quarterly – The Unconscious, the Unknown, the Unsaid, Spring 2024
“What follows is a description of a private event on a cold fall night in rural Maine. An artist is called to fulfill her unconscious need to be free of her work, a need which supersedes the accountability we expect. We don’t know why she is doing this, we don’t know if she is successful in freeing herself, but we do know she finds it necessary. All we are left with is the magnitude of the event, and the participation of her audience. I have tried to recall it as it happened, with style, but without fiction…”
Read the full essay below by clicking the link below.
Together we’re building a world of possibility.
Now and for years to come, Lights Out will stretch, grow, and evolve to serve the people who activate its space. One day at a time, we’re stepping closer to the community art center of our dreams — and we encourage each of you to come along for the journey.
“When I first came up to Norway from Philly, I didn’t NEED a lot. I did need a place. Not a job. Not a home. I needed a place. Somewhere to feel welcome, where I could interact with good people, and most specifically, point myself in the direction of becoming an artist. And there was Lights Out”
– Kyle Costanzi, Artist, Volunteer
Join us every Wednesday at Lights Out, 10 Tannery Street, Norway, Maine for our Community Days, with homemade luncheon provided.