Debut

Our first pop-up show, "Debut" – an art Extravaganza, was held in late August of 2021 at 24 Preble Street in Portland, Maine. We transformed what was once a dim arcade-bar into a professional gallery space, showcasing 100 works by 24 artists for three nights and four days. Roughly 500 people were in attendance. This was a great introduction into Maine's vibrant arts community and inspired us to continue conducting interviews, producing videos, and connecting with artists across the state.

Artists

Will Hessian, Abbeth Russell, JM Syron, Hayden Maltese, Brianna Gerrish, Maxwell Nolin, David Estey, Kat Logan, Don Best, Wade Zahares, Adeline Goldminc-Tronzo, Jeffery St Peter, Bonnie Bishoff, Jeffrey Ackerman, Nancy Nevergole, Lynn Duryea, Jonathan White, Baxter Koziol, Samaa Abdurraqib, Nancy Morgan Barnes, Gigi Aea, Oliver Walter Solmitz

Photography courtesy of Virginia Valdes.

“Since its conception, Lights Out has been focused on breaking down the walls of the traditional gallery context to rebuild a more approachable environment – one that is centered around the core of why we create. For this show we’re quite literally building new walls and transforming a non-gallery space into a pop-up gallery – large enough to show the work of artists from all over Maine. It’s an ambitious and challenging process, but we think it’ll be worth it.”

Karlë Woods, Co-Director

In addition to showing the visual works of two-dozen Maine artists, Debut featured the musical stylings of artist Kat Logan, as well as a poetry reading by Samaa Abdurraqib, PhD. We continue to incorporate micro-events like these as part of our current pop-up gallery events.