ABOUT:
The Maine Art Collective began with a simple but powerful idea: to re-imagine Portland’s vacant retail spaces as pop-up art galleries—creating more opportunities for emerging artists and preserving the city’s creative, community-centered spirit.
Founder Sue Vittner saw both a need and an opportunity—affordable, accessible art for the public, and meaningful, longer-term exhibition space for artists. In 2021, she shared that vision with a small group of friends who helped bring the idea to life. Together, they gathered fifteen like-minded artists and opened a two-month pop-up gallery on Exchange Street in Portland. What was meant to be temporary quickly proved otherwise. The gallery continued month-to-month and ultimately ran for five months, sparking the beginning of something much bigger.
Today, Maine Art Collective is a thriving group of 50+ Maine artists, bringing fresh, original, and affordable art to Southern Maine and the many visitors who pass through. Our work is regularly shipped across the U.S., extending the reach of Maine’s creative community far beyond our state.
Our mission is to create spaces and opportunities for emerging artists to show and sell their work. We are run entirely by artists, operating within a collective model that deeply values collaboration. Artists keep the majority of their profits, allowing us to support working creatives while keeping original artwork accessible and affordable for everyone.
The Collective now operates three artist-run galleries, all staffed daily by the artists themselves. Our members include painters, potters, jewelers, fiber artists, and woodworkers, with some artists represented in more than one location.
In addition to our seasonal pop-ups, in 2025 we opened of our first year-round gallery, which has been very exciting.
Gallery Locations:
Year-Round
: 9 Moulton Street, Portland, ME
May–December Pop-Ups : 157 Middle Street, Portland and 119 Perkins Cove, Ogunquit
The Maine Art Collective is built on shared vision, mutual support, and a belief that art should be joyful, approachable, and part of everyday life. We invite you to visit, connect, and discover the incredible talent Maine has to offer.
LEARN MORE + FOLLOW ALONG:
Website: www.maineartcollective.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/MaineArtCollective
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MaineArtCollective