Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates

Roughly hewn from raw and painted salvaged wood and inflected with a gentle humor, the imaginative sculptural creations of Bernard Langlais (b. 1921, Old Town, ME; d. 1977, Cushing, ME) are a ubiquitous Maine feature. Ranging from mosaic-like abstractions to large-scale renderings of animals, these works grace the seaside bluffs of Ogunquit on the southern coast, dot forests and fields up to Aroostook County, welcome travelers at the Portland airport, and enliven museums, libraries, and other places of gathering across the state. 

Celebrating a beloved Maine artist, this project invites the Waterville community to help choose the works in the exhibition. From January 27 to February 14, posters featuring sculptures drawn from the Colby Museum’s collection of nearly two hundred Langlais works were placed at the following partner organizations and locations: Children’s Discovery Museum, South End Teen Center, Waterville Creates, Waterville Public Library, and the Colby College campus. Community members were invited to visit these sites and vote for up to three of their favorite works. The museum’s staff and security team also contributed to the project’s curation. The results of the vote will inform the final selection of works in the show.

Born in Maine in 1921, Bernard Langlais began his artistic career as a painter in New York City. Returning frequently to his home state, including three summers at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, he developed a signature style of using wood offcuts to build abstract assemblages and whimsical animal sculptures. He installed many of these around his Cushing property, where he lived full time from 1966 until his death in 1977. In 2010, the Colby Museum was bequeathed the Langlais estate, and, with support from the Kohler Foundation, placed his work in collections across Maine. Colby also helped establish the Langlais Art Preserve—the site of his former home and studio—now stewarded by the Georges River Land Trust. For information on the locations of his works around the state, visit the Langlais Art Trail.

This exhibition is curated by the Waterville community. The project team includes Christian Adame, Mirken Director of Learning and Engagement; Kiko Aebi, Katz Curator; Beth Finch, Head Curator; Virginia Lopez-Anido, Coordinator of Community and Visitor Engagement; and Juliette Walker, Assistant Manager of Exhibitions and Publications.