The Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport Maine, and Waterfall Arts in Belfast Maine present a summer-long exhibit of the photographer Peggy McKenna’s portraits of artists to be held at Waterfall Arts in Summer 2024. McKenna and Her Camera opens June 28 in Belfast Maine. Peggy’s 1991 photo of Alison will be paired with one of Alison’s paintings in this exhibition of 30 artists Peggy photographed.

Beginning in the 1950s, some of America’s best-known artists came to rural midcoast Maine in search of compelling landscapes and drawn by cheap land and a community of like-minded people. Photographer Peggy McKenna moved to Montville in 1972 and soon became a vibrant and beloved part of the community. Her specialties were photojournalism and portraiture. Her reputation among the artists was based on their deep respect for her photographic artistry and many had their portraits made by her.

McKenna’s archive of photographs was donated to the Penobscot Marine Museum in 2015. PMM has partnered with Waterfall Arts to create this exhibition of Peggy’s photos that brilliantly document the faces and personalities of some of the key figures in the midcoast art scene, which had a considerable impact on the history of American art. This exhibit will include 34 of her artist portraits, including Alex Katz, Katherine Bradford, Lois Dodd, Linden Frederick, Yvonne Jacquette, and Rudy Burckhardt. Each portrait will be paired with a work by that artist.  Peggy’s photo portrait of Alison Rector is on view in the exhibition with an accompanying painting by Alison.

Here is the Penobscot Marine Museum website link to the Peggy McKenna Collection. A print catalogue accompanies the exhibition and is available for sale.

Peggy McKenna was born in Pennsylvania in 1947, and moved to Montville, Maine in 1971. With some time out working in New York City as a photographer, she spent most of her adult life photographing the life and people of Montville and Waldo County, working as staff photographer both for the Republican Journal (1980-83) and the Waldo Independent (1988-2002).

She also worked extensively as a freelance photographer for a wide variety of publications and for her own studio. Her photographs, exhibited widely in Central Maine, reveal a deep respect both for her local place and for her subjects.

Her subject matter covers everything but her strongest work is her portraiture. She had a real knack for forming a connection with her subjects that allowed them to relax in front of her lens. She worked primarily in 35 mm, and used both color and black & white. The collection is massive in size and is currently being processed.

Alison Rector, 1991 by photographer Peggy McKenna

Self Portrait by photographer Peggy McKenna

Entering Circulation, oil painting on linen, 20” x 20” by Alison Rector