Experience a private tour with a museum educator of the Portland Museum of Art’s new Grace Hartigan exhibit. The evening will be spent examining and discussing Hartigan’s daring works of art and the poets that inspired her creations.
Step into the vibrant world of artist Grace Hartigan at the Portland Museum of Art and slow down with intention. Through guided creative writing activities led by PMA Museum Educators, you’ll experience the exhibition Grace Hartigan: The Gift of Attention in a fresh and engaging way.
Engage your senses as you write, imagine, listen, and respond to Hartigan’s expressive paintings and the poetry that helped shape them. Whether through a short story, a poetic line, or a collaborative exercise, this evening is about seeing deeply and expressing freely.
After the guided portion, roam the galleries at your own pace with prompts in hand. Then reconnect with fellow creatives in the café over drinks, conversation, and perhaps a line or two you’d like to share.
Each participant will receive a mini-journal and mechanical pencil—the perfect toolkit to inspire your creative journey. This is part one of a multi-season collaboration between held and the PMA. Stay tuned for the Winter '26 event focused on mindful being while both in the galleries and outside in the world.
“This exhibition sheds light on Hartigan’s visionary role in postwar American painting and her deep, often overlooked, connections to the poets and queer thinkers of her time. It’s a powerful example of how creative communities support and sharpen one another.”
Grace Hartigan (1922–2008) rapidly rose to national acclaim during the 1950s with her daring canvases that blended abstraction with elements of figuration. By Hartigan’s side were poets Daisy Aldan, Barbara Guest, James Merrill, Frank O’Hara, and James Schuyler. Their bold lyricism and critical support deeply inspired Hartigan, playing a crucial role in her success. She recalled that the rebellious spirit of these poets, many of whom were queer, fueled her independent artistic vision.
This exhibition brings together over 40 of her works created between 1952 and 1968, revealing the profound influence of mid-20th-century American poetry on this seminal artist.
Details
Date: Thursday, November 20, 2024
Time: 6 - 8 pm
Location: Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square, Portland, ME
Fee: $60* includes one drink ticket at the PMA cafe, small bites, a private tour with a PMA Museum Educator, creative poetry prompts with journal and pencil provided, discussion, and mingling.
*As we develop different types of events, we are working on prices to make these events sustainable. If cost is a factor, we want to help. For each event, we set aside tickets just for this purpose. Please email us at hello@heldportland.com.
Cancellation policy: All sales are final and non-refundable. However, your tickets are transferable to an individual. If transferred to someone, please email us their name and email address at hello@heldportland.com.
PMA Museum Educators leading the event
Heather Livingstone
Heather Livingstone joined the Portland Museum of Art in 2024 as a
museum educator. An artist and educator with 20 years experience
teaching visual art in Maine public schools, she has conducted
research in the field, including an MFA study dealing with themes of
gender, curriculum engagement, and student motivation. At the PMA,
Heather is passionate about developing inclusive curriculum, and is
dedicated to ensuring that visitors of all ages and abilities feel valued,
seen, and able to access the museum collections through meaningful
personal engagement.
Tiffani Ortiz
Tiffani Ortiz (she/they) is a young creative and educator. She was born and raised in rural, northern Maine and had passion for art, education, and social justice from a young age. Growing up she would always be found with a book to read and a notebook to write and draw in.
Tiffani is a first-generation college graduate who received her Bachelor of Arts in International Development and Social Change with a Concentration in Peace Studies from Clark University in 2021. With her degree she explored liberation movements in South Africa and Palestine and deep dived into American popular culture post-9/11. Leading to an incredible fusion of her interests in art of all mediums and how political events influence art (and vice versa). As an undergraduate, she was awarded the Joe Di Rivera Peace Prize for her commitment to conflict resolution and transformation through her studies and community involvement.
After a few years of working in the non-profit sector of Portland, she turned the page and embraced her love of art and education. Tiffani has been a Museum Educator and an Older Toddler for over a year now. She loves welcoming people of all ages and identities into museum spaces. Alongside her fellow museum educators, Tiffani leads K-12, college, and adult tours through the museum for interactive and educational experiences. She loves the ability to learn from curators to infuse historical or formal art knowledge into her tours. She believes that art allows for a healing and transformational experience that allows us to be seen and heard in ways we may not have before. It is always her goal that tour attendees, chaperones included, leave the PMA feeling a sense of belonging and inspiration.