Rachel Adams '09 and Ryan Adams, Maine College of Art & Design's inaugural Artists In Residence, have joined our community in meaningful dialogues and serve as a valuable resource to students. In their role, they participate in studio visits and critiques. They offer students a way to learn from their practices and experiences.
Rachel Adams '09 is a multidisciplinary artist living in Portland, Maine. She has developed a vibrant graphic pattern-based visual language that references the natural world. Her work takes form by way of quilting, painting, design, and large scale murals.
She moved to Maine in 2005 to pursue her BFA from Maine College of Art & Design. She has gone on to exhibit artwork at SPACE Gallery, Alice Gauvin Gallery, Center for Maine Contemporary Art, and Dowling Walsh. She has attended residencies at Speedwell and Pace House and is an Indigo Arts Alliance David C Driscoll Fellow. In addition to her studio practice, Adams has been commissioned to create murals for several institutions including the Children's Museum of Portland, University of Maine, and the Farnsworth Museum.
Ryan Adams is a painter and muralist based in Portland, Maine. His background in traditional graffiti led him to creating large-scale mural work, hand lettered signage and a studio practice. His signature ‘gem’ style of work is a geometric breakdown of letterforms with shadows and highlights embedded within, to create depth and movement throughout. His pieces tend to be bold, colorful and clever; often including statements within. These statements can be literal or figurative, but often bring attention to a social or cultural issue. His studio practice is rooted in the exploration of form and abstraction while remaining true to his background in letter studies. Currently, Ryan owns and operates a mural company with his wife Rachel Gloria Adams and exhibits his work in galleries and museums across the US. Ryan's clients have included Nike, Patagonia, Converse, Samsung, L.L.Bean, Google, and Newport Jazz Festival.
Ryan and Rachel also launched Over Here Studio, a gallery space in Portland that highlights the work of local artists.
Visiting Artist talks are free and open to the public on a space-available basis.
Funded through the generous support of the Gene R. Cohen Charitable Foundation.