The L.C. Bates Museum’s summer 2026 exhibition “Light” will open on May 9. Curated by Colby College students Lucy Preston ’26 and Winnie Ulland ’28 under the supervision of Professor Véronique Plesch, the exhibition will feature a wide range of media and styles by contemporary Maine artists responding to the theme of light.
A public reception will be held on May 9 from 4-6 p.m. at the museum to celebrate the exhibition. Refreshments will be served and the curators will introduce the exhibition, followed by short remarks from select participating artists.
An early 20th century cabinet of curiosities, the L.C. Bates Museum is an encyclopedic museum whose collections focus on the natural world while also including cultural artifacts. Nestled among the trails, fields and grounds of Good Will–Hinckley, it was conceived as an integral part of the educational vision of its founder. Each year, the museum’s annual summer exhibition brings contemporary art into dialogue with this distinctive setting.
Indispensable to life and fundamental to artistic creation, light shapes the way we see, measure time and experience the natural world. Light embraces a vast spectrum encompassing dawn and dusk, sunlight and moonlight, as well as shifting weather, atmosphere and the glow of campfires, windows, headlights, lighthouses, and fireworks. The exhibition also acknowledges the long history of artistic fascination with light, from the observational challenges it poses to the symbolism attached to illumination and darkness.
Among the artists participating in this exhibition, several focus on the challenge of observing and translating changing conditions of light in the natural world. Mike Branca’s plein air painting reflects the urgency of capturing a fleeting moment of sunrise, preserving a brief alignment of illumination across the landscape. Jill Madden similarly paints directly onsite, documenting the evolving colors and atmosphere of early morning coastal light. Stephen Burt turns to nighttime observation, beginning drawings outdoors in moonlight and completing them from memory, inviting viewers to reconsider the perceptual possibilities of darkness.
Other artists explore how isolated or fabricated sources of illumination shape visual experience. Melanie Essex portrays the glow of lit structures within otherwise darkened landscapes, revealing how artificial light can transform familiar environments.
Images of the museum and information about past exhibitions are available at
Exhibition details
Exhibition Title: “Light”
Location: L.C. Bates Museum, Good Will–Hinckley, Maine
Opening Date: May 9
Closing Date: Oct. 3
Cost: Free
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For more information, call 207-238-4250 or email lcbates@gwh.org.