TURNOUT-July 2009

Inside Portland’s historic Masonic Temple, MECA recognizes two leaders in the art community

On May 14, Maine College of Art (MECA) held its fourteenth annual black-tie Art Honors celebration in Portland’s historic Masonic Temple, built in 1911 by architect Fredrick Thompson. The Art Honors is a platform for recognizing leadership in the arts community, and the occasion was the first time in nearly 100 years that the Masons opened their doors to an outside organization. This year, MECA recognized artist and public art advocate Alice Spencer with the MECA Leadership in the Arts award and Andy Graham, founder and owner of Portland Color, with the MECA Entrepreneurship in the Arts award. During the reception, dinner, and awards ceremony, guests reveled amid the rich architectural details of the temple, which had been transformed by fabric installations by Transformit and the work of honorees Graham and Spencer.

Andy Graham, founder and owner of Portland Color, as he walks to the podium to accept the MECA Entrepreneurship in the Arts award. Building on his skills as a photographer, Graham founded Image Works in 1977 with two fellow USM art school graduates to provide multimedia services such as slide presentations and overhead projections.

MECA honoree Alice Spencer sitting with her husband Richard.