Being an artist

Professional course prepares students to curate art – and a successful career
by Elyse Catalina
Photographs by Adam Küykendall

Being an artist

Professional course prepares students to curate art – and a successful career

by Elyse Catalina
Photographs by Adam Küykendall
gallery entrance setupStudents drilling mountsStudent haning paintingJames LinehanArt of woman with blue hair

“The art needs to be the star, not the frame,” professor James Linehan says of making art look professional. Using a $25 hand tool, he demonstrates how to cut mats following two standards: “The old carpenter’s rule of measure twice, cut once, and always use a fresh blade.”

Thanks to the digital revolution, it’s a great time to be an artist, says James Linehan, professor of art at the University of Maine.

“An artist can sit in the middle of the woods somewhere, and as long as the UPS truck and the internet reach them, they can (have) a perfectly good career, and that wasn’t the case 20 years ago,” says Linehan, who leads the senior capstone for studio art majors.

The class is meant to serve as a bridge between school and the rest of life, according to Linehan, who has taught Studio Professional Practice for 22 years.

Student hanging artwood carving of woman toros

Exhibitions can take months or years to plan, says James Linehan. By teaching how a show comes together — from hanging art on a centerline of 58 inches off the ground to providing music and food for the opening reception — he hopes students learn how to approach galleries about their work.

Linehan says the class aims to prepare students to attend graduate school or become independent artists.

“The course answers the question, ‘OK big shot, you got your bachelor’s degree in art, now what?’” Linehan says. “We go over a lot of things related to how to function as an artist after you graduate.”

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And like all capstones, it puts students’ years of university academic experience to the test.

Students discuss careers, write a resume, develop an artist statement and create a presentation packet, which is needed when applying to graduate school or for a job in the arts.

Man pointing at artFamily photoWoman looking at artPurple ArtAlderly couple

The exhibit, “Collective Ground,” featured the work of Abigail Annis of Rockport, Maine; Gabrielle Bock of New Boston, New Hampshire; Mea Clark of Northeast Harbor, Maine; Ariel Goos of Concord, Massachusetts; Deborah Heyden of Carmel, Maine; Mary Manley of Manchester, Maine; Liam Reading of Bangor, Maine; Maya Silver of Bangor, Maine; and Madison Suniga of West Boylston, Massachusetts. More than 70 pieces, including paintings, drawings, prints, digital paintings/prints and sculptures, were on display at Lord Hall Gallery in December and January.

A senior art exhibition, featuring works created throughout the students’ college careers, is the final exam.

The students are in charge of all aspects of the show, including selecting the pieces; matting, framing and hanging the art; positioning the lights; organizing an opening reception; and promoting the exhibit.

“The one thing I would hope they learned is to respect themselves as artists,” Linehan says.

Learning from the best

Professor of Art, James Linehan helps ART 499 "Senior Capstone: Studio Professional Practice" student Maya Silver with her matte cutting and framing for an upcoming senior Art exhibition.

James Linehan, UMaine professor of art, helps Studio Professional Practice student Maya Silver with mat cutting and framing for a senior art exhibition.

Artist James Linehan teaches courses in painting, drawing and design at the University of Maine.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in painting at Arizona State University in 1974, he attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison where he earned a Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts. Before moving to Maine in 1983, he taught for five years at St. Andrews College in North Carolina.

Linehan is represented by galleries in Portland and Rockland, Maine; Boston; and New York City. His paintings have been included in more than 100 group shows and 20 solo shows in the past 15 years. He has completed 20 public commissions, and is represented in 30 public and corporate collections.

Linehan designed and has taught the Department of Art capstone course since its inception, bringing 40 years of experience as a teacher and professional artist to his students’ learning.

“His lifelong dedication to art and to the education of young artists is at the heart of the course,” says Laurie Hicks, a UMaine professor of art and curator of Lord Hall Gallery at UMaine.

Linehan has a deep understanding and extensive practical knowledge of what it means to be an artist today, Hicks says.

“He works intently with students to encourage an authentic sense of self as an artist and an understanding of what it means to be an artist at this point in time,” she says. “He seeks to nurture the students’ professionalism and to foster the types of skills and awarenesses they will need as they leave the university and follow their future paths as artists.”

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