super freak species

Carol Cartier has mounted another mind-boggling installation of magical curiosities.



















She is a truly obsessed Thing Finder, and our world is better for it. She finds mystical joys in the most unexpected places, such as worn shoe soles and specimen tags.












Try to picture the pains involved in carting this amount of ephemera from one place to another, and placing it JUST SO, like Joseph Cornell waaaaay out of the box.




















Here in this Cabinet of Curiosities, she shares a love of shiny elements with David Sheppard, an artisan extraordinaire whose silver boxes hold secrets worth keeping.























Carol delights in surfaces and textures, combining here fur, leather, and funk.























Along one wall of the Gem Gallery is a row of tintypes by Cole Caswell, a photographer from another dimension. His metallic portraits capture the itinerant souls of his rogue subjects with a delicate blend of the past and future. Pure alchemy. You can find him ducking under a black cloth at the Portland Farmer's Market, or at the next Art Walk, or at We Are X on High Street in Portland.

Carol Cartier's unique installation is only on exhibit through July 28. You MUST see it to believe it.

Next up: Norm Proulx and Claudia Whitman who pair their talents in indescribable ways.

Opening reception: July 29, 5 - 8 PM.