FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PORTLAND, MAINE – February 25, 2008 – SPACE Gallery announces the resignation of Todd Bernard, its founding director, and the hiring of Ian Paige as the Events Programmer. Bernard drew upon his experience as an artist, educator and event planner when co-founding SPACE in 2002 with Jon Courtney. After six months’ work gutting a former pizza parlor in a storefront location in the heart of the arts district  at 538 Congress Street, Bernard and Courtney opened SPACE with a group art exhibition that featured works in a variety of media and invited the participation of the public. It didn’t take SPACE long to become home to a wide range of emerging artists, local and touring musicians, and documentary film screenings.

In just five years SPACE has earned a reputation for presenting innovative and vibrant programming that is accessible to a wide community of people. SPACE’s 2005 event “Reclaiming Space” brought a 1700 square foot lawn to the middle of Congress Street and was named one of the top arts events of that year. In 2006, SPACE hosted an installation by the artist collective The Barnstormers that included the façade of an old Maine barn and a weathered fishing boat, cut lengthwise and hung on a wall of the gallery. And in 2007 SPACE was named one of the top 40 music venues in the United States by national music magazine Paste. These events and accolades are a testament to Bernard’s vision for developing and expanding the Portland arts community, something he plans to continue to be involved with in his next projects.

SPACE Board president Patty Hagge said “The creative momentum that Todd set in motion with his vision and energy will carry us far into the future with great new programming such as the Hometown Heroes music series featuring local musicians and the March First Friday interactive installation Arcade, an homage to early video game culture.”

Ian Paige is a musician who has been working at SPACE for several years as an events host, and has promoted events at other venues in Portland as well. He writes reviews of art exhibits for the Portland Phoenix and was recently nominated to the board of the Portland Arts and Cultural Alliance. In his new role as Events Programmer, Paige will be responsible for booking local and national touring music events and working with the rest of the SPACE staff to develop other performance, literary and film events.

SPACE Gallery’s mission is to present contemporary, emerging and unconventional arts, artists and ideas. SPACE receives support from local businesses, individual donors, and foundations and governmental agencies such as the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The LEF Foundation, The Maine Community Foundation, and The Maine Arts Commission.

For additional information please contact SPACE’s Executive Director, Nathaniel May: (207)828-5600 or nat@space538.org