ROCKLAND — Grant Wahlquist will serve as Interim Director of The Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA), effective immediately. A respected curator and cultural leader with deep ties to Maine’s arts community, according to a CMCA news release, Wahlquist brings nearly two decades of curatorial and critical experience to the role.

“We couldn’t be more delighted knowing we have someone as talented as Grant to step in and provide steady leadership for CMCA,” said CMCA Board Co-chairs Carolyn Watson and Rick Franklin. “He has demonstrated the leadership qualities we value, and through his curatorial vision and management abilities during his tenure at CMCA, has proven that he can successfully lead the organization into its 75th anniversary year.” 

CMCA’s new Director of Education, Rori Smith, adds of Wahlquist’s appointment, “As Grant steps into this new role, he brings with him a great deal of care for the organization—its history, staff, artists, and community. He often says how lucky we are to go to work and have fun, to build a place for joy and belonging, for learning and reflection. As an educator, I am always a champion for trying new things and saying yes to expanded possibilities. I feel those values will be shared under Grant’s leadership and that CMCA will continue to open its doors wide and be welcoming to all.”

Wahlquist joined CMCA in July 2025 as curator, overseeing the museum’s dynamic exhibition program. Over the last year, he has curated or overseen 10 changing exhibitions, including the upcoming Because the Sky is Blue, opening October 2.

“I am honored to step into this role at such an important moment of growth and renewed momentum,” said Wahlquist. “CMCA has an extraordinary history of championing artists and introducing audiences to ambitious contemporary art, and I look forward to partnering with our talented staff and board to build on and expand that legacy.”

The appointment comes at a significant moment for CMCA. In 2026, the organization celebrated the 10th anniversary of its landmark Rockland building, designed by internationally acclaimed architect Toshiko Mori. In 2027, CMCA will mark the 75th anniversary of its founding.

From 2017 to 2024, Wahlquist operated Grant Wahlquist Gallery in Portland, representing emerging and mid-career artists from across the United States. Earlier in his career, Wahlquist worked at the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA), where he contributed to numerous solo and thematic exhibitions, including two editions of the California Biennial. He subsequently practiced law in New York City. Wahlquist is also an active arts writer and critic, whose essays and catalogue texts have accompanied exhibitions at CMCA, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, and OCMA. He holds degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary, the University of Nottingham, and the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

In the past year, attendance at CMCA has increased 40% and free Rockland membership has grown by more than 50%. CMCA was recently awarded a grant from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s Climate Initiative, and received its first grant from Étant donnés, a program of Albertine Foundation and Villa Albertine. With the support of the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation, Wahlquist has also established a robust publication program, publishing three catalogues in the summer of 2026 featuring essays by poet and critic Dorothea Lasky, film scholar Dr. Michael B. Gillespie, and critic and writer Harry Tafoya.

“I hope everyone will join us for the opening of Because the Sky is Blue—CMCA’s first exhibition that is deliberately international in scope—which we hope will demonstrate that CMCA’s best and brightest days are ahead," said Wahlquist.

Wahlquist succeeds Robert Wolterstorff, who served as CMCA’s Executive Director from 2024 to 2026.