SEARSPORT — The Parsonage Gallery presents two new exhibitions: its "5th Annual Summer Exhibition" and "Ellipsis", a solo exhibition by Steve Novick. All are welcome to an opening reception, Sunday, June 28, from 2 - 4 p.m., with free seasonal treats. Both exhibitions run through August 30.

In the downstairs gallery, the "5th Annual Summer Exhibition" brings together artists from across the United States and abroad working on themes of ecology and spirituality, including Nathan Allard, Douglas Florian, Mark Ford, Ivy Guild, Chris Jehly, Becky Moon, Caitlin Perrigo, Aviva Rahmani, Tatu Tuominen, and Arthur Yanoff.

The exhibition extends into the Parsonage's sculpture garden. Peter Walls displays a towering landscape painting on the building’s side, while Melita Westerlund adds a celebratory steel tower to the grounds. The largest addition to the garden is "Stations V" by German-British artist G. Roland Biermann — "whose fourteen large, brightly painted oil barrels sliced through with metal barriers make a striking statement about oil consumption in an era of geopolitical unrest," said a Parsonage Gallery news release.

In the upstairs gallery, "Ellipsis" features new work by Steve Novick, a Massachusetts artist and professor of art at Suffolk University who has exhibited widely across the United States. 

"With signature dark humor, his sculptures balance subversion and reverence," said the Gallery. "He offers meditations on mortality and memory with a surprisingly whimsical touch, rooted in an appreciation for the curious eccentricity of everyday objects placed in surprising contexts. Novick's sculptures induce appreciative smirks that often ripen, on reflection, into philosophical quandaries."

The Parsonage Gallery exhibits dynamic work by a diverse slate of contemporary artists, with a special emphasis on issues of ecology and spirituality. It is directed by Dr. Aaron Rosen and is a program of Our Common Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3). The gallery is open 11am-sunset daily.