Over the past sixty-some odd years, Nancy Davidson has been a constant champion of art and artists, primarily in Maine and Florida, as a gallerist and curator. As Mirlea Saks wrote in her tribute to Davidson in the spring 2028 issue of the Maine Arts Journal, “[s]upporting the arts is what she does.”
Since stepping down from her position as the founding resident curator at the Maine Jewish Museum in Portland in 2024 after eleven-plus remarkable years, Davidson has continued to support the museum through various initiatives, including the acquisition of William Zorach’s 1956 bronze Head of Moses earlier this year. She has also been taking on new art consulting and curating opportunities. This fall she will present the ninth edition of her Critters show, this time at Cove Street Arts in Portland. Opening 23 October, Critters: Fins, Feathers, and Fur runs through 20 December.
The latest iteration features seventeen painters and thirteen sculptors, with ten artists making their critters debut. Of note: Portland-based artist Marjorie Moore has appeared in all nine shows. This time around she contributes 5 Monkeys on Chairs inspired by Bill Roorbach’s novel Beep.
Alicia Ethridge, She Wolves, oil, 4 x 4 ft., 2024.
“The imagery in this painting draws on a deeply personal iconography: wolves as emblems of intuition, spiritual remembrance and the shadow self; women as mother and daughter; and flowers as signs of hope and renewal.”
Barbara Sullivan, Close Encounter, shaped fresco, 16 x 28 x 2.5 in., 2025.
“Imagining what ‘Critters’ do when they encounter one another in the night, their conversations and the reactions they have with one another!”
Davidson recalls particular pieces from her critters history. Peter Beerits’s offering in City Critters was a car door with a dog as driver. Critters, Wildlife, Farm Animals, and Pets at the UNE Gallery in 2011 was the largest ever, with more than 100 pieces. Donna Dodson’s and Andy Moerlein’s collaboration, a life-sized moose, stood at the entrance to the gallery. The “hit of the show,” Davidson remembers, was Andy Rosen’s rabbit riding a real motorcycle. Director Anne Zill said the exhibition was “the most visited and joyful exhibitions at the UNE Gallery.”
Donna Dodson, Tomboy, honey locust, oil stain, enamel, 42 in. tall, 2023 (photo: Brian Wilson).
“Hua Mulan was the Chinese warrior who is said to have dutifully taken her father’s place in the army to preserve her family’s honor. There is a famous quote where she says, ‘The male and the female rabbit have physical differences but when they are running side by side, you cannot tell them apart.’ As a tribute to my father and as a self-portrait, I created a rabbit-headed female figure who is standing in shoes obviously too large for her, covering her breasts, and she has a tattoo meant to symbolize being a tomboy.”
Kitty Wales, Migration Dog, steel, recycled furniture, epoxy clay, mixed media, 84 x 38 x 15 in., 2019.
“Migration Dog was originally part of an installation [Wayfarer] that included a woman made out of the same materials. She stood seven feet tall, in a dress and a long train of chair parts that spread across the floor, up the wall to a high window. The dog at her side accompanied her journey. “
Lois Stock, Party Time, illustration from Little Blue, colored pencil, 9 x 12 in., (photo: Jan Pieter van Voorst van Beest).
“The piece I sent is the next to the last piece in the book where Little Blue and all her friends decide to celebrate. Little Blue the heron notices what is special about her friends in the mangrove swamp where she lives.”
Melissa Stern, Mickey, mixed media on prepared paper, 15.5 x 13.5 in., 2022.
“I have always been fascinated by Mickey Mouse. From ‘his’ inception as a funky loosely drawn cartoon character to his evolution into a slick corporate icon, he has always represented something about American pop culture that I love. He’s been parodied by many artists. Robert Crumb developed a character he called ‘Mickey Rat’ and many others have used his likeness in their work. I chose to pair up a classic Mickey from the 1960s with my own loosely drawn urban hipster, with a little punk thrown in to create a modern Mickey swaggering his way through the world.”
Why critters? When she lived in Santa Fe for a year, Davidson recalls, there was a gallery in a downtown hotel that specialized in animal art. The idea appealed to her—and individual pieces made her smile. What is more, the gallery sold lots of its animal art to both beginning and more seasoned collectors.
Peter Thibeault, Milk Made, assemblage, mixed media, 19 5/8 x 17 7/8 x 3 in., 2016–2025.
“Having collected 2D and 3D ephemera for almost sixty years, I enjoy finding themes, colors and form relationships in these images and objects. My collages and assemblages celebrate the design of a long forgotten era.”
Rebecca Goodale, La Ménagerie, 1/1 intaglio, silkscreen, hand-colored, 72.5 x 41.25 in., 2024.
“La Ménagerie was an idea hatched from my research on the menagerie at Le Jardin des Plantes in Paris. In 1993, I had the pleasure of making several drawings there and the best ones were of cacti and succulents. All these years later, I created an exotic animal collection of intaglio prints surrounded by a fluorescent pattern of rectangles. Next, I silkscreened a variety of blooming succulents to remind me of that day in Paris.”
In Davidson’s humble opinion everyone loves real animals and the art inspired by them. They appeal to adults and children— “and,” she exclaims, “they sell!” She feels that the need for such shows is greater than ever, “when our world is soooo screwed up.”
The show at Cove Street Arts carries a special dedication to Timothy Gene Porta (1944–2024). Porta and his wife Joan supported the first critters shows at the Cry of the Loon Gallery, which was owned by Migis Lodge in South Casco. “I do not think he knew how much he influenced my career in the arts,” Davidson wrote, adding, “He trusted me and empowered me to be very inventive.” Her critter shows were his favorite. What is more, she recalled, “Llamas welcomed you at the entrance to Migis Lodge.”
Andy Moerlein, Perfect Pitch (Marriage), wood ceramic, 15 x 8 x 24 in., 2018.
“I made this piece for a show where I was considering the musicality of birds and relationships. I used music terms as my starting point for each piece. [Perfect Pitch (Marriage) represents] a duet that hovers on the delicate edge of harmony. A balance that is robust, yet quavering. A melody that needs devoted attention to stay tuned.”
A “Critters” Exhibition Timeline
1980s: Three shows, Cry of the Loon Gallery, South Casco
1990s: City Critters, Davidson and Daughters Contemporary Art, Portland
1990s: Southern Critters, Studio E Gallery, Palm Beach Gardens
2008: Critters Revisited, The Gallery on Chase Hill, Kennebunk
2011: Critters, Wildlife, Farm Animals and Pets, University of New England Gallery
2021: Critters: Mythical, Real, and Imagined, Portland Public Library, sponsored by Maine Jewish Museum
2025: Critters: Fins, Feathers, and Fur, Cove Street Arts
2026, Summer: Title TBD, George Marshall Store Gallery, York
Image at top: Seth Fitts, Fox Spirit with Sleeping Tree, mixed media on canvas, 8 x 8 in., 2025.
“In reference to concept, fox symbolism varies among cultures but common themes are intelligence, cleverness, mysticism, and the ability to move between the physical and spiritual worlds. Foxes can be seen as a spirit guide aiding individuals through challenges. I envision Fox Spirit as one of these guides. Sometimes in my artwork bits and pieces of a story emerge as I look at the image. Story concept: ‘The Fox Spirit had been waiting, knowing I would come this way.’”