Addison Moore

On Monday, students, faculty and community members gathered in the McKeen Center Common Room for an opening reception celebrating new work by artists from Spindleworks, a Brunswick-based studio for adults with intellectual disabilities. At the event, attendees had the chance to meet the artists themselves and learn about their creative processes.

The exhibition now transforms the McKeen Center into a gallery showcasing a diverse range of artworks—offering Bowdoin students a glimpse into the creative lives of their neighbors just blocks away. It includes 29 pieces from 23 different Spindleworks artists. All of the artwork on display is available for purchase, with proceeds going directly to the artists.

Spindleworks has been a fixture in downtown Brunswick for years, operating just a short walk from campus out of an 1840s Greek Revival building at 7 Lincoln Street. As a program of the Independence Association of Brunswick, the nonprofit art center provides studio space, instruction and community for over 45 artists with intellectual disabilities. Artists work across a diverse range of mediums, including painting, drawing, photography, ceramics, woodworking, weaving and fiber arts. The community spans generations, with artists ranging in age from 20 to 80, and their work has been exhibited locally, nationally and internationally.

The artists benefit from the program in multiple ways. They receive 75 percent of the sale price of their work, with the remaining 25 percent returning to the program to purchase supplies and maintain the studio. However, the financial aspect is only part of the story.

“The practice of doing art itself is a benefit to the artists, but also they’re selling their work. And that money goes directly to the artists themselves,” Director of the McKeen Center for the Common Good Sara Seames said. “There’s multiple ways that the artists are benefiting from the program.”

The McKeen Center’s relationship with Spindleworks extends beyond the current exhibition. The two organizations have collaborated in various capacities for years, including through student volunteer opportunities and first-year orientation trips.

“As long as we’ve been aware of their work, we’ve tried to find ways to connect with them because they’re an amazing organization,” Seames said. “I think they’re a great example for students of how to support individuals in the community. Spindleworks in particular is an amazing organization and service.”

The exhibition itself serves multiple purposes for the McKeen Center and broader Bowdoin community.

“As a really lovely starting point, it brightens up the space in our office, which is great,” Seames said. “It highlights a great community program. It gives a great platform for local artists. And all of the artwork is for sale, so it gives a place on campus for artists to sell their work.”

For students who attended the February 9 reception, the event offered more than just an opportunity to view art; it was also a chance to connect directly with the artists behind the work.

“There were a lot of students who came to the reception that we had. So I know that they got to speak directly with artists and hopefully they got to hear about their art-making process, about why they maybe chose to do the work that they did,” Seames said.

The partnership between the McKeen Center and Spindleworks reflects a broader commitment to bridging campus and community, and Seames emphasized that the McKeen Center exists as a resource for students looking to make those connections. Beyond simply appreciating the artwork, Seames hopes the exhibition will inspire students to think more deeply about community engagement and the ways they can connect with Brunswick organizations.

“Hopefully, they are learning from the work of the organization itself and maybe finding either a place that they want to connect with more or inspiration for work that they might want to be connected to in the future,” Seames said.