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Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates

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Roughly hewn from raw and painted salvaged wood and inflected with a gentle humor, the imaginative sculptural creations of Bernard Langlais (b. 1921, Old Town, ME; d. 1977, Cushing, ME) are a ubiquitous Maine feature. Ranging from mosaic-like abstractions to large-scale renderings of animals, these works grace the seaside bluffs of Ogunquit on the southern coast, dot forests and fields up to Aroostook County, welcome travelers at the Portland airport, and enliven museums, libraries, and other places of gathering across the state. 

A hand-carved and painted sculpture of a leopard
An auk carved out of wood and painted.

Selected Work

Bernard Langlais

A carved, stained, painted, and blackened wood sculpture of a lion's face and mane with wire whiskers.

Bernard Langlais

A wooden panel divided into a grid of 54 squares, each with unique wooden patterns and textures.

Bernard Langlais

A pair of sculptures created from stained and painted wood depicting giraffes.

Bernard Langlais

A carved wood sculpture of five seagulls in various sizes which are surrounded by a wooden circular shape.

Bernard Langlais

A carved wooden bear on his hind legs with claw.

Bernard Langlais

A carved and painted wood bald eagle sculpture. The piece depicts the bird's proud-seeming profile.

Bernard Langlais

A carved and painted wooden sculpture of a camel.

Bernard Langlais

A square sculpture made up of dozens of wooden circles.

the Colby Museum's Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art CenterRelated Events

Installation view of Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine (June 18–October 20, 2025). Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine (June 18–October 20, 2025). Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine (June 18–October 20, 2025). Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine (June 18–October 20, 2025). Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine (June 18–October 20, 2025). Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine (June 18–October 20, 2025). Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine (June 18–October 20, 2025). Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine (June 18–October 20, 2025). Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine (June 18–October 20, 2025). Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine (June 18–October 20, 2025). Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine (June 18–October 20, 2025). Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine (June 18–October 20, 2025). Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine (June 18–October 20, 2025). Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine (June 18–October 20, 2025). Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Love Your Langlais: A Community Curates, the Colby Museum’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, Waterville, Maine (June 18–October 20, 2025). Photo: Abby Lank