Our Story.

In December 2016, we purchased the old Hutchins dairy farm.  The barn was built in 1904, the farmhouse completed in 1906.

Passing by on Route 27, we were drawn to the “big sky” behind the farmhouse & barn. We drove in one day and were stunned by the view - acres of wildflower meadows, old hayfields, bird marsh habitats, and wooded hills. 35 acres – and a steep southeast facing hill – perfect for a vineyard!

Beginning in January 2017, we began a 6-month renovation to turn the gutted farmhouse into our dream: a gallery to celebrate the art of Maine’s finest makers.  With a grand opening in June 2017, the original Hutchins farm is now a creative space for celebrating art, music and film. Featuring dozens of artists, the entire farm is a showcase for Maine art work, with paintings and sculptures in the farmhouse, an eclectic mix of mixed-media art, tapestries and housewares in the barn, and outdoor sculptures set amongst the beauty of the natural meadows and flower gardens.

Our Artists.

Our artists are people we know and love – people who are deeply rooted in Maine, who work every day with their hands to gain practice in the age-old tradition of craft, and who understand the value of art in connecting our communities.

Our Farm.

We host work parties, often on Monday afternoons, to install posts or wires, tie up and trim the vines, weed and maintain the vineyard. More importantly, we use this time to connect with others who share our curiosity to learn more about wine growing and making. We welcome anyone who doesn’t mind a little hard work to join us and brainstorm ideas and techniques of viticulture and enology - we are all learning along the way and it is truly a fascinating process!

After our first winter, we felt like we were discovering a secret garden as spring unfurled a host of unique flowering trees, shrubs and perennials.  It is a slow labor of love, but we are doing our best to restore the old gardens and add our own touches.  In addition to a new cut flower garden, 2018 brought 1,000 daylilies gracing our front entrance (thanks to the generosity of daylily hybridist Don Cellar from Boothbay Harbor), over 1,000 sunflowers planted on the lower hill, and a land art installation of one million red poppies, winding like a river through the lower field. In 2019, we continued to nurture and grow the gardens as a backdrop to our ever-growing collection of outdoor sculpture offerings. The ‘stay-at-home’ orders of 2020 inspired even more, as we added 3 new cut flower gardens beyond the stone wall into the north pasture. In 2021, we are doubling the size of our sunflower garden and continuing to nurture the wine grapes on our hillside vineyard.

Thank you so much for visiting Down East Gallery! Relax in the barn, take in the view, walk the trails, and most of all, celebrate the art, and the many hours of patient time and talent invested by Maine’s finest artists.