About the Speers Gallery
Kennebunk Free Library provides space for art exhibits. Exhibit materials may be organized and presented by the Library, members of the community, and not-for-profit groups within the guidelines set forth in the Exhibit Policy below. The gallery has been host to a variety of mediums including photography, textile arts and mixed media assemblages in addition to renditions in oil, pastel, pen and ink, and watercolor.
In 2011, the gallery in Hank’s Room was named the Speers Gallery in honor of Mike Speers, former Library Trustee and Friend of the Library, who was the inspiration of the Gallery.
Current Speers Gallery Exhibit
March: “My Unique Point of View” by Margaret Merrill
The Speers Gallery at the Kennebunk Free Library presents “My Unique Point of View” by Margaret L. Merrill. The exhibit will run March 2-31, with a reception on Saturday, March 7 from 2:30-4:30 pm. All are welcome.
Margaret Loring Merrill has worked in watercolor all her painting career. She began dabbling with them as a child and has continued to explore the medium while trying different styles of expression. Her “watercolor paintings capture scenes and images from my life here in Maine and a bit of Italy. Deep rich colors, shapes, light and shadow, and movement captures my attention. I paint what has meaning and matters to me. It is what I observe and experienced in nature, the woods and fields around my home, the ocean and coastline of the Midcoast, the product of what I see captures the essence of what I feel and how I see my world around me – my unique point of view.”
Margaret has studied under several well-known watercolor artists since the 1970s, and currently paints with Judith Arneson, a Maine watercolor artist of acclaim. Margaret has exhibited with Maine Women in the Arts and is a juried member of the Art Guild of the Kennebunks. For the past two years Margaret’s art has been featured in AGK’s summer shows. Her work has been shown over the years from the mid-coast to Portland, and in local venues.
Kennebunk Free Library is excited to show the works of this talented local artist.
Speers Gallery Artists for 2026
| January 2026 | YES Art Works, (untitled), Mixed Media |
| February 2026 | Karen Nash, “Search for Light”, Acrylics & Photography |
| March 2026 | Margaret Merrill, “My Unique Point of View”, Watercolor |
| April 2026 | Cheryl Lunde & Friends, “Perspectives”, Watercolor, Pastel, Oil, Acrylic & Weaving |
| May 2026 | Kathleen McNally, “House Portraits – Captured Memories”, Watercolor |
| June 2026 | Cathryn Falwell, “Drawing Trees”, Charcoal, Collage & Relief Print |
| July 2026 | The Artists Collective, (untitled), Watercolor & Acrylic |
| August 2026 | John Shibley, “Eliot Black & White”, Photography |
| September 2026 | Kharris Brill, “Reframed Stories: Objects Reimagined to Tell New Tales”, Found Object Assemblage |
| October 2026 | Christina Smith-Krause, (untitled), Mixed Media |
| November 2026 | Cheryl Miller, “A Year of Plate Portraits: Putting a Face on the Turkeys We Eat”, Color Pencil & Marker |
| December 2026 | Richard F. duFosse, “Maine Coast” Acrylic, Oil & Pastel |
Speers Gallery Exhibit Applications*, Policy, and Procedures
*Please note the application period to exhibit in 2026 is now closed. Applications to exhibit in 2027 can be submitted anytime up until the October 2026 deadline. Links to the application materials can be found below.
Dear Artists,
The Kennebunk Free Library’s Speers Gallery provides a space devoted to exhibiting artwork of local artists. Located on the lower level, the Speers Gallery offers the opportunity for the general public to appreciate the arts in a manner that reflects the Library’s mission to inspire and enable our communities to discover, learn, and connect.
We are currently inviting artists to apply to exhibit for a month in 2026. In November 2025, we will convene an art committee, consisting of members from the Library and art communities, to review the completed applications and set a monthly exhibit schedule for 2026. Please note that applications must be received by Friday, October 17, 2025.
Our application form and exhibit policies and procedures are linked below. I hope that you will consider applying to Exhibit in 2026. Please note that there is a $25.00 fee to exhibit and an additional fee of $10.00 to hold a reception. Payment is not due until the month of your exhibit. If you have any questions regarding this process, please feel free to contact me via phone 207-985-2173 x103 or email at mconners@kennebunklibrary.org.
Sincerely,
Michelle K. Conners
Director
Maine Children’s Book Illustrators Gallery
The KFL Maine Children’s Book Illustrators Gallery, houses original works of art from children’s books by Maine illustrators. Represented artists include Barbara Cooney, Dahlov Ipcar and Kevin Hawkes. It was created in 1995, following the expansion of the Library, and is a wonderful means of educating patrons of the richness and diversity of Maine artists. It also serves to promote literacy by presenting literature in a visual form to the young and young at heart. The Gallery is located on the lower floor in the Library and is open to the public whenever the library is open.
Pictured above is a photograph of the Maine Children’s Book Illustrators Gallery, with benches below for patrons to have a seated view of the art.