PORTLAND — Rose Marasco’s photography captures a visual moment in time. Her focus is on objects of everyday life in American culture.This is her first retrospective photography exhibit, and it is currently showing at the Portland Museum of Art.

Over 50 works unite 35 years of professional work in the field. The exhibit covers a wide range of topics, from specific places she has lived, to the beauty of everyday objects that she has found in antique shops which reveal a personal side of history.

Most of her photographs are in black and white, but some are in color. Closeups of diaries and utensils used to serve food which were part of women’s duties in the 1930s are very interesting compared to today’s frozen food and microwave culture; they reflect a time gone by, but an important part of expectations of American women during that period.

Four contemporary photos of Portland in black and white focus on form, dimension, line and shadows of streets and various buildings.They include such works as: “Brackett Street, Portland,” 1980, “Commercial Street, Portland” 1981, “Preble Street, Portland,”1980, and “Pine Street, Portland,” 1981.

A Grange Hall Series photographed in black and white covers one whole wall in the exhibit on the fourth floor. A Grange hall historically was an important part of American culture. Webster’s Dictionary defines “culture” as way of life. In photographing Grange halls, Rose Marasco has captured a way of life in rural America. A grange hall was a meeting place in every day life in rural America which provided people with a social outlet. It provided food, entertainment and public education on many local issues. It was a place of communication for the whole community. In a day and age when Facebook, cellphones and computers did not exist, the Grange hall was the community’s communication center. Marasco’s photos elevate, preserve and record Grange halls into an art form reflecting an important part of everyday life in rural America during the 19th and part of the 20th centuries.

Marasco’s work goes beyond Maine and New England, although she has lived in Maine for 35 years teaching at the University of Southern Maine. Marasco was born in 1948 and raised in Utica, N.Y. Photos of Utica, created in the 1970s can be seen in the exhibit including such black and white works as, ”Barber Shop, Utica N.Y,” “Gas Station Doors,”and “DA Utica N.Y.” each reflecting the urban environment.

Marasco moved to Maine in 1979, teaching photography at the University of Southern Maine until retiring in  2014. During the summer pf 2014, Marasco and Jessica May, chief curator of the PMA, worked on selecting this exhibit which covers her entire career and many topics. The exhibit is located on the third and fourth floors of the museum — but take the elevator up and do the fourth floor first. Then walk down to the third floor. You will see one whole wall covered with Marasco’s larger works. The experience is like walking into her photographs.

“Projections No.5,” an ink jet print, created in 2007 is the most exciting Marasco work on the third floor. It depicts a room, captured in three dimensions. White walls, a fireplace, objects in a book case, a checked area rug and wooden floor accent its beauty with clean lines. White light is coming in from a window and gives a feeling of mystery with interesting shadows entering the room. This photograph’s powerful geometric lines and three dimensional aspect makes it a masterpiece.

Two other memorable works in the exhibit are titled “Portland Museum of Art,” 2010,  and “Portland Headlight,” 2010, which greet the visitor at the entrance of the exhibit on the fourth floor and set the atmosphere of the exhibit.

The photograph titled “Portland Museum of Art,” an ink jet print, 30 X 36, is my favorite on the fourth floor, because it captures the flatiron building across the street from the Portland Museum of Art which is an interesting historic landmark in Portland. Marasco’s use of perspective is unique because it captures both sides of the flatiron style building.

The meaning of the exhibit title, “Rose Marasco: Index”  is two-fold, according to an explanation by the artist, which  museum-goers may access on their cellphones.  “Index has two meanings: One, the indexical quality refers to its believability in what it represents in the world; and two,  this is an index of my work from the 1970s and all up,” Marasco explains. 

Marasco’s work is in many institutions across the nation, including the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, the Davis Museum at Wellesly College and the Harvard Museum. I recommend highly a trip into Portland to see this exhibit at the PMA. In addition the exhibit has an outstanding catalogue with an interview between Jessica May, chief curator of PMA, and the photographer, Rose Marasco.

The exhibit runs through Dec. 6. Museum hours:10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Memorial Day through Columbus Day the museum  is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays. On the  third Thursday of each month. PMA stays open until 9 p.m.

Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $6 for students with I.D. and youth ages 13 -17. Children under 12 are free. Admission is free on Friday evenings from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Winslow Homer Studio tours are available by reservation. For more information call (207)775-6148) or visit portlandmuseum.org.

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