The Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design Presents Peter Simensky: Pyrite Radio
The Institute of Contemporary Art
at Maine College of Art & Design Presents
Peter Simensky: Pyrite Radio
On view from June 26 – September 13, 2026
Portland, ME – May 21, 2026 –The Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design (ICA at MECA&D) is pleased to announce the opening of Pyrite Radio, a solo exhibition featuring sculpture, audio, and video by Peter Simensky (1975-2023). Pyrite Radio opens in the ICA on Friday, June 26, with a public reception from 5:00–7:00 pm, alongside a concurrent group exhibition titled A Sea of Particles. Both exhibitions and accompanying programs are free and open to the public, and will be on view through September 13, 2026.
Pyrite Radio investigates sound, connectivity, and systems of value through both tangible materials and ephemeral forms. Peter Simensky’s sculptures reference the specialized history of homemade crystal radios by utilizing pyrite, or “Fool’s Gold,” as the conductive element. The reflective stone and inventive embellishments, such as an antenna fashioned from a child’s umbrella and a stand adorned with colorful plastic beads, engage viewers and prompt reflection on societal notions of value.
By emphasizing collaboration and amplifying the voices of those who have been marginalized, Pyrite Radio functions as both a sculptural object and an operational radio receiver that transmits information. The sculptures intercept and amplify local AM radio signals, projecting audio content layered with distortion. Throughout the exhibition, selected artists, musicians, DJs, writers, and radio stations—including both previous collaborators and new partners from near and far—will engage with the sculptures by broadcasting a variety of underground programs. Pyrite Radio challenges centralized modes of information dissemination and highlights the potential for collective engagement.
Peter Simensky’s Pyrite Radio, along with the concurrent ICA group exhibition A Sea of Particles, collectively represent the third installment of the ICA at MECA&D’s Getaway! exhibition series, exploring the power and pitfalls of escapism as a reaction to the question, “What do we do in response to our current crises?”. These group and solo exhibitions unpack various topics within the broader theme of escapism, examining both the complex impulses that drive us away from challenging circumstances and the destinations and activities we pursue when we do. Through diverse research and artistic practices, this series aims to provide a space for imagination, equipping our communities, both within and beyond MECA&D, with new tools to create the worlds they envision.
Pyrite Radio is organized by Director of Exhibitions Iris Williamson, with support from an evolving advisory committee and MECA&D student researchers Francesca Woolson ‘26, Carolyn Day ‘26, Violet Barr MFA ‘27, and Katie Devlin ‘27. Production management is handled by Exhibitions Manager Sarah Sawtelle ’19 and Exhibitions Assistant Caroline Kouba ’22. Design by Omnivore.
Further details will be announced in June about audio-based collaborations with regional, national, and international sound-based artists, radio stations, and organizations. All programs are free and open to the public; additional programming will be announced. For more information, visit meca.edu/ica.
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About Peter Simensky
Peter Simensky (b. 1975, Maine; d. 2023, California) was a transdisciplinary artist who explored value and the volatility of art objects through sculpture, print, video, and sound, among other mediums. He received a BA from University of California, Berkeley and an MFA from Hunter College, CUNY. Simensky’s work has been featured in solo exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (San Diego, CA); the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (Portland, OR); Museum 52 (New York, NY); 500meter Museum (Sapporo, Japan); Project Row Houses (Houston, TX), and posthumously at Outlook Is__ Projects (Los Angeles, CA) and The Lab (San Francisco, CA). Simensky’s performances and installations have been featured at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA (Los Angeles, CA), the Swiss Institute (New York, NY), the Wattis Institute (San Francisco, CA), the ICA San Francisco (San Francisco, CA), the 18th Street Art Center (Santa Monica, CA), the de Young Museum (San Francisco, CA), The Marin Museum of Contemporary Art (San Rafael, CA); Sculpture Center (Queens, NY); Palais de Tokyo (Paris, France); Mass MOCA (North Adams, MA), Tanya Bonakdar Gallery (New York, NY); and Socrates Sculpture Park (Queens, NY). Simensky received multiple grants and awards, including a NYFA Fellows Grant, an Oregon Arts Commission/Ford Family Opportunity Grant, and Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants, and residencies including MacDowell Colony, La Tallera Proyecto Siqueiros, and Skowhegan School Of Painting & Sculpture. He has been featured in multiple publications including Cabinet Magazine, Artforum, New Yorker, and more. He taught at Maine College of Art & Design; School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Stanford University; New York University; and University of California, San Diego; and was a Chair of Visual Art Studies MFA at Pacific Northwest College of Art and, most recently, Chair of Graduate Fine Arts at California College of the Arts.
For more information, visit meca.edu/ica.
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ABOUT THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART AT MAINE COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN
The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), cultivates engagement and dialogue regarding contemporary visual art practices, aiming to foster discourse regarding the critical conversations of our time, and to enhance understanding of visual culture. Located in stunning galleries in Maine College of Art & Design’s landmark Porteous Building, the ICA presents an exhibition calendar of ambitious work by living artists, operates as a learning laboratory for students, and as a center for public programming regarding contemporary art that engages with the local, national and global art community.
Hosting five exhibitions each year accompanied by a dynamic series of public events and artist talks, the ICA also supports Maine College of Art & Design graduate student exhibitions and events. The ICA is dedicated to working across platforms collaboratively and thinking with others to inspire creative action, reimagine our future, and create compassionate communities together through visual art.
The ICA is open Wednesday–Sunday, 11:00am–5:00pm, and Thursdays until 7:00pm. Exhibitions at the ICA at Maine College of Art & Design are free and open to the public.
ABOUT MAINE COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN
Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D) has been activating students of all pursuits to make art and inspire change since its founding as Portland School of Art in 1882. Located in Portland’s thriving Arts District, students have access to state-of-the-art facilities, 24-hour-a-day studios, a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and unparalleled Artists at Work resources—giving every student the place, pace, and space to be seen and make an impact with their work. The College offers BFA Majors and Minors, Graduate Programs, Online Learning, Continuing Studies, Pre-College, and includes the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies and the Institute for Contemporary Art.
For images, further background, or interviews, please contact:
Leah Brooks
Director of Marketing & Communications
Maine College of Art & Design
T: +1-207-699-5009
lbrooks@meca.edu
Katrina Stewart
Account Manager, Visual Arts
Blue Medium
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katrina@bluemedium.com