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Dustan Knight: Creative Joy

SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2025

York Public Library is pleased to announce Creative Joy, a solo exhibition of works by artist Dustan Knight, on display from September 4 through October 31 in the Library’s Upper Level.

The artist holds an MFA from Pratt Institute and an MA in Art History from Boston University, and brings more than forty years of creative exploration to this vibrant collection. Knight’s career spans three decades of teaching at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, University of New Hampshire, Maine College of Art, and Heartwood College. She is the recipient of numerous residencies including the MacDowell Colony and the Cummington Art Residency, and the recipient of the New Hampshire State Artist Fellowship and numerous public art commissions.

Her artwork has been published in Painting the Impressionistic Landscape (Rockport Press, 2017) and Ten Piscataqua Painters (2021) and featured in Watercolor Magazine and ArtScope. A majority of Dustan’s work has been commissioned and included in national corporate collections such as Macy’s, regional hospital collections, and New Hampshire public art collections. She is represented by Art3 Gallery in Manchester, New Hampshire and Chase Young Gallery in Boston, Massachusetts.

Knight’s paintings are often about the way light enriches a natural landscape. Her expressive, abstract style can be described as dramatic, rich, loose and energetic, recognizable for her sophisticated use of color and complicated surface textures. Drawing inspiration from rugged granite ledges, pine-crowned islands, and shifting coastal light of New England, Knight paints at her home studio on a small island between New Hampshire and Maine, or at her larger painting studio at the Button Factory (#320) in Portsmouth.

In describing Creative Joy, Knight reflects:

“This exhibition showcases forty years of my life making art and living a creative life. I work in several styles that I return to continuously — ambiguous narratives inspired by overheard snippets of life, abstract landscapes that express my experiences in nature, and playful works that explore themes of chaos, humor, and joy. Artists rarely fit into just one box, and this show offers a window into the breadth of what it means to sustain a creative journey over time.”

Creative Joy offers a lively, diverse, and deeply personal view of Knight’s artistic evolution. From narrative scenes to lyrical abstractions, the show celebrates the vitality of a career dedicated to seeing—and making—with curiosity and joy.

A reception with the artist is scheduled for Tuesday, September 16, 5:00-7:00 PM in the Library’s Upper Level.

The exhibition will be on view at York Public Library during regular operating hours. The library is located at 15 Long Sands Road in York and is open Monday-Thursday 10a-7p; Friday 10a-5p; and Saturday 10a-2p. For more information, please contact the Library at (207) 363-2818.

Art Show: Dustan Knight
Previous Exhibits
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About York Public Library Exhibits

When you stroll into the York Public Library (YPL) to find a book, read a magazine, work at a computer, or attend a meeting or program, you will undoubtedly discover more than you expected. In fact, you will have an opportunity to see major exhibitions by some of the area’s most talented artists, past and present. The art is displayed throughout the Library.

The exhibits at the York Public Library include a broad range of art and represent artists from York, Eliot, the Berwicks, Ogunquit and the Portsmouth area. The common denominator is the quality of the work. Exhibits run the gamut and have included sculpture, fiber art, and traditional, abstract, and contemporary art. Our goal is to reach not only those who have a strong interest in art but also patrons who may or may not visit museums and galleries on a regular basis.

One of the highlights on the calendar is the “Student Art Show” held each year in April. The show features art created by young people in York from kindergarten through high school and is designed to foster excellence in art for generations to come.  

Every year the Library mounts a group show called “Community Collects”.  This show features the work of one or more well-known local artists from the past. Collectors from the area generously lend pieces from their personal collections during this three-month long exhibit.

The York Public Library (YPL) Art Committee

The YPL Art Committee, composed of a small group of volunteers, selects and organizes six exhibits throughout the year. Committee members are knowledgeable in the field and familiar with the reputations of artists in our area.  An Opening Reception is hosted by the Committee for each exhibit during which the artists are invited to give an informal talk about their creative process. Exhibits are by invitation. For more information contact info@yorkpubliclibrary.org