History
In the Beginning
In the late 1990s, several local photographers—led by founding member Scott Peterman—rented a basement space in the old Calderwood Bakery building in Portland, Maine. They installed a 36” Collenta color processor, a crude C-41 drum film processor, two large format enlargers, and a full assembly of black-and-white processing/printing equipment. The total cost of the space and equipment was divided among the early participants, who became “members” and paid monthly dues for access. The space was also rented by the hour to any non-members in need, to defray cost and build community.
To Westbrook, Back to Portland
After relocating to a larger warehouse space in Westbrook for 10 years, the Bakery returned to Portland in 2017 and has been here since — thanks to an invitation from Jocelyn Lee to join her new arts and gallery space in Woodford’s Corner next to Speedwell Projects, where the gallery remained until 2024.
Photography has undergone profound changes since we first came together over twenty years ago (RIP, color processor), but the Bakery continues its mission to provide state-of-the-art digital and darkroom resources, as well as educational programming and artist talks to help photographers create, hone, and inspire.
