Published: October 20, 2025
The University of Southern Maine’s new Crewe Center for the Arts has officially opened the doors of its Great Hall Gallery with a debut exhibition that invites audiences to reflect on the intersections of technology, labor, and what it means to be human.
The inaugural show, featuring the work of USM’s newest art faculty member Janna Ahrndt, blends humor, curiosity, and critique to explore how our reliance on machines shapes the way we live and think. Curated by Kat Zagaria Buckley, Director of Art Exhibitions and Outreach, the exhibit uses familiar household and technological objects, such as Roombas, Furby’s, and vintage vacuum cleaners, to spark questions about automation, surveillance, and emotional connection in an increasingly digital world.
Rather than celebrating innovation uncritically, the exhibition encourages viewers to look closer at the trade-offs behind convenience and efficiency. The objects on display blur the line between comfort and control, prompting reflection on the roles technology plays in both liberating and limiting human experience.
As Buckley notes in the curatorial statement, the exhibit does not dream of escaping labor altogether. Instead, it challenges audiences to consider what is lost and what new possibilities emerge when machines begin to take on the work once done by human hands.
The exhibition is now open in the Crewe Center’s Great Hall Gallery through December 5th. Admission is free and open to the public.
