Skip to main content

Getcha Red Hot Mail Art


 

Portland, ME - Like most other things in 2021, the auction of Mail Art Cards, received by the Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA) Portland Gallery inside the Portland Media Center, 516 Congress St. in Portland, was delayed in both December and January, because of Covid issues.  But beginning on Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 12:00 PM and continuing to Tuesday, February 22, 2022 12:00 PM (EST) UMVA will be offering an on-line auction of the cards from not only Maine artists but from artists in other states and countries.  The URL for the auction is https://www.charityauctionstoday.com/auctions/UMVA--Mail-Art-Fundraiser-2022-29180.  Money raised will go towards keeping the gallery open through 2022. 

 

Since one of the founders of the Union of Maine Visual Artists was also a renowned Mail Artist - Carlo Pittore  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Pittore), it was decided to go with a mail art show when the January 2021 show couldn't go forward at the last moment.  Last December, UMVA asked artists to create postcard-sized mail art and photograph them for the on-line show on the blog - https://umvaportlandgallery.blogspot.com/ from January 1 to 29, 2021.  The theme of the January show was "Your Vision of the Year 2021".  The cards were then mailed to the gallery and saved for a fundraising auction, later in the year - but that never happened in 2021.  You can get a preview of the auction by going to the blog: https://umvaportlandgallery.blogspot.com/2020/12/visions-of-year-2021.html

 

If you're lucky enough to be the high bidder on a piece of mail art, you will pay through the website and let UMVA know if you can pick it up in person, or if you'd rather have it mailed to you.  If auction winners are local, they can arrange with Lesley MacVane by either calling her at 207-272-5792 or emailing her at Lesleymac@portlandmedia.org to pick up the cards on the following dates/times:  Feb 23rd from 9 am to 12 pm, Feb 24th from 11 am to 1 pm, Feb 28th from 10 am to 2 pm or March 1st from 10 am to 4 pm.  Please remember to bring proof of vaccination and to wear a properly fitted mask. 

 

Participating artists include: Amy Bellezza, Andre Pace, Anne Strout, Ann Tracy, Berna from Brazil, Chris Allen, Dave Wade, Janice L. Moore, Joanne Tarlin, John Ripton, Joyce Ellen Weinstein, Kris Onuf, Lesley MacVane, Robert Matejcek, Roland Salazar, Susan Smith and the elusive Victor F.

 

The Union of Maine Visual Artists is an artist-run, non-profit organization, dedicated to upholding the dignity of artists and creating positive social change through the arts.  The UMVA represents visual artists statewide in all fields of endeavor and welcomes those who support contemporary artists in Maine.  For more information, please go to the UMVA website:  http://www.theumva.org.

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Several Midcoast Chapter calls for Art

Although the following call is for an exhibit Jan 2025, the deadline to submit work is June 15, 2024. Waterfall Arts, Belfast, January 17 - February 28, 2025 A collaborative exhibition honoring the beautiful dark, night skies of Maine.  With its focus on the night sky itself, (the stars, the moon, celestial phenomena, etc.), as well as depictions of all the wildlife that benefit from dark skies (such as pollinators, night frogs, birds, etc) and the artistic interpretation of “dark skies as a metaphor- -we envision a dynamic show of paintings, photographs and other artworks that celebrates and encourages the appreciation of the night sky. JURORS: Nancy Hathaway, (President/Co-founder of Dark Sky Maine); Liv Kristin Robinson (photographer); Emily Sabino (painter) & Arlene Jurewicz Leighton (photographer). SUBMISSION DEADLINE: June 15th, 2024 Submission Contents: (Please read carefully and follow instructions) • Provide us with the following info in an MS Word Doc: • Your name and...

Maine’s Coastal Islands Engage Midcoast UMVA Artists

  The Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA) - Midcoast Chapter, in partnership with the Friends of the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Rockland, presents “REFUGE”, a dynamic exhibition of artwork inspired by the unique beauty found in and around Maine’s coastal islands .  The exhibit opens with an artists’ reception on September 27th from 5 to 7 pm at the gallery at the Visitor’s Center, 9 Water St., Rockland, ME.  The gallery is open during the Visitor Center’s open hours from 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday.  The exhibit continues to Dec 13, 2024.    "Pemiquid Parkbellhouse" by  Bernadette de Cesare   Contemporary realist painter Jane Dahmen juried this exhibit which features both representational and abstract works. Dahmen, whose landscapes explore the coastal regions of midcoast Maine, has shown in solo and group shows both within the U.S. and abroad. She is represented by The Portland Art Gallery.  Viewers c...

Take a Closer Look at Mainely Gallery and UMVA Midcoast in August

Alternative Vision is the name of the exhibit featuring both artists from UMVA Midcoast as well as the regular artists who show at Mainely Gallery, 181 Searsport Ave., Belfast, beginning August 2nd and continuing through August 21st. An opening reception is planned for Friday, August 2 at 5:00 p.m. This marks the first time that the Midcoast chapter of the UMVA has collaborated with a commercial gallery. Gail Wartell Keeping Our Heads Above Water The exhibit features the work of local artists exploring the theme of alternative vision. This broad theme applies to a different way of looking at things and interpreting them, including different technology, or perspective of other creatures, including a dog and a fly. It includes new digital work, as well. UMVA artists include: Bernadette deCesare, Deb Bergman, Janelle Delicata, Gail Wartell, Sue Garrett, Arlene Leighton, and Pamela Faber.   The UMVA, founded in 1975, is a non-profit organization that promotes and advocates for...