Coastal Journal Posted February 3, 2023
Midcoast artists join forces to
expand reach
The revived Midcoast chapter of the Union of Maine Visual Artists provides artists with more venues to show their work, including a juried show this month in Belfast.
By Mikayla Patel The
Forecaster
Joanne Tarlin of Harpswell is happy for the chance to show her artwork in different coastal communities. Contributed by Joanne Tarlin.
This is the Midcoast chapter’s second show since starting up again. A
smaller show was held at the Camden library in January.
Liv Kristin Robinson, a Belfast artist who helped organize the exhibition
for the Midcoast chapter, said the high amount of interest in restarting the
local chapter was understandable.
“There’s so much talent and so few venues for artists to show,” Robinson
said. Other local artists had the idea to revive the chapter when they were
trying to coordinate a system for transporting their work to Portland
galleries, the most common place in the state for shows, especially by UMVA,
she said.
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| A watercolor by Kelly Desrosiers of Unity is exhibited at the show this month. Contributed / Liv Kristin Robinson. |
Robinson and Ann Tracy, a Rockport artist, created a survey to gauge
interest in a Midcoast exhibition and received 300 responses. Once the show was
in the works, 26 artists applied.
Tracy said she expects the chapter to “become a new force in the Midcoast
art scene” as it opens up opportunities for more artists to show their work.
Over 150 people came to the Juried Winter Exhibition’s unveiling.
“The show runs the gambit from realistic painting to wild abstraction,
yet you don’t see as much ‘tourist art,'” said Tracy. “I’m so pleasantly
shocked by the number of people who came out.”
The work on display varies widely, from paintings to photography,
monoprints and mixed media.
Joanne Tarlin, a Harpswell artist whose work is featured, said she
appreciates the chance to introduce her work to “different parts of the coastal
community.” The show, she said, pulls together “a selection of work that shared
the breadth of what the art community is doing in the area.”
She is exhibiting abstract paintings she created during the pandemic.
Greg Burns, a Brunswick artist exhibiting in the show, said the Midcoast
is “an area of the state that’s very strong artistically. A lot of artists in
Midcoast don’t get seen in Portland.”
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| Midcoast artist Libby Sipe with her art. Contributed / Liv Kristin Robinson |
He looks forward to seeing the Midcoast UMVA chapter grow.
“It’s got a lot of really good energy,” he said.
He hopes the new chapter will inspire others to open chapters in the
state so more artists can show their work and connect with their local arts
communities.
The show was curated by Belfast artist David Estey, a three-year member
of the UMVA board.
“The enthusiasm for the show was a great surprise,” Estey said. “I was
really happy about that.”
He said he took an unusual curation approach, going in with the intention
of being as inclusive as possible. He ended up accepting all the submissions.
“I am convinced that accepting all the submissions in this case will make
for an interesting exhibit with much to be learned from the wide variety of
work being done in the Midcoast area,” he said. “I can talk about every piece
and justify what’s there.”
Gallery hours for the Belfast show at Waterfall Arts are 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
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Photos from the January 27, 2023 reception by Ann Tracy
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