Refuge art Call ... Deadline Fast Approaching

Help Artists Keep Gallery Space

UMaineFarmington is threatening to close down the UMF Art gallery. It's such a wonderful space and brings the work of artists from all over Maine to a community that otherwise wouldn't be exposed to this high level and diversity of work. Farmington is lucky to have a large gallery space in the community Emery Arts Center that focuses predominantly on showing art from the UMF student body and local artists, along with a special show (retrospective, national open call etc.) once in a while. Joe McDonnell (President of UMF) is saying that such a small university as UMF shouldn't have two galleries. The galleries serve very different purposes and bring together very different communities. The UMF gallery (because of its wider scope of work) encourages people from all over the state to travel to Farmington to see these wonderful exhibits by accomplished artists. Sarah does an amazing job curating thought provoking and varied exhibits. This decision about whether or...

Sheltered in Place - a Pandemic Art Show

The Covid pandemic reshapes our lives. It continues to strip down our existence, separating us from loved ones and exposing weaknesses in our system of governance and our political leadership. It demonstrates the devastating impact of the nation's grave social injustices. Systemic racism and socioeconomic disparity put oppressed peoples at greater risk for Covid-19. Then, on May 25, as many of us bunkered inside our homes, we witnessed the cold-blooded murder of George Floyd. This videotaped tragedy and the eruption of Black Lives Matter protests across the nation revealed the depth and breadth of racism in America. It is a contagion every bit as present and virulent as the coronavirus. In the face of both existential challenges – pandemic and racism – we can only recover through radical social change. The images and words of UMVA artists in this online exhibition surface from the isolation and compression of life in the pandemic. The works express personal and universa...

Love/Rage: Goddess

A virtual show at the UMVA Gallery Co-curated by Ann Tracy and Christine Sullivan This show, originally scheduled for May of 2020, was cancelled on the brink of the pandemic. All of the submissions were in, and we were making plans for the First Friday Reception, always a treat but even more so in warm spring weather! Social upheaval was front and center in 2020. In many circumstances, the clashes already inherent in our culture were amped up to devastation. We were forcibly reminded that the economic fallout of the pandemic is disproportionately endured by women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ . BUT, the Goddess always rises, and we looked at the 2021 vision of the show with new eyes. In response, we modified our original call for submissions, and invited artists to show us the Goddess “however you perceive her.” We are beyond thrilled by the response – this show displays an amazing range of gifts and perspectives from artists in many media. For a glimpse of their thoughts,...

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