David Estey - UMVA President Belfast painter David Estey, Harpswell painter Joanne Tarlin and retired Belfast entrepreneur John Patrick “Pat” Mullen have been elected as President, Vice President and Treasurer, respectively, of the Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA). Estey and Tarlin are leading the board of directors toward a new emphasis on “Artists Helping Artists,” through networking gatherings, exhibitions, critiques, mentoring, studio visits and workshops. UMVA is a 48-year-old nonprofit that advocates for the arts and artists in Maine to support the common good. It produces the Maine Masters series seen on MPBN, the online quarterly Maine Arts Journal, Artists’ Rapid Response Team! posters and banners for public causes, and LumenARRT! messages for worthy nonprofits projected on public buildings in Portland and other places. UMVA was Instrumental in passing the Maine Percent for Art Program required in all new State buildings and The Artist’s Estate Law that allows payment
Local artists and the public are invited to the Explosion Book Seminar by UMVA artist Linda Leach on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023 from 11 am to 2 pm at the Camden Public Library, 55 Main St., Camden, ME. To register for this workshop, please contact Linda Leach at studio@lindaleachdesigns.com by October 25th. There is a $10 materials fee. An “explosion book” is a handmade small square book, which “explodes” into a series of square and triangular pages when you open it up. Leach has been a teaching and exhibiting artist for over 26 years in the Midcoast area. She finds that when teaching, she also learns much in the process herself. She has received several awards and has been published in a number of art magazines in recognition of her new polymer discoveries. She has been fortunate to be a presenter at several polymer clay retreats. Creating new avenues to share ideas and cultivate artistic interest is her goal for the future while having fun in the process. UMVA, founded