Life is a Carnival: from the Figurative to the Abstract , a UMVA (Union of Maine Visual Artists) art exhibit opens at the Waldo Theatre, 916 Main St, Waldoboro, on July 6 and runs to August 4, 2024.  Over a dozen artists are showing prints, photography, paintings and more in the spirit of one of the UMVA founders, Carlo Pittore.  Some of Pittore’s work will be included in the exhibition as well.  The documentary film CARLO … and his Merry Band of Artists by Richard Kane, the latest film in the Maine Masters series, will screen July 25 at 7 pm (runs one hour and 17 minutes) with an artists’ reception to follow.  The CARLO documentary will also screen at Nomad, 14 Main St, Brunswick on August 1st at 5pm and August 4 at 2 pm in conjunction with a UMVA art exhibit  Then and Now: Works by the Early UMVA Cast  throughout August at Nomad; as well as the Colonial Theater, 163 High St, Belfast on August 13th at 7pm.  Contact each venue for ticket prices. P...

  UMVA is holding a Silent Auction and we would love you to submit one work of art.  The first 50 works will be accepted … first come first serve.   So do it today!   ·        When : Saturday August 3rd, 7-11 pm ·        Where : Merrymeeting Hall, 27 Main St., Bowdoinham ·        What : The Carlo Pittore Silent Art Auction & Costume Ball ·        Why : It’s a Win-Win! Sell your work with well-known Maine Artists while supporting the UMVA! You decide the minimum bid and choose an amount to donate to the UMVA (between 50% to 100% of the sale price). If you're not yet a member or haven't yet paid your 2024 dues, please do so here:  Join / Donate . Sliding scale $25-45. Proceeds will go towards building a much-needed new UMVA website, which will help us all stay connected and in-the-know about upcoming exhibitions, scre...

 About a month ago, UMVA had the opportunity to work with Tom Handel of the Portland Media Center to make a (too long for regular TV) Public Service Announcement or PSA.  Ann Tracy recruited Emily Sabino and William Hessian as the talent and this is the result.   Click here to see it! Special thanks to Tom for helping put this effort together.  Portland Media Center does the programming for public access in Portland - CHs 5 & 2.  You can also take classes there and make your own programming!  A wonderful opportunity.  Here is a link to their website.

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...

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...

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 ...

Over 20 artists are involved in “Water”, the current membership show at the UMVA Art gallery inside the Portland Media Center, 516 Congress St. in Portland until November 24 th .   Gallery hours with artists there are: Friday 5pm - 8pm; Saturday 1pm - 4pm; Sunday 2pm - 5pm.  The artists were asked to think about all the complexities of water in that it can be cleansing but also can carry contaminates and micro-plastics.  Water is life-giving, but can also cause destruction. UMVA member, Dr. Susan Smith, curated the show.  She is the coordinator/faculty for the Intermedia MFA program at the University of Maine, Orono, and a practicing artist.  Smith was also the former director for the Orono campus Lord Hall Gallery.  The participating artists are from Portland, Biddeford, Cumberland, Falmouth, Westbrook, Bowdoinham , Belfast , Northport , Orrs Island and Kennebunkport. UMVA, founded in 1975, is a non-profit organization that pro...