The Union of Maine Visual Artists’ latest juried exhibition, “Washed Away,” addresses one of the most pressing issues facing coastal Maine communities through the lens of artistic interpretation. Running through June 21 at Portland Public Library, the show combines artistic vision with scientific understanding in ways that illuminate both the aesthetic and practical dimensions of climate change.
The exhibition’s June 6 gallery talk by Carl Little, recipient of the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award in art writing by the Rabkin Foundation, promises to reveal the curatorial thinking behind the show’s selection process. Little’s discussion, scheduled for 5:30 p.m., offers rare insight into how exhibitions addressing contemporary issues balance aesthetic merit with thematic relevance.
The following week’s presentation by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, “Coastal Flooding: Understanding Local Impacts through Science and Art” (June 12, 5:30 p.m.), creates an unusual dialogue between artistic and scientific perspectives on shared concerns. This programming approach reflects growing recognition that complex environmental issues benefit from multiple modes of understanding.
The exhibition’s sponsorship by Green Clean Maine signals community support for art that engages with environmental concerns, while the UMVA’s 50-year history of promoting Maine’s visual arts provides institutional credibility for addressing challenging subjects.
All events are free and open to the public.
The UMVA, founded in 1975, is a nonprofit organization that promotes and advocates for the visual arts, artists and all arts supporters. Learn more at www.theumva.org.
Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland is featuring “IDK,” an exhibition of paintings by Tollef Runquist that explores the intersection of personal reflection, archetypes, fantasy and play. Runquist’s paintings combine images and symbols drawn from lived experience, emotional landscapes and cultural influences, creating an intuitive dialogue between imagery and meaning. “My work explores a space where […]
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Local Color Gallery in Belfast will feature printmaker, collage artist and sculptor Jeff Wahlstrom from Oct. 19 to Nov. 22. An Art Walk reception will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 23, with an artist talk at 5 p.m. Based in Bangor, Wahlstrom creates block prints and watercolor collages inspired by the natural […]
Women Eco Artists Dialog (WEAD), based in Berkeley, California, is accepting submissions for its 2027 members exhibition, “Prototyping Futures of Making: Water, Data, and Living Systems.” The exhibition will explore the relationships among water, data, ecological systems and emerging technologies, asking how artists can engage with living systems as sites of collaboration, construction and consequence. […]
Triangle Gallery in Rockland is presenting three exhibitions through Oct. 31, including an extended solo exhibition by Carter Wentworth, a group fiber arts show and a fall exhibition of work by gallery artists. Wentworth’s “Sound of Rain Crossing the Lake” will remain on view in the upstairs gallery through the end of October. “Interwoven,” a […]
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Courthouse Gallery Fine Art in Ellsworth is presenting “Form Meets Surface,” an exhibition highlighting porcelain ceramics by potter Mark Bell and collaborative works created with painter William Irvine. The artists, both established in their respective fields, have worked together since 2015 to create porcelain vases and plates that combine Bell’s ceramic forms with Irvine’s painted […]
Barn Gallery in Ogunquit concluded its 2026 exhibition season Oct. 12, but the venue will continue to welcome visitors for two performances in the 19th annual Elizabeth Dunaway Burnham Piano Festival. Pianist, composer and vocalist Zahili Zamora will return to Ogunquit with her Afro Cuban Jazz Trio for a performance from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. […]
The Brunswick Guild Fine Craft Show will return to the historic Fort Andross Mill in Brunswick on Oct. 24 and 25, celebrating its 10th season with work by 40 juried Maine craft artists. Presented by Shop Maine Craft, the indoor show will feature basketry, ceramics, decorative and wearable fiber art, furniture, glass, jewelry, mixed media, […]
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