The Union of Maine Visual Artists opens two exhibitions in May and has announced details for its major summer show at the Bangor Public Library.
“Celebrating Hope,” a group exhibition of work by 20 UMVA members, opens with a reception May 1 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Oak Street Lofts Gallery in Portland and runs through May 29. The show brings together works in charcoal, acrylic and oil paints as well as photography, collage, sculpture and assemblage — all 8 by 8 inches or smaller — exploring how artists find hope in uncertain times. Jane Dahmen served as juror. Gallery hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. A performance of ekphrastic poetry in response to the exhibition will be held May 23 at 4 p.m. at the Oak Street Lofts Gallery, 72 Oak St., Portland. Participating poets include Annaliese Jakimides, Gregg Harper, Lily Brown and Maureen Thorson.
“It’s the Small Things” opens May 4 at the Camden Public Library’s Picker Room Gallery, with an artists’ reception May 9 from 1 to 3 p.m. The show celebrates art in small sizes, reflecting moments, places or acts of creation that evoke joy and solace.
Looking ahead, UMVA’s largest exhibition of 2026, “Dreaming at Dawn,” is scheduled for Aug. 1 through Sept. 30 at the Bangor Public Library, spreading across three gallery spaces — the Cyr Gallery, the Stairwell Gallery and the Lecture Hall Gallery. The show will feature painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and more, with between 60 and 70 pieces selected. Peter Walls will serve as juror. Exhibition coordinators are Shanna Compton and Sally Stanton. A call for submissions will open in mid-May.
Also in member news: photographer C E Morse’s exhibition “Beyond Recognition” is on view through May 23 at the Prince Memorial Library, 266 Main St., Cumberland Center. Painter Deborah Jellison opens “Passages” with a reception May 1 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Rock & Art Shop, 36 Central St., Bangor.
Learn more about the UMVA at www.theumva.org.
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The Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockland opened its summer season May 23 with four new exhibitions and a reception in the Marilyn Moss Rockefeller Lobby. Bianca Beck presents “Eyes,” featuring new works that refuse the distinction between painting and sculpture — abstract, figure-suggesting forms in papier-mâché covered in DayGlo and jewel-toned colors that […]
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