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.
Dowling Walsh Gallery Opens 2026 Season with Solo Exhibitions by Artists Lauren Fensterstock and Jacob Bond Hessler
Sidle House Gallery in Freeport opens its 2026 season with “Anne Hebebrand: A World That Is,” a solo exhibition of cold-wax and oil paintings on view May 1 through June 13. An opening reception is May 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibition draws from seven years of Hebebrand’s work, which she describes as […]
Waterfall Arts in Belfast is showing “Make Your Mark,” an immersive, community-driven exhibition in the Clifford Gallery through May 29. The opening reception was held April 18. Conceived by program director Amy Tingle, the show draws inspiration from street art and the call-and-response nature of public creative expression. The exhibition features participatory installations including doodle […]
Centre Street Arts Gallery in Bath will hold its spring reception May 15 from 5 to 7 p.m., featuring work by the gallery’s 22 member artists. Centre Street Arts Gallery is at 11 Centre St., Bath. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Email centrestartsgalleryllc@gmail.com or call 207-442-0300 for more information.
Artemis Gallery in Northeast Harbor opens its 15th season with a group exhibition and reception on May 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. The show features work in stone sculpture by Obadiah Buell, woodblock print by Nicole Herz, oil paintings by Liddy Hubbell and David LaPalombara, photography by Parker Stewart and bronze sculpture by Rebekah […]
The Kittery Art Association, in collaboration with the York Public Library, presents “Eleven Views from Here,” on view May 2 through June 30 at the York Public Library, 15 Long Sands Road, York. An opening reception is May 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibition features selected works by 11 KAA artists representing the […]
The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland will open “By Design: The Worlds of Betsy James Wyeth” with a public reception on May 1 from 4 to 6 p.m. The exhibition runs May 2 through Oct. 16 in the Hadlock and Wyeth Study Center Galleries, with additional programming in the Wyeth Center from June 13 through […]
Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland is showing “5AM in the Pinewoods,” a solo exhibition of paintings by Joanna Logue, through May 9. Logue, a native of Australia who has lived on Mount Desert Island since 2017, takes inspiration from daily hikes in Acadia National Park near her home in Somesville. The changing colors of the […]
The Maine Crafts Association will present STITCH: Runway Show + Style Market on June 4 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Maine Studio Works, 170 Anderson St., Portland. The annual fundraising event celebrates Maine’s slow fashion designers, textile artists and makers. Six Maine-based designers will present original handcrafted wearable work in a live runway show […]
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