Belfast, Maine — “Plan B,” a new multimedia art exhibit curated by Larraine Brown of Artivism in Maine, is at the H. Allen and Sally Fernald Art Gallery at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast. The show, on display through Jan. 9, is free and open to the public from 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Monday–Friday. There will be a public reception for the exhibit on Friday, Dec. 9 at the Hutchinson Center from 4:30–6:30 p.m., with music and refreshments.
The art show is the culmination of a three-day conference organized by Artivism in Maine, with sponsorship from Volunteers of America and others. The conference was held at venues across Belfast in November, with visual art exhibits, performances, a resource fair, and workshops on a range of topics including ayurveda, mental health first aid, food and healing, dance, and a resource fair.
The eclectic art featured in this exhibition is by artists who came to art as a “plan B.” Creating art, for these artists, is a pathway to healing, health, connection, perspective and joy.
“What do we do when life doesn’t work out the way we planned and we are thrown a serious curveball?” asks exhibition curator Larraine Brown. “How do we humans heal? How do we respond to the surprise, the shock of loss, grief, separation, severe mental health diagnoses, the ravages of damaging addictions? If the art on display at the Hutchinson Center is any indication, responses are wildly varied — illuminative, moving, imaginative and unexpected.”
The exhibition features work by Val Porter, James Hillman and Molly Riddle. Also included are works by people who are currently or formerly incarcerated at the Maine State Prison (artwork donated to Helping Incarcerated Individuals Transition and Beyond Bars), and children from Camp Jinka, a camp for youngsters who have experienced loss.
For information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Sam Overlock, [email protected]. More information about the Hutchinson Center’s Fernald Art Gallery and the “Plan B” exhibition is online.
Image: “When the Bell Tolls” by Val Porter
About the Hutchinson Center:
The Hutchinson Center is an outreach center for the University of Maine in Orono that serves as an educational and cultural center for the midcoast area. It is named for University of Maine President Emeritus Frederick E. Hutchinson. The mission of the Hutchinson Center is to broaden access to University of Maine academic and non-degree programs and services, lifelong learning opportunities, and professional and career development experiences using innovative approaches that increase synergy among University of Maine System entities, University of Maine departments and divisions, and that engage a wider Maine community.
About the University of Maine:
The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state’s land grant, sea grant and space grant university, with a regional campus at the University of Maine at Machias. UMaine is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation. UMaine Machias is located in the homeland of the Passamaquoddy Nation. As Maine’s flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service. UMaine is the state’s only public research university and among the most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast. It attracts students from all 50 states and 81 countries. UMaine currently enrolls 11,989 undergraduate and graduate students, and UMaine Machias enrolls 747 undergraduates. Our students have opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research with world-class scholars. UMaine offers more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn master’s, doctoral or professional science master’s degrees, as well as graduate certificates. UMaine Machias offers 18 degree programs. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide to conserve energy, recycle and adhere to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine and UMaine Machias, visit umaine.edu and machias.edu.
