Joanne Tarlin – UMVA President’s Letter Spring 2026

UMVA Accomplishments and Plans for the Future

The UMVA officers convened a meeting of the UMVA Board of Directors (BOD) on 21 February 2026. Due to the snowfall, it was a hybrid meeting with Alan Crichton, Emily Sabino, and Barbara Sullivan attending via Zoom and the following members in person: Kimberley Harding, Ken Brill, Wimberley Burton, Ann Tracy, Christine Sullivan, Jean Weicha, Janice Moore, and myself. It was an exciting and productive four hours reviewing the accomplishments of UMVA members in 2025, recognizing our weaknesses in achieving previously set goals, reassessing UMVA’s mission, and planning for the future

Our Treasurer, Ken Brill presented our 2025 balance sheet. With the fiscal support from these projects: the film Away from It All, the Maine Arts Journal, ARRT!, LumenARRT, Maine Masters, and our increased membership, we have the funds to support our expenses for next year. Our operating expenses include contractors to support the website, accounting, tax filing, and insurance. In addition, we allocated funds for members’ exhibitions.

For the remainder of 2026, we will prioritize developing more communications and new exhibitions guidelines. We have communications to and from you and the public through emails, the website, press releases, news coverage, and social media. We have grown to over 450 members, and with this expansion, the need to communicate clearly and often is necessary.

Ann Tracy and Shanna Compton have championed public relations, social media posting, and email bulletins. A HUGE THANK YOU to Ann and Shanna! Ann is retiring from this role this year, and Shanna will be working with a group of volunteers and myself to conduct a focus group for the website (to understand how we may make the site easier to use). To support our organization, the BOD decided to explore hiring outside help and student interns.

An exhibitions team composed of members from the Portland, Brunswick Regional, and Mid-Coast chapters, Shanna Compton, our website administrator, Alan Crichton, and myself will meet this spring to share ideas and compose new guiding principles for UMVA sponsored exhibitions. Presently, members may submit proposals for shows to the BOD for financial, public relations, social media, and promotional support, and are asked to make a 35 percent or other donation (this is flexible due to having to pay a percentage of sales to some venues) from sales. Since we have so many new members, many are not aware of these current previously announced guidelines. And with the website so robust, it is not easy to find the information. Also, we have members with new ideas to contribute to the conversation on how we can offer the most flexible and fair support to members who wish to put together exhibitions.

We are also considering the creation of a mobile art gallery kit. The kit could include lighting, display systems, signage, tools, and more that would be available to members to enable them to have a pop-up show in a non-gallery venue such as vacant store, bank, or businesses lobby etc. This idea is part of what we are calling UMVA Shows Up. UMVA Shows Up might become a “project” of UMVA, analogous to the Maine Arts Journal and ARRT!. Its purpose is to support members, to “show up” for them as they produce shows statewide. UMVA Shows Up will support our mission to “promote the artistic welfare of its members” by providing the means and mentors to assist artist members in exhibiting their art and engaging with local communities.

Have an idea for an exhibition but need help making it happen? UMVA is here to help you. Members may submit proposals for shows to the BOD for financial, public relations, social media, and promotional support. New guidelines are being developed, as well as workshops to assist you in the process. Member Caroline de Mauriac has been lining up venues for shows in the Brunswick Regional Area. Any UMVA member may submit a proposal when the call comes out. Visit the website often to check for more news on this.

We know some members miss having a Portland meeting place and gallery. Periodically, members let me know about vacant buildings and storefronts and ask if UMVA would consider renting the space. The BOD briefly discussed this and has tabled the discussion until 2027. “Why?” you may ask yourself. Some of our project leaders are adept at raising funds. Raising money for operations and rent is very different and difficult, and we do not have a designated development person. Hence, the BOD decided to explore hiring a professional development consultant who has a successful track record of working with arts organizations to assist us in applying for and winning grants. We also discussed other ways to raise money, including creating a UMVA Cookbook with images of artworks paired with each recipe. Do you like cookbooks, have experience producing one, or know a publisher? Let me know.

Education is another way to provide for the “artistic welfare” of our members. Some of you are or have been arts educators. We want to hear from teaching artists so we can support you to offer courses, demonstrations, panel discussions, and more for our members. Studio visits, interviews, and salon gatherings are ways our artists can help each other grow. Don’t be shy—if you have an idea, send me a note at President@theUMVA.org. If you are interested in helping but don’t have a lot of time to lend, there may be two or three other members who feel the same way, and you could combine your efforts.

The Annual Meeting. Our bylaws mandate we hold an annual meeting for all our members. The BOD decided to schedule this for the fall and to hold it in person as well as on Zoom. In the interim, regional chapters welcome your participation.

I look forward to seeing you at an art event,

Joanne Tarlin, President, UMVA