LumenARRT! is a project of the Artists’ Rapid Response Team (ARRT!). We work through the Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA), a members’ organization that advocates for artists and furthers the work of progressive non-profits in the state of Maine. Our video projections create a visual voice for these organizations and like electronic graffiti, bring awareness to issues of social, economic, and environmental justice.
As summer heated up, so did the issues facing Americans. LumenARRT! was delighted to join with the Maine Library Association (MLA) and the Portland Public Library in their efforts to encourage fellow citizens to advocate for their right to read, and the free access of information. As this issue is crucial to the preservation of democracy and is likely to require continued efforts, we decided that we’d create a giant book-shaped element to be used on the First Friday Artwalk in Portland’s Monument Square. Along with spectacular LumenARRT! videos created for the issue, selfie signs, and props created by ARRT!, and educational materials provided by the MLA, the event was held on 1 September 2023. Many props had been created in early summer for the Whitefield Independence Day Parade with the same theme.
Projections have many phases and most happen behind the scenes with brainstorming, sketching, and the creative design aspects of constructing videos, signs, and resources. Below are images to give a sense of these endeavors, including the experimentation and rehearsals.
LumenARRT! crew summer practice for the projection event on 1 September 2023.
LumenARRT! crew summer practice for the projection event on 1 September 2023.
LumenARRT! crew summer practice for the projection event on 1 September 2023.
LumenARRT! crew summer practice for the projection event on 1 September 2023.
Finally the evening of the event arrives and preparations begin hours before dark. If all goes well, audience participation is enthusiastic, conversations are begun, selfies are taken and shared widely.
LumenARRT! setting up to project in Monument Square, 1 September 2023.
LumenARRT! projections in Monument Square on 1 September 2023 in conjunction with the Maine Library Association (MLA) and the Portland Public Library.
A lively video of the projection on the monument in Monument Square, Portland, can be viewed by clicking on the photo below.
Read Banned Books from Geoffrey Leighton on Vimeo.
LumenARRT! setting up with Maine Library Association (MLA) members in Monument Square, 1 September 2023.
LumenARRT! with ARRT! props set up with Maine Library Association (MLA) members in Monument Square. 1 September 2023.
LumenARRT! projections in Monument Square on 1 September 2023 in conjunction with the Maine Library Association (MLA) and the Portland Public Library.
More to come. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or contact us through our website and join in! We are deep in preparation for an upcoming event with Climate Aid this fall.
Image at top: LumenARRT! projections in Monument Square on 1 September 2023 in conjunction with the Maine Library Association (MLA) and the Portland Public Library.