UMVA Portland Chapter Spring 2023 Update
The UMVA Portland Art Gallery was a busy place this spring. Haley Linnet, Aidan Fraser, Quinn Evans, and Natalie Nelson presented a multidisciplinary figurative art show in March, Bodies of Work, exploring the lived experiences of bodies that are femme-presenting, fat, or nonbinary. The first of three 2023 Members’ Shows was held in April, followed by a Cinco de Mayo First Friday celebration, hosted by Roland Salazar, Chris Morse, and Dave Wade, to launch their exhibition Transformative Visions, which featured constructed landscapes and abstractions in paint, photography, and mixed media.
June and July will usher in two group shows: In the Making, featuring the work of artists Kimberly Bentley, Cynthia Ahlstrin, Kaela Brennan, Kim Crichton, Ann Tracy, Anne Strout, Lesley MacVane, Joyce Ellen Weinstein, and Christine Sullivan; and, there will be a members’ exhibition in alliance with the Maine Arts Journal, and their summer 2023 theme: In Balance/Imbalance.
On 19 June, the chapter hosted its first in-person monthly members meeting since the pandemic.
With the return to in-person events, the chapter is seeking one or two persons to step up and take on the role of meeting convener for one year (if two artists share the role, this will reduce the responsibility for hosting meetings to six times in one year). This role gives members the opportunity to interact with the Board of Directors and meet artists across the state as well as locally through leading the meetings. Other opportunities often arise through increased exposure throughout the state. To inquire, contact Joanne Tarlin at UMVAPortland@gmail.com.
Image at top: Poster for the UMVA Portland Art Gallery Spring Exhibit: Bodies of Work.