Dover-Foxcroft Percent for Art Competition

The Maine Arts Commission is making a call to all artists living in Maine to submit proposals to design, create and install artwork at the Piscataquis County Courthouse in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. The total project budget is $13,890 and the submission deadline is 2:00 pm on Wednesday, August 10, 2011.

The Percent for Art law in Maine reserves one percent of the construction funds for all state-funded building projects to provide artwork for the public areas of these buildings and /or their exterior renovations and additions.

Dover-Foxcroft is the shire town, or county seat, of Piscataquis County, as well as its largest town. Originally separated by the Piscataquis River, the two towns of Dover and Foxcroft were merged in 1922 to form Dover-Foxcroft.

Within Dover-Foxcroft are the District Court and Superior Court of Piscataquis County; they are located in adjacent buildings. The original building, site of the Superior Court, is undergoing renovations. The area under consideration for artwork is part of an addition and complete renovation of the court’s space.

The Percent for Art selection committee is seeking artists to submit proposals that are appropriate both for the court and the people it serves in the community. Although you are invited to do so, no specific theme or narrative of the town or region's history, geography or other references is necessary.

A Percent for Art selection committee of three members will jury submissions for the project. They will review the materials to determine whom to invite for a second round of evaluation. Artists selected for the second round will receive a $1,000 design fee for refining their proposals. Final proposals will include detailed models, drawings, renderings, samples of work and/or materials depending on the nature of the proposal. All finalists will present their final proposals to the committee in person. Artists are asked not to submit detailed models, drawings, samples, or final proposals for the first round of the selection process.

All professional artists who work in Maine may apply for consideration to this project. Artists who are employees of the Maine courts are ineligible for Percent for Art projects at the location where they are employed, as are members of the selection committee and their immediate families. Students at any level are ineligible. The project is open to all artists age 18 and over, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, military status, sexual orientation, marital status, or physical disabilities. Artist teams are eligible to apply, including teams of artists from multiple disciplines. Contact Greg Parker, Public Art Contractor, with questions through e-mail at mainepfa@gmail.com, or via the phone at 207/557-2563.

The full prospectus is on MaineArts.com.

Traditional Arts Fellowship Deadline Approaches

The deadline for the Maine Arts Commission’s Traditional Arts Fellowship is June 24, 2011. This program awards $13,000 to a Maine Artist in recognition of artistic excellence.

Traditional arts are passed down through the generations, reflecting the values and practices of a shared culture based on geography, language, religion, occupation, ethnic heritage, tribal affiliation or family background.

Boat building, basket making, wood carving, chain saw carving, fly-tying, instrumental and vocal music, step dancing, canoe making, snowshoe making, quilting, hooked or rag rug making and knitting are a few examples of traditional arts that are practiced in Maine. These arts are usually learned through observation and imitation at the hands of a master practioner rather than through classes, books, the internet or academic training.

If you have any questions before you begin the application process, please contact Kathleen Mundell, traditional arts specialist, 207/236-6741 or mainetraditionalarts@gmail.com.

Common Ground Country Fair Poster Competition

Each year the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association holds a design contest to select the image for the Common Ground Country Fair poster. Maine residents and MOFGA members (regardless of residence) are eligible to participate.

The 2011 Common Ground Country Fair poster features a colorful depiction of fresh and freshly canned veggies by Maine artist, Dacia Klinkerch. Klinkerch grew and canned the produce depicted. She used the crops for a still life oil painting and later adapted her painting to create the more graphic style that MOFGA’s poster contest requires.

“I had done an oil painting of Mason jars and vegetables we had been canning,” says Klinkerch. “I thought it was an appropriate design for the Fair poster, so I translated it a bit for the MOFGA contest, following the guidelines (posted at www.mofga.org). With the oil painting, there were a lot of subtle shadows and grading of colors. I had to make it much more graphic – nothing too blended."

MOGFA are excited to announce that the contest for the 2012 poster is open. The winning design will be featured on the 2012 Fair poster, website, t-shirt and promotional literature. The artist will be featured in MOFGA's newspaper, The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, plus, the winning artist will receive $1,000.

Artists may submit two entries. All entries must arrive in the MOFGA office by 4 p.m. on Friday, August 5, 2011. For complete guidelines, including technical specifications, please visit the Poster link on the Fair page at www.mofga.org or contact the Fair office at commonground@mofga.org or 207-568-4142.

You can view the 33-year history of the poster competition on the MOFGA website.

Arts Visibility Deadline Approaching

The Telling Room in Portland was a recipient of the Arts Visibility Grant in the last round of reviews. They used the funding to create a video highlighting the role of their organization. This video can be viewed below.

The Arts Visibility Grant supports marketing projects for artists and arts organizations. There is a maximum award of $1,500. The deadline for applications is July 15. Full details can be found on MaineArts.com.

38th Old Port Festival this weekend!

Q stage at the 2010 Old Port Festival

This Sunday (June 12, 11 am - 5 pm) downtown Portland will host the 38th annual Old Port Festival. The event will begin at 11am with a parade down Exchange Street. This will be followed by 6 stages with live music, over 90 artist booths, kids activities, and all the attractions downtown Portland has to offer. More information can be found on the Portland Downtown District website, or call 772-6828.

Maine Arts Commission Call for Essays

The Maine Arts Commission is seeking previously unpublished and insightful critical essays for inclusion in the annual edition of the Maine Arts Magazine to be printed in August of 2011. The deadline for submissions is 4:00 pm E.S.T, June 27, 2011. An award of $500 will be made to the author whose work is chosen for inclusion in the magazine.

The magazine contains highlights of major arts events and initiatives taking place in Maine, as well as updates from successful grant applicants, agency news and guidance for professional development. Submissions are sought to help provide broader in-depth content and to further the agency’s goal of supporting critical writing that pertains to the arts.

Writers, who are full time Maine residents, are encouraged to submit work providing critical insight into themes of art and culture in Maine. Potential subjects could be, but not limited to, pieces that investigate new ways of working in the arts in Maine; or provide insight into Maine’s emerging artists; or offer an exploration of sense of place as related to Maine’s history of art.

To be considered for inclusion in the magazine applicants must:

• have a valid Maine address and have resided full-time in Maine for a minimum of two years at the date of application, and
• be 18 years of age or older at the time of the application, and
• not be enrolled as a full-time student in a field related to the application, and
• have completed and filed all final reports required for previous Maine Arts Commission grants.

All submissions must be sent via e-mail and should include the following information:

1. A 400 - 700 word previously unpublished essay in 12-point, black font and double-spaced.

2. An updated resume including full contact details

3. A Vendor Form (Click here to download)For first time applicants only. This is information used by the treasury to generate a check for the chosen author. Applicants should be sure to indicate the address the check should be sent to. Click here for instructions on completing your vendor form.

Work must be submitted via e-mail by 4:00 pm E.S.T, on June 27, 2011 for consideration. E-mail your submissions to Darrell Bulmer at the Maine Arts Commission, darrell.bulmer@maine.gov. Please use the words “Magazine Essay” as the subject line of your e-mail. Please attach all documents to the e-mail. Please send document files in PDF, .DOC or RTF formats only.

The successful work will be printed in the Maine Arts Magazine and housed online in a digital format. First North American Serial Rights, rights revert to author upon publication.