maine arts commission

Opera House Arts Receives Jazz Masters Award

2012-02-02T13:11:00.007-05:00

The Stonington Opera House got some good news at the start of its 100th anniversary. At the January 10 celebration of the NEA Jazz Masters program, Rocco Landesman, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, announced that Opera House Arts at the Stonington Opera House is one of 12 organizations to receive grants totaling $135,000 to bring outstanding jazz musicians, writers, producers, and scholars to communities across the nation.

"There is no substitute for being in the presence of a great artist, and through the NEA Jazz Masters Live grants, the NEA is pleased to provide opportunities for Americans all across this country to have exactly that experience," said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. "Twelve exceptional organizations will be our partners this year."

Opera House Arts (OHA) applied to present 2012 Jazz Master Charlie Haden at the center of its 12th Annual Deer Isle Jazz Festival August 2-‐4, 2012, co-‐produced with jazz journalist Larry Blumenfeld. Bass player Haden was born in Iowa and his musical roots are in country, American folk, and gospel music, making him an excellent fit for the musical heritage of OHA’s own community as well as a wonderful extension of the Deer Isle Jazz Festival, which has in the past presented jazz masters ranging from Randy Weston to Charles Lloyd. While perhaps best known for his recordings with Ornette Coleman, Keith Jarrett, and Dewey Redman (who inaugurated the Deer Isle Jazz Festival in 2001), Haden has been the leader of his own Liberation Music Orchestra, featuring vocalist and arranger Carla Bley, since the 1970s. His newest recording, “Come Sunday,” with pianist Hank Jones is a collection of 14 pieces of church music and was released in January 2012. The Deer Isle Jazz Festival proposed to feature and honor Haden not only in concert but also in a documentary film, Ramblin’ Boy, which documents his start in country music; in a panel discussion on his musical evolution; and in a tribute set, “For Charlie: Music By and For Charlie Haden,” by Maine’s own Duncan Hardy Sextet.

For more information on the festival, please go to www.operahousearts.org.

NEFA Expeditions Tour Planning & Touring Grant Deadline Feb 17.

2012-02-01T09:32:00.004-05:00

This is just a friendly reminder that the annual deadline for Expeditions Tour Planning and Touring is February 17, 2012.

Nonprofit organizations based in New England may apply for Expeditions funding. Grants support the tour planning or touring of projects, and are awarded on a competitive basis.

Program goals include:

Support New England as a region which nurtures the planning and implementation of high quality arts projects for region-wide tourin

Broaden the range of arts projects and activities available to New England communities

Encourage thorough planning with communities to provide meaningful interaction with artists

Stimulate better collaborative opportunities in arts touring and presenting

For more information you can go to the NEFA website at http://www.nefa.org/grants_services/expeditions

Executive Director Search Extended to February 9

2012-01-25T10:31:00.004-05:00

The Maine Arts Commission is seeking an executive director who will be responsible for the strategic planning, direction, management, implementation, and evaluation of all agency operations, programs and services.

The position provides leadership to the arts industry in Maine; represents the agency, Commission, and the arts to governmental and legislative bodies, arts organizations, corporations, private foundations, the media, and the public. The position also directs the administration of agency operations and provides leadership to the personnel of the Maine Arts Commission. The position reports to the Maine Arts Commission and is responsible for the management of eight full-time employees in the agency.

The closing date is February 09, 2012. Full details can be found on Mainearts.com.

Website Design Workshop in Freeport

2012-01-11T14:50:00.007-05:00

Steve Milligan, Technology Associate from the Maine Arts Commission will be conducting a workshop that focuses on online artist portfolios. Steve has over 10 years of experience in web design, usability, web standards and trends. The workshop will familiarize attendees with common web terms and theories. Although the workshop will not delve into the technical nuts and bolts of web development, it will provide a firm understanding of successful web design strategies through visual examples. Attendees will leave the workshop feeling confident and prepared to speak intelligibly with a designer to produce an effective, visually appealing portfolio website. The question and answer segment at the end will be extremely valuable and attendees are encouraged to participate openly. Attendees may bring examples of their existing, or proposed, websites to be critiqued.

The workshop will be at the Freeport Community Center at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 30. If you have any questions about this workshop, please call Kathleen Meade at 207/749-4451.

Agency Grant Deadlines Approach

2012-01-09T14:05:00.002-05:00

Arts Visibility Grant

Application Deadline: January 13, 2012
Maximum grant award: $1,500
Program Guidelines

This grant supports Maine’s artists and arts organizations by providing the means with which to increase the visibility of specific artistic projects.

Innovative Production Grant

Application Deadline: January 13, 2012
Maximum grant amount: $2,000
Program Guidelines

This grant supports artistic innovation in the production and presentation of media and/or performance work of artists and organizations.

Jane Morrison Film Scholarship

Application Deadline: January 13, 2012
Maximum grant amount: $2,000
Program Guidelines

This grant supports educational opportunities for filmmakers in the early stages of their career development.

Great Works

Application Deadline: February 24, 2012
Maximum grant award: $20,000
Program Guidelines

The grant supports professional Maine arts organizations with annual operating budgets of $500,000 or greater to present significant and innovative projects such as an exhibition, performance, film or residency.

Artists in Maine Communities

Application Deadline: February 24, 2012
Maximum grant amount $7,500
Program Guidelines

This grant supports arts organizations, schools and other community groups that wish to develop collaborative projects that employ Maine artists to benefit Maine communities in innovative ways.

Free Agency Program and Grants Workshop at Center for Maine Craft

2012-01-06T12:46:00.003-05:00

If you have ever had questions about funding available through the Maine Arts Commission then help is just around the corner. Kathy Ann Shaw, Senior Grants Associate and Kathleen Mundell, Traditional Arts Specialist will be visiting West Gardiner in February to provide the answers. This program is presented in concert with the exhibition Two Times Ten: 20 Years of Maine’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, an exhibition funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

This workshop will take place from 4 pm to 6 pm on Friday, February 17, 2012 and will be hosted by the Center for Maine Craft. The Center, a program of the Maine Crafts Association, is the central location for craft sales, education and activities in the state. All work for sale at the Center is handcrafted by Maine artisans. As many as 300 Maine craft artists from throughout the state may be represented in the Center at any one time. The Center is located at 24 Service Plaza Drive West Gardiner ME 04345.

Kathy and Kathleen will present basic information about the Maine Arts Commission’s grant programs, especially those in the traditional arts, and announce the offering of the new Maine Arts Commission / Maine Community Foundation Belvedere Craft Fellowship for artists in Hancock and Washington Counties. The presentation will include a review of the National Endowment for the Arts as needed and will feature tips and tricks for grant writing. This will be an informal gathering which will allow participants to ask specific questions and steer the presentation in the direction most helpful to them. There is no need to register.

For further information please contact Kathy at 207/287-2750 or kathy.shaw@maine.gov. The Center for Maine Craft can be reached at 207/588 0021

Two times Ten travels to d’Youville Pavilion in Lewiston and Center for Maine Craft in Gardiner

2012-01-04T15:53:00.004-05:00

“Two Times Ten: 20 years of Maine’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program,” a photographic exhibit featuring portraits of participating master artists as teachers, cultural advocates and keepers of traditions. It features such artists as Cindy Larock, a master step dancer from Lewiston, who is now passing on the tradition to a whole new generation.

The exhibit is part of an upcoming series– sponsored by the University of New England Maine Geriatric Education Center (UNE-MGEC) in partnership with St. Mary’s d’Youville Pavilion and the Maine Arts Commission – which will include artist demonstrations and facilitated discussion called “Living Art–Living Well Studio.” The program explores how creativity and art affects the health of the body, mind and spirit of older adults. The first of the four part series takes place on Thursday, February 9, 2012 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s d’Youville Pavilion in Lewiston.

In February, “Two times Ten” will travel to the Center for Maine Craft in Gardiner and be on display between February 1 and February 28, 2012.

On February 17, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Center for Maine Craft, the Maine Arts Commission, in conjunction with the Center for Maine Craft, will provide a workshop that helps explain how to apply to the Maine Arts Commission’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program. The workshop will also expand beyond this to provide general information session about all of the Maine Arts Commission funding programs.

Internships at Bates Dance Festival!

2011-12-30T11:30:00.002-05:00

Bates Dance Festival is seeking interns for the following areas:

Technical Production/Stagecraft Apprenticeships
Videography
Arts Administration
Dance Education

The Festival's internship/apprenticeship program offers qualified individuals an opportunity to work side-by-side with the Festival's professional staff. Interns/apprentices will receive on-the-job training in technical production, videography, arts administration and dance education, while gaining valuable contacts and in-depth knowledge of contemporary dance. Housing, meals and complimentary tickets to performances are provided. Dance education, administration, video interns and stagecraft apprentices may register for up to two classes a day. Technical Production interns receive a $300 stipend (upon submission of receipts) to assist with travel.

Visit the festival website for more details at: http://www.batesdancefestival.org/internships.php

Deadline Approaching for Innovative Production Grant

2011-12-16T07:14:00.001-05:00

January 13, 2012 is the last day to apply for the $2,000 award. Artists and organizations exploring new and dynamic practices in producing artwork should consider applying. Innovation can be in the form of materials, production methods, project concepts, technology integration, or can come in the form of timing, placement of work, means of distribution or the manner that it is presented. Proposals should demonstrate excellence in the field and have some demonstration of public presence or community impact

In the past Haystack Mountain School of Crafts received the grant for aspects of incorporating an MIT Fab Lab into their facility. Opera House Arts in Stonington received the award for innovative programming for the productions of Much Ado About Nothing and Elizabeth Rex. Artist Nate Aldrich was given support to create a permanent interactive sound-scape installation at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art.

More information can be found on the Maine Arts Commission Website.

Two Maine Communities Receive $50,000 Creative Community Development Grants

2011-12-15T09:38:00.003-05:00

The cities of Belfast and Waterville will each receive grants of $50,000 in order to effect community revitalization in their region.

The grants, designed to support dialogue and partnership http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifbetween municipalities, business and the cultural sector regarding economic development, have been awarded through the Maine Arts Commission’s Creative Communities = Economic Development Grant (CCED).

The Belfast Creative Coalition will use the grant funding to to bring together arts, cultural partners and economic partners to brand and market the greater Belfast community as a place to be for vibrant arts, culture and local foods.

The coalition seeks to hire an administrative coordinator who will be responsible for centralizing community resources and maximizing the synergy within the region in order to strategically allocate resources. The administrator will work on developing a regional cultural events calendar, an interactive website, the coordination of programming and events, consistent regional marketing and branding, fundraising, and a whole host of additional tasks to ensure cultural and economic vibrancy in the area.

In Waterville the CCED Grant will support the citys new Converge & Create brand through asset based marketing, incentives for artist, creative business attraction, and new cooperative programming. Waterville Main Street, working together with the City of Waterville, the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, the Colby College Museum of Art, the Waterville Public Library, and the Waterville Arts Council have come together to oversee the design and implementation of a brand-integrated, comprehensive,coordinated marketing strategy for Waterville’s community-wide arts and cultural assets.

Projects in Waterville will include the marketing of existing cultural assets, the development of a pilot cooperative downtown arts venue and the devlopment of incentives for recruiting artists and creative businesses to Downtown Waterville.
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The Maine Arts Commission’s CCED Grants are awarded annually and delivered to two or more nonprofit cultural organizations within a geographic community or region. Applications are sought from communities/regions with a strong commitment to cross-sector collaboration that seeks to strengthen the cultural assets of their community. Full details of this and other grant programs and services that serve Maine’s communities can be found on the web pages of MaineArts.com. The full press release can also be found with the agency press section.

Percent for Art Competition for University of Maine Fort Kent

2011-12-05T08:40:00.005-05:00

The Maine Arts Commission is making a call to all artists living in Maine, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia to submit proposals to design, create and install artwork at Powell Hall, University of Maine Fort Kent. The total project budget is approximately $10,000 and the submission deadline is February 15, 2012.

The university is a small rural campus that offers baccalaureate and associate degrees in professional and liberal arts programs. The university takes great pride as an experiential campus that provides students with the opportunity to participate in a variety of hands on educational experiences. These can be as simple as community service, to endeavors that are as challenging as conducting original research and participating in internships. The university maintains a goal of providing students with the discovery and exploration of knowledge that in turn allows them to make larger connections to world experiences.

The Percent for Art selection committee for Powell Hall are suggesting a focus on “Greening and Sustainability” and “Experiential Learning.” Although the history of the Franco American/Acadian culture is a valued aspect of the university’s identity, the selection committee is looking for a contemporary concept that also references the nature of the direction of progressive learning and sustainable building practices.

If you have questions about the architectural elements, the architect representative for this project is John Charette, Port City Architects who can be contacted via e-mail at: john@portcityarch.com Architectural renderings and site plans of the proposed locations of all the listed sites can be found using the links provided below.

All other questions should be directed to Greg Parker, Public Art Contractor at the Maine Arts Commission through e-mail at mainepfa@gmail.com, or via the phone at 207/557-2563.

There are several proposed locations for the installation of artwork and these can be seen in photos, or through site plans.

The full prospectus can be found on MaineArts.com.

The Maine Arts Commission is Seeking an Executive Director

2011-12-02T20:55:00.002-05:00

The position of the Executive Director of the Maine Arts Commission is responsible for the strategic planning, direction, management, implementation, and evaluation of all agency operations, programs and services, and internal and external relations as set forth through policy and budget by members of the Maine Arts Commission. This position provides leadership to the arts industry in Maine; represents the agency, Commission, and the arts to governmental and legislative bodies, arts organizations, corporations, private foundations, the media, and the public; directs the administration of agency operations; and provides leadership to the personnel of the Maine Arts Commission. This position reports to the Maine Arts Commission, assists the Commission in setting public policy, and is responsible for the management of eight full-time employees in the agency.

The opening date for the call is December 2, 2011 and the closing date is January 20, 2012. Full details can be found on MaineArts.com.

Sculpture Symposium in New Brunswick Seeks Artists

2011-11-28T09:25:00.005-05:00

The Board of Directors of the New Brunswick International Sculpture Symposium is putting forth an international call to artists to create sculptures for public art. Six sculptors will be creating works of art from ten ton pieces of New Brunswick granite on the Saint John Waterfront. “Sculpture Saint John” will take place in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada from August 2nd to September 15th, 2012. The deadline for entry in “Sculpture Saint John” is January 10th, 2012.

This international sculpture symposium will be the first for New Brunswick and for Atlantic Canada. It promises to be an exciting event. Diana Alexander, Chair of Sculpture Saint John, said, “The Sculpture Saint John team; the City of Saint John; towns of Rothesay, Quispamsis, St. George, Grand Bay-Westfield; and UNBSJ are pleased to offer this opportunity for artists from around the world to experience our city, our culture and our hospitality. Their finished work then becomes a new and permanent part of the landscape of those communities”.

If you are interested in participating or if you know someone else who may be interested, the application and all details are available on our website at www.sculpturesaintjohn.com.

If you have questions you can contact Diana Alexander, Chair of Sculpture Saint John (506)647-8773, Diana.Alexander@SculptureSaintJohn.com

NEA Announces Art Works and Creative Writing Fellowships

2011-11-22T08:50:00.006-05:00

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman announced that the agency will award 863 grants to organizations and individual writers across the country. The awards total $22.543 million, encompass 15 artistic disciplines and fields, and support projects in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Of those 863 grants awards, 823 are for projects at not-for-profit organizations, The remaining 40 awards are made to individual writers. "Art Works is the guiding principle at the NEA," said agency Chairman Rocco Landesman. “And I’m pleased to see that principle represented through the 823 Art Works-funded projects included in this announcement. These projects demonstrate the imaginative and innovative capacities of artists and arts organizations to enhance the quality of life in their communities.”

Congratulations to the Maine applicants who received six grants totaling $151,000. The grants were awarded to the following:

Alice James Poetry Cooperative, Inc. (aka Alice James Books)
Farmington, ME
$24,000
CATEGORY: Art Works FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Literature
To support the publication, promotion, and distribution of books of poetry. Titles will be chosen via editorial solicitation and three annual competitions---the Beatrice Hawley Award, the Kinereth Gensler Awards, and the Kundiman Poetry Prize.

Bates College (on behalf of Bates Dance Festival)
Lewiston, ME
$30,000
CATEGORY: Art Works FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Dance
To support dance artist residencies as part of the annual Bates Dance Festival titled, Cultivating a Vibrant Dance Community. The project will bring together leading dance figures, companies, and emerging artists such as Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Rennie Harris PureMovement, Jane Comfort and Company, Keigwin + Company, and Kyle Abraham for one- to four-week residencies to connect, create, and perform in a collaborative, supportive environment.

Cultural Resources, Inc. (Consortium)
Rockport, ME
$20,000
CATEGORY: Art Works FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Folk and Traditional Arts
To support the Wabanaki Artists' Network. In collaboration with the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, Cultural Resources will offer training and marketing opportunities to young, emerging Native artists. In addition, a statewide network will be established, linking non-Native organizations and tribal artists through a traveling exhibition and artists residencies, providing the potential for a national model for Native and non-Native collaboration.

Haigh, Jennifer
Hull, ME
$25,000
CATEGORY: Literature Fellowships FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Literature

Portland Ovations (aka Formerly Portland Concert Association)
Portland, ME
$25,000
CATEGORY: Art Works FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Presenting
To support the presentation of dance, music, and culturally specific works. Each presentation by such artists as dance company Trey McIntyre Project, performance group CIRCA (Australia), violinist Jennifer Koh, and singer/songwriter Dan Zanes will be accompanied by discussions, lectures, workshops, master classes, and open rehearsals.

Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Inc.
Skowhegan, ME
$27,000
CATEGORY: Art Works FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Artist Communities
To support a residency program for emerging visual artists. Artists will be provided with a private studio, full room and board, and weekly private and group critiques by a faculty of leading professional artists.

More information can be found on the NEA website.

Call to Sculptors

2011-11-21T10:11:00.000-05:00

The Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium is the largest public sculpture Symposium in the USA. The Symposium is looking for applicants to participate in the six week 2012 program from approximately July 22 through August 31, at the University of Maine on the Orono campus. Deadline for applications is December 31, 2011.

To be considered, artists should prepare:
1. A signed copy of the Artist Application form that can be downloaded from:
http://schoodicsculpture.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Call-2012-SISS.pdf
2. An artist’s statement
3. CD/DVD images of prior work.
4. Artists resume

Application materials should be submitted to:

Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium
PO Box 122
Steuben, Maine 04680

Invited artists will receive:
- Airfare, reimbursed up to $1500 USD with receipts.
- Housing
- Meals
- Ground Transportation provided to and from Maine airports, and during the symposium to community and symposium events.
- $5000 Honorarium

The symposium will provide:
- Compressed Air
- Electricity and Electric Cords
- Air Hoses
- Fork Lift (and other necessary heavy equipment for moving and positioning stone)
- Quarried granite blocks of various shapes and sizes not to exceed 18,000 lbs. will be supplied by the Symposium. Both granite and basalt will be made available.

Sculptors should bring other tools as desired. Please check with the Symposium regarding the availability of specialized equipment.

For more information you can visit the Schoodic Symposium website
or contact:
Jesse Salisbury, Art Director: jesse@schoodicsculpture.org Tel. (207) 546-8992
or
Tilan Langley, Project Manager: tilan@schoodicsculpture.org Tel. (207) 255-4948

Call to Independent Filmmakers

2011-11-18T19:58:00.000-05:00

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation is seeking the best in new independent American film to tour through its On Screen/In Person program. Deadline for submission is January 20, 2012

Selected films will be screened in communities across the mid-Atlantic region accompanied by their respective filmmakers.

Filmmakers collaborate with host sites on the tour to develop community activities, such as Q&As, artist talks, or workshops, among other options, to further engage audiences in the screened work. The Foundation will pay selected filmmakers a stipend for each host site visit, cover all travel and accommodation expenses, and provide a per diem.

Film submissions, including animation, documentaries, experimental and narrative work, are accepted online via Withoutabox. To submit your work or view the filmmaker guidelines, please visit On Screen/In Person at Withoutabox.com.

Questions should be directed to Ann Turiano at ann@midatlanticarts.org

Congratulations to Susan Brackett at Boothbay Opera House!

2011-11-17T09:07:00.005-05:00

Susan Brackett, Chair of Friends of Friends of the Opera House, will be one of the individuals honored at the 2011 Leadership and Luminaries Awards.

Sponsored by The Bank of Maine, the statewide honor for excellence in board governance will recognize people who have demonstrated examples of inspiration, creativity, and ingenuity. The awards will be presented at the first annual Focus on Philanthropy: The Art of Leadership event, December 1 at The Harraseeket Inn in Freeport.

Four of the five finalists will each receive $2,500 in grant money for their organizations. One grand prize winner (to be revealed at the event) will receive $10,000 for their organization. In addition to the five finalists, two individuals will receive posthumous awards for their past dedication and commitment in board service. The 2011 Leadership and Luminaries finalists are:

* Dr. Vernon L. Moore, Counseling Services Inc.
* Mr. Norm Rodrigue, Kennebec Land Trust
* Dr. Barbara Covey, M.D., Kennebec Valley Dental Coalition
* Mr. Thomas B. Wright, Seeds of Independence
* Ms. Susan Brackett, The Opera House of Boothbay Harbor
* Mr. Peter Burbank, (in Memoriam), Maranacook Education Foundation
* Mr. Horace H. Walton, (in Memoriam), York Hospital

The awards celebration will also include a panel discussion moderated by former governor Angus King. The panel will address the key ingredients to effective nonprofit board governance and will include:

* Keynote Speaker, Lisa Walker, Managing Director of Newman's Own Foundation
* Lowell Weicker, former US Senator and Governor of Connecticut
* Melanie Lockwood Herman, Executive Director, the Nonprofit Risk Management Center
* Prescott Stewart, Managing Director of Development at Harvard Business School
* Robert H. Gardiner, President, Independence Wind LLC

For more information and to register for the event, please visit www.thebankofmaine.com Proceeds will benefit the Maine Association of Non Profits (MANP). Scholarships are available.

Maine Art Scene Call To Artists

2011-11-16T08:55:00.004-05:00

Maine Art Scene magazine is organizing its third annual multi-disciplinary virtual showcase of contemporary Maine painters, fine art printmakers, fine art photographers, sculptors, potters (new!), furniture makers (new!), mixed-media, and multimedia/short film (new!) artists. The deadline for submissions is December 15, 2011

This statewide interactive showcase will be available online at www.maineartscene.com and maine-art-exhibits.com in February 2012.

Artwork will be selected by Sam Mitchell, a passionate collector of Maine art as well as Maine Art Scene's founders, Brenda and Thierry Bonneville. Works chosen will be displayed in a virtual format that resembles an actual gallery space, with various rooms to navigate, and artwork and labels to zoom in on. Exciting new virtual spaces will be created for our 2012 showcase. The 2010 and 2011 virtual exhibits can be viewed online here.

Preferred method of entry is by mail with a CD containing JPEG images (or multimedia files) and text in a Word, PDF document or similar format. Cost of submission ranges from $25.00 per artist for up to three images/ multimedia files to $50.00 per artist for up to10 images / multimedia files. Full information can be found on the call for entries on the Maine Art Scene website

Colby College Museum of Art Reopens!

2011-11-14T09:32:00.007-05:00

Architect’s rendering of the the addition to the Colby College Museum of Art.
-Courtesy Colby College-

The Colby College Museum of Art has been closed to the public for the past month as it prepared for a fifteen million dollar expansion. Visitors can now experience the museum by entering through a temporary entrance adjacent to the Paul J. Schupf Wing.

The museum will now remain open throughout the construction process, although some galleries will be closed to the public during the work. The current exhibit will be on display through Jan. 22, and is titled "Rediscoveries 1: New Perspectives on the Permanent Collection". There is also information dedicated to pending Alfond-Lunder Family Pavilion, the 26,000-square-foot glass and steel addition. Interior demolition is expect to begin by the end of the month, and the new construction is scheduled to be completed by mid 2013.

The new pavilion will expand the square footage of the museum from 28,000 square feet to 54,000 square feet, with 38,000 square feet dedicated as exhibition space. Plans also include a sculpture terrace, a classroom for museum education and outreach and art department studios on the top floor.

The Colby College Museum of Art is open Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. and Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.colby.edu/academics_cs/museum/ or call 859-5600.

Maine Writer Carla Maria Verdino-Sullwold Shines at FLICKERS Festival.

2011-11-09T13:55:00.003-05:00

The screenplay "Raising Rufus: A Maine Love Story" by Carla Maria Verdino-Sullwold of Brunswick was the winner in the main competition category at the Rhode Island International Film Festival (FLICKERS). Winners from the 364 entries were also selected in other categories, including New England Focus, Horror, and Gay and Lesbian.

Flickers is a broadly focused, independent festival that accepts works of any type, on any subject matter, and in any genre. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes the Rhode Island International Film Festival as qualifying for the Short Films category for the Annual Academy Awards (only 65 festivals have this recognition).

The Festival recognizes achievement and innovation in a variety of film making and storytelling disciplines and provides an opportunity to secure support and distribution. More information can be found on the Rhode Island International Film Festival website

Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor is Venue for Free Grant Workshop

2011-11-07T11:40:00.003-05:00

Questions regarding Maine Arts Commission grants or programs will be answered at the Abbe Museum in Downtown Bar Harbor on Monday, November 14.

Kathy Ann Shaw, Senior Grants Associate, and Kathleen Mundell, Traditional Arts Specialist, will be on hand to provide specific information about the agency’s grants, programs and traditional arts programs: especially those for Maine’s native communities.

This free brown bag workshop will take place from 12 noon and 2 pm on Monday November 14, 2011, and will be hosted by the Abbe Museum in downtown Bar Harbor. The Abbe offers innovative exhibitions and programs on Maine’s Native American heritage. In recent years, the Abbe has grown from a small but lovely trailside museum, privately operated within Acadia National Park, to an exciting contemporary museum in the heart of downtown Bar Harbor. The Museum is located at 26 Mount Desert Street. Bar Harbor, ME 04609. For more information on the exhibitions featured during the workshop please visit their website.

Although Kathy and Kathleen will present basic information about the Maine Arts Commission’s grant programs, the presentation will include a review of the National Endowment for the Arts as needed and will feature tips and tricks for grant writing. This will be an informal gathering which will allow participants to ask specific questions and steer the presentation in the direction most helpful to them. There is no need to register. For further information please contact Kathy at 207/287-2750 or kathy.shaw@maine.gov. The Abbe Museum can be reached at 207/ 288-3519.

Nefa New England States Touring/ Meet the Composer

2011-11-03T09:49:00.005-04:00

The next deadline for both a New England States Touring (NEST) grant and a Meet the Composer/New England grant is December 1, 2011.

NEFA's NEST grant program provides support to nonprofit organizations based in New England for community-related activities by select New England performing artists from outside of the presenter's state. Click for details and to apply.

Nonprofit organizations in New England may apply for Meet the Composer/New England. Eligible projects encompass the full range of music composition, including jazz, classical, and songwriting. Click for details and to apply.

Why Should You Attend the Juice Conference?

2011-10-31T10:27:00.004-04:00

Juice is a two day conference, November 4 & 5, in midcoast Maine that brings creative folks into dialogue with people from all other sectors: community development, government, business, technology and education. It provides a platform for the kind of cross fertilization of ideas and expertise that enriches any practice. Check out some of the offerings below and then visit JuiceConference.org to sign up today.

Internationally renowned artist Eric Fischl will be the Juice keynote speaker on Saturday, November 5. He will speak about the risks inherent in succeeding in the art world and discuss his latest adventure America: Now and Here, which is a cross-country journey of art and ideas.

Louisa McCall, co founder of Artists in Context (AIC) will be presenting the work of Maine artists addressing issues of social importance. AIC is a flexible, New England wide organizational framework designed to assemble artists and other creative thinkers across disciplines to conceptualize new ways of representing and acting upon the critical issues of our time.

Structured as a 10-year initiative, AIC is a timely and relevant endeavor to cultivate the visions, concepts, plans and projects of contemporary creative practitioners at an historic moment of transition and necessary change. The project initially leverages the intellectual, creative and activist underpinnings of four New England areas --Greater Boston, Rhode Island, Maine and the Pioneer Valley, MA– and organizes situations for conversation, research and artistic production among individuals involved in the arts, architecture, sciences, humanities, commerce and communications.

Ben Sawyer, who is the co-founder of Digitalmill, will be presenting at Juice. Digitalmill is a games consulting firm based in Portland, Maine. Since beginning his career in game development over ten years ago, Sawyer has pioneered major initiatives in the field of serious games and has become a nationally recognized leader within the games community.

For the past seven years, Sawyer has dedicated his professional life to discovering new ways to expand the use of games beyond entertainment. In 2002, he co-founded the Serious Games Initiative, a project of the U.S. Government's Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The following year, Sawyer organized the first-ever Serious Games Summit – a conference which now attracts 300-500 attendees annually, who meet to share best practices in the development of serious games. The Serious Games Initiative continues to serve as one of the leading organizations in the field of serious games.

Over a year ago the governor of Maine and the premier of New Brunswick signed a memorandum of understanding which effectively provided the recognition and support from our mutual heads of state for international cultural exchange. They formally acknowledged that culture was of benefit to all and should be shared, nurtured and grown. Our colleagues from New Brunswick as well as the New England Foundation for the Arts will be at Juice to share their work and initiatives for the future. This is a chance for you to learn how international exchange can be a benefit to you as an artist or a member of an arts organization.

There will be a panel discussion that will focus on the opportunities in accommodating persons with disabilities in arts and cultural venues and businesses; and the challenges in managing the risks. Sixteen percent of Mainers report some type or some level of disability, and the percentage will likely increase as baby boomers encounter age related changes. What are the risks of investing in accommodation and what are the benefits?

Universal design concepts provide opportunities for designers and entrepreneurs. How can your organization incorporate existing technology to improve universal accessibility?
What low cost strategies and improvements can your business or organization adopt right now and how can you fund it? How can Universal design concepts be developed and marketed in Maine?

These are just a demonstration of the breadth of arts offerings at Juice. There are so many more avenues to explore. This event features keynote speeches, workshops, entertainment, competitions and ample time to connect with your colleagues. Sign up today at JuiceConference.org.

Maine Prepares for the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

2011-10-26T14:26:00.006-04:00

Artists at the Spindleworks Art Center in Brunswick are preparing to send 24 ornaments to the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington, DC. Selected by the Maine Arts Commission to represent the state at this event, the artists are creating their interpretations of iconic Maine imagery on each ornament. Mediums as diverse as painting, sculpture, and weaving have been utilized by the artists working on the project so far.

Micah Webbert

"I like designing a feeling of Maine," says artist Micah Webbert as he paints balsam trees onto an ornament's surface, "I think the ornaments on the tree are going to be spectacular." Over the next month, Spindleworks artists will continue working with the plastic globes provided by the National Park Foundation, turning each one into a unique piece of art.

Multiyear Funding of up to $1 million Available to Nonprofit Arts Organizations

2011-10-25T12:39:00.005-04:00

Sebastian Spering Kresge

Kresge Foundation's Arts and Culture Program announces final call for Facility Investment and Building Reserve Grant applications. Deadline: March 1, 2012 for preliminary applications.

Facility investment grants will prioritize renovation and repair projects. Building reserve grants are designed to seed or enhance an organization's building reserve fund for the ongoing maintenance and replacement of an organization's facilities (the program does not fund reserves solely for equipment).

Eligible applicants are nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in the United States whose primary mission is arts and culture and Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations that have a long-term agreement to operate a government-owned facility are eligible.

Start up organizations or those with less than two full years of operation, and organizations that are both owned and operated by a government entity are not eligible to apply.

Grant amounts will be dependent on the type of project and the size, scope, and business model of the organization. In general, multiyear institutional capitalization grants will not exceed $1 million and/or a period of three years from the time of the grant award.

Complete program information, application guidelines, and the application form are available at the Kresge Web site. http://www.kresge.org/programs/arts-culture/institutional-capitalization/facility-investments-and-building-reserves

Thank You Letter

2011-10-21T10:11:00.003-04:00

The Maine Arts Commission received this thank you letter this morning:

October 21,2011
Hermon Middle School
29 Billings Road
Hermon, ME 04401

C/O Angela Molino
Ticket to Ride: Maine Arts Commission

Dear Angela,

It is with deep appreciation that I write this letter. Yesterday, I along with our K-8 art instructor, Mrs. Rachel Case, were able to accompany twelve identified gifted and talented visual art students to the University Of Maine Museum Of Art in downtown Bangor. The morning was spent analyzing art in various forms, from poetry to sketch. I was particularly struck by one student, who could not finish the tour because he was so focused on his work. We simply allowed him to remain in his artistic space and collected him at the end of the tour. Many students commented on how they were amazed that a Bangor museum had a Picasso! “How many kids can go home today and say they saw a Picasso?” one student marveled. My reply was, “Twelve!” And that is because of the funding provided through this program. The afternoon was spent learning about various watercolor techniques and talking about art. After lunch we took a short walk to a local artist, Andrea Hand’s studio. She shared with us the joys and challenges of being a full time artist and answered questions from our students. This experience provided students with hands on activities and critical learning that would not have been other wise gained. I can not express in words the powerful experience we had, but instead offer a heart felt thank you.

Warm Wishes,
Marcy Soucy; GT Consultant for the Hermon School District

There are limited funds left to fund student travel for your school. Please visit our website for full details of the Ticket to Ride program.

Meet the 2012 Felllowship Awardees

2011-10-19T12:51:00.004-04:00

The Maine Arts Commission today announced the recipients of the 2012 Artists’ Fellowship Awards – one of the nation's highest awards for individual artists made by a state arts agency. The four recipients will each receive a $13,000 grant award.
This year’s four Fellows are Allen Lowe from South Portland (performing/media arts), Claire Guyton from Lewiston (literary arts), Morrigan McCarthy from Portland (visual arts) and Richard Stanley from Southwest Harbor (traditional arts).

The fellowships reward artistic excellence, advance the careers of Maine artists and promote public awareness regarding the eminence of the creative sector in Maine. The awards are made on the sole basis of artistic excellence. Each year four Fellows are selected by expert panelists who reside outside of Maine. This year approximately 200 applications were received and one recipient was chosen for each of the following categories: performing/media arts, literary arts, visual arts and traditional arts.
Allen Lowe, from South Portland, is the Maine Arts Commission’s 2012 Media and Performing Arts Fellow. He is a composer, musician, author and music historian. He plays saxophone and guitar, and has recorded with some of the major figures in Jazz, including: Julius Hemphill, Marc Ribot, Roswell Rudd, Don Byron, Doc Cheatham, and David Murray among others. He has also produced a series of historical projects on American Popular Song, Jazz, and the Blues.

“I have an ambivalent attitude toward tradition because a lot of people in the jazz world have used it as a weapon to slow the progress of the music or to work a specific aesthetic and political agenda,” Said Lowe. “On the other hand, a lack of historical awareness, which I see in local audiences, is just as problematic – it tends to lead to musical in-breeding, to the exclusion of those whose work is not immediately accessible. I can and have functioned without one, but if I had one hope for my future in Maine it would be, quite simply, for an audience.”
Claire Guyton, from Lewiston, is the Maine Arts Commission’s 2012 Literary Arts Fellow. She is a freelance writer and editor. She serves as the co-editor of “The Writing Life” section of Hunger Mountain literary journal, where she started and now anchors “Another Loose Sally,” a blog on writers and writing; introduced journal contributor interviews that she produces as a regular feature; and edits and writes other articles and essays. She earned her MFA at Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) in 2009.

“I work full-time as a short story writer and as an editor and regular contributor at the literary journal Hunger Mountain,” explained Guyton. “But it’s been almost a year since anyone has actually paid me for any of that work.
This grant came along literally the same week I was frantically reading and re-reading the (very few) want ads and wondering what part-time job I might be able to pick up. As the days pass and I actually begin to believe I've been given this astonishing gift of support, I feel mainly three things: gratitude, validation, and the freedom to put away the want ads and do my job.”
Morrigan McCarthy, from Portland, is the Maine Arts Commission’s 2012 Visual Arts Fellow. She is a documentarian, writer and multimedia producer specializing in long-term projects. She is a graduate of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine where she studied photography and audio production. She also holds a BA from Connecticut College in English Literature. She was selected to attend the Eddie Adams Workshop in 2007 where she won an award for outstanding work. McCarthy is a firm believer in the power of storytelling through art and her work has been seen in publications as diverse as The New York Times, Broadway World, Salt Magazine and Port City Life.

“I'm thrilled and honored to have been selected as the Maine Arts Commission 2012 Visual Fellow. Maine has an incredible community of artists and I am constantly inspired by my friends and peers who live and produce work in this ever-changing and awe-inspiring landscape. This award will afford me the ability to delve deeper into my current project and take more time to understand and photograph the unique stories of the people I meet along the journey. I offer a huge thank you to the Maine Arts Commission and to my friends, family, mentors and teachers for all their love and support. Without them, I would never have the courage to create.”
Richard Stanley, from Southwest Harbor, is the Maine Arts Commission’s 2012 Traditional Arts Fellow. He is a builder of wooden boats who learned his skills from his father Ralph W. Stanley, who was the 1999 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship. This is the nation’s highest form of recognition for folk and traditional artists. Richard worked for his father and eventually took over the business in 2009. He is now teaching his own apprentice and together they are working on a new 19’ Friendship-Sloop influenced open sailboat.

“I’m continuing a family tradition begun by my ancestors and lived by my father Ralph Stanley. I build a strong, sturdy, seaworthy, sea kindly, beautiful traditional wooden boat… they are beautiful to look at on land or in the water, versatile and comfortable to use.

“During my time in my father’s shop, I learned from working on lots of different boats that were built by lots of different builders: Wilbur Morse, Charles Morse, Bobby Rich, Ronald Rich, Nevins, Herreshoff, Bob Direktor, Raymond Bunker, Hinckley and Farnham Butler, as well as my father. I learned how they did things – how they put things together, what worked and what didn’t. From each job, I’d incorporate what I learned into my new work. Even sanding bottoms you get a sense of different hull shapes: you can see what works and doesn’t, what looks good and what doesn’t.”
For a comprehensive look at all of this year’s individual artist grantees, visit www.MaineArts.com.

Juice Conference Update

2011-10-13T14:19:00.002-04:00

Once again the Juice Conference has sneaked up on us and is right around the corner. This amazing conference blends technology, arts & culture, living green, community development, entrepreneurship and so much more. It is what you make of it as a participant.

For those wishing to participate, there is still time to take advantage of the early bird registration, or to enter one of the many competitions. The latest Juice update is below:

1--Early-bird pricing for the Juice Conference (a savings of $50 on a two-day conference pass) ends at midnight this Saturday, October 15. Participants who register prior to midnight on October 15 may attend both days of the conference for $175. After October 15, two-day passes may be purchased for $225. Ticket registration is available 24/7 at www.juiceconference.org

2--The Juice $150,000 Business Pitch Contest application deadline ends this Saturday, October 15 at midnight. Act soon–only 100 entrants may participate (first come, first served)! Registration is available at www.juiceconference.org

3--Entries for the Juice Film Contest must be completed by this Saturday, October 15 at midnight. The Juice Film Contest theme is tied to the Conference theme, ‘Celebrating Risk’. Filmmakers, how do you visualize risk? What does a life look like when risk is celebrated? Where does risk lead us? To enter the contest, visit www.juiceconference.org

4--More Video!
Visit the Juice Conference site for the latest information available. This just in: a video tale of risk from the Love, The Bus trio: Tyler, Corey and Seth at http://www.juiceconference.org

5--Two-Day Conference Schedule
All keynote speakers are listed on the website with the 22 sessions and six workshops coming soon. The full schedule will be ready next week for the website and program, at which time all registrants will receive an e-mail invitation to visit the website and choose their sessions. Stay tuned!

Free Travel and Price Reduction to Idea Swap!

2011-10-12T15:55:00.006-04:00

The Maine Arts Commission is offering a deal on attending the Tenth Annual New England Idea Swap. The Maine Arts Commission will be providing shuttle service between Augusta, Portland and the conference. The agency also offering 25 percent off the registration price (down to $37.50 from $50) for Mainers using the service. Seating is limited so reserve your place now. This offer ends when the shuttle is at capacity.

The event will take place in Worcester, Massachusetts on Wednesday, November 2 (9:30am – 3:30pm). It will be an opportunity for nonprofit presenting organizations to network, share project ideas and build partnerships. The Idea Swap is hosted by the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) and connects directly to possible funding from the NEFA Expeditions grant program. Snacks and lunch are provided as part of the conference.

To reserve you place at the conference and on the shuttle contact:
Kerstin Gilg, Maine Arts Commission
207/287.6719 (kerstin.gilg@maine.gov)
(Do not register online, if you register online you will NOT get the discount)

People in the northern part of the state may want to consider traveling to Portland or Augusta the night before.

On November 2

The shuttle will leave The Maine Arts Commission parking lot in Augusta at 6am
The shuttle will leave Portland Mall parking lot (in front of Best Buy) at 7am
The shuttle will arrive at Mechanics Hall in Worcester at 9:45am

The shuttle will leave Mechanics Hall in Worcester at 4:30pm
Arriving in Portland at 7pm and Augusta at 8pm

Best Buy in Portland
364 Maine Mall Rd
South Portland, ME 04106

Maine Arts Commission
193 State Street
Augusta ME, 04333

Mechanics Hall
321 Main Street,
Worcester, MA 01608

Maine Arts Commission Fellowship Recipient Earns National Acclaim for First Book

2011-10-07T08:57:00.003-04:00

Award-winning nonfiction writer Maureen Stanton of Georgetown, Maine has received national attention and critical acclaim for her first book, a work of literary nonfiction, Killer Stuff and Tons of Money, which gives a behind-the-scenes look at America’s modern day peddlers and lay historians—itinerant flea market/antiques dealers. Over a span of six years, Stanton periodically “shadowed” mid-level antiques dealer, Curt Avery (a pseudonym), as he searched for historical treasures in antiques shops, at auctions, and at flea markets and antiques shows fields, including the Union, Maine Antiques Festival, the site of one chapter of the book. Avery left behind a decade of trouble in his twenties to fashion a vocation from his childhood hobby of bottle digging. Through years of “field research” at flea markets and antiques shows, working a minimum-wage auction house job, and studying obscure reference books, Avery achieved hard-won success through his passion for history and love of antiques. Readers follow Avery’s journey to tense and comical auctions, the rarified realm of fancy antiques shows, and the mayhem of flea markets, including one of the world’s largest in Brimfield, Massachusetts. Stanton interweaves the lively scenes with histories of auctions, collecting, fakes, and micro-biographies of objects people love to collect: opium bottles, Ouija boards, weathervanes, shrunken human heads, comic books, forks, chairs. Readers peer behind-the-scenes at Antiques Roadshow, learn eBay’s effects on the trade, the psychology of collecting, meet a master “forger” and an eBay wizard, who makes money buying “mistakes.”

Killer Stuff and Tons of Money was released in June 2011, and since then has received national attention. Stanton was invited on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” (Weekend Edition), and with host, Laura Sullivan, spent the morning at Washington, D.C.s famous Eastern market. Stanton was the featured guest on National Public Radio’s nationally syndicated talk show, “On Point with Tom Ashbrook” (produced by WBUR-Boston) as well as several other radio/television interviews and appearances, including Newtalk Ireland, and the Frank DeCaro show (with cohost, Chaz Bono). Critics have lauded Killer Stuff and Tons of Money, which was selected by Parade Magazine as one of six nonfiction “recommended books” in their 2011 summer reading guide.

Praise for Killer Stuff and Tons of Money:

“A treasure-trove of a book, especially for would-be antiquers.” –Kirkus Reviews

“An intoxicating read that rips away the lace curtain from the antiques biz.” –Parade Magazine

“Utterly engaging…Not since Larry McMurtry’s fictitious rogue ‘Cadillac Jack’ has there been such a charming emissary from the world of the previously owned…Killer Stuff rings as true as a 17th century bell.” –The Washington Post

“Killer Stuff and Tons of Money is a deeply researched, memorably written narrative about the world of people who buy and sell antiques as their livelihoods…For anybody who treasures superb writing, the book will please page after page.” –St. Louis Post Dispatch

“[D]ynamite…one of those books you’ll start early and won’t really be able to put down or shake till you’re finished. Stanton’s a great writer [and] she’s a great guide.” –Kenyon Review

“Stanton captures the lower and middle echelons of the [antiques] business with great skill…her diverting and wholly unpretentious book makes a fine companion for a day at the beach—or a weekend treasure hunting.” –The Wall Street Journal

Maureen Stanton received her B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and her M.F.A. from The Ohio State University. She has received a National Endowment for the Arts award, and twice was awarded the Maine Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship. She has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony, has received a Pushcart Prize, and the Iowa Review Award in nonfiction. Her work has been widely published in literary journals and anthologies, including The Florida Review, Fourth Genre, Creative Nonfiction, The Sun, and American Literary Review, among others. Her essays have been listed as “Notable” in Best American Essays (Houghton Mifflin) in 1998, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009. She teaches part-time at the University of Missouri, and resides in Georgetown, Maine.

Little Theatre of the Deaf set to Perform in Maine

2011-09-30T16:14:00.002-04:00

Deaf and hard of hearing children will have a unique opportunity to experience live theatre and workshops in their own language this month as the Little Theatre of the Deaf performs at the University of Southern Maine and at the Baxter School for the Deaf.

The actors will perform at the Baxter School for the Deaf on Friday, October 28, and then offer a public performance at 4:00 pm on Saturday, October 29 at Talbot Auditorium in Luther Bonney Hall, on the University of Southern Maine campus.

The Little Theatre of the Deaf is a small ensemble composed of Deaf and hearing actors from the acclaimed National Theatre of the Deaf, based in Hartford, CT. It performs children’s theatre for Deaf and hearing audiences and their families, bringing both worlds together on one stage.

“We are thrilled to bring the Little Theatre of the Deaf to Maine this fall,” said Keith Ludden of the Maine Arts Commission. “Not only will this exceptional troupe of actors offer two live performances, they will also present a mix of workshops. There will be workshops in creative drama for children and a workshop for ASL interpreters that interpret performances.”

The performances and workshops are sponsored by the Davis Family Foundation, the New England Foundation for the Arts and the Friends of Baxter School.

“This is a unique opportunity for children in Maine,” said Karen Hopkins the Early Childhood Coordinator at the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. “We are delighted to work with the Maine Arts Commission on this project and we hope there will be a large amount of interest in both the performances and the workshops.”

Tickets for the performance at USM are available at $8 for adults and $5 for children. They can be purchased through the American Sign Language (ASL) Lab at USM, 49 Exeter Street, Portland, Maine. 207/780-5957 (voice), 207/780-4069 (TTY), or 207/766-7097 (videophone).

The children’s workshops are free and limited to 25 participants on a first come-first-served basis. Children wishing to participate should also contact the American Sign Language Lab at USM. ASL student interpreters may purchase a package that includes both the interpreter’s workshop and the performance at $30. Both workshops are at the Wishcamper building, 34 Bedford Street, Portland, Maine at Room 211. The performance is at the Talbot Auditorium, Luther Bonney building, 90 Bedford Street, Portland, ME. Details of the performances and workshops can be found at MaineArts.com.

All Maine Arts Commission events are conducted in accessible facilities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Persons requesting accommodations should request them at least ten days in advance, by contacting Keith Ludden, 207/287-2713 or keith.ludden@maine.gov.

Seventh Annual Camden International Film Festival Starts Today!

2011-09-29T06:33:00.003-04:00

The Camden International Film Festival will return for its seventh season on September 29 and run until October 2, 2011. Taking place in Camden, Rockport and Rockland, it is one of the top 25 film festivals in the world for documentary films.

Each year the festival takes over multiple venues throughout towns in the midcoast of Maine. Accompanying the screening of features and shorts are Q&As with directors, informative panels, the Points North Documentary Forum, PANOPTIC new media showcase, musical concerts and an opportunity to connect with eager audiences and industry leaders.

More information about the festival can be found online at the Camden International Film Festival site.

The Camden International Film Festival was supported this year by a Maine Arts Commission Arts Visibility Grant.

Bangor Book Festival This Weekend

2011-09-28T08:59:00.005-04:00

The Fifth Annual Bangor Book Festival will bring Maine and Maine-connected authors to the Bangor Public Library, P enobscot Theatre and sites throughout Downtown Bangor. Authors will read and discuss their work and Maine readers will have a chance to meet authors, attend workshops and network. All events are free and open to the public.

The two day event offers 25 events, including a keynote address by Colin Woodard. More information can be found at the Bangor Festival of the Book site.

The Bangor Book Festival was supported this year by an Arts Visibility Grant from the Maine Arts Commission.

Maine Fiberarts Present Showcase at Coastal Botanical Gardens

2011-09-27T15:45:00.003-04:00

Maine Fiberarts will present a Showcase at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay and the public is invited to attend. Events start with an Opening Reception on Friday, Sept. 30 from 5-7 p.m. with free entrance to the Gardens, an exhibition and sale of fiber art and craft, and a wine and cheese party. The Showcase continues on Saturday, Oct. 1 and on Sunday, Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with demonstrations in weaving, embroidery, spinning, crochet, sewing, natural dyeing, basketry and other techniques. The exhibition and sale will remain on view through October 10, with proceeds benefitting both Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Maine Fiberarts, and the artists.

At least eighteen different artists will be on hand throughout Saturday, Oct. 1 and Sunday, Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. demonstrating different fiber techniques. These include: weaving on floor looms by Sybil Shiland and Ursula Smith, basketmaking with Peg Parsons, tapestry weaving by Barbara Burns, Maine wildflower dyes with Anne Williams, machine-stitched imagery with Susie Perrine, narrative embroidery with Maggie Muth, spinning for lace shawls with Linda Clutterbuck and others. Several members of the Southern Maine Chapter of the Embroiderers Guild will present temari stitching, needlework and embroidery; click here for a complete list of demonstrators. Fiber practitioners and enthusiasts will enjoy viewing different techniques and can learn first-hand from the artists, many of whom are masters in their work.

After the event, work from the Showcase will move to Maine Fiberarts' new Red Studio, located at 13 Main Street in Topsham, where it will be on display and offered for sale throughout November and December of 2011. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10-4 and Saturdays, 11-2. For more information about the Showcase, visit mainefiberarts.org or call 207-721-0678.

Creative Capital Executive Director Provides Free Grant Information Session

2011-09-26T12:51:00.002-04:00

On October 18, Ruby Lerner, president and executive director of Creative Capital, will be at Portland Public Library to answer questions regarding their current and upcoming grant rounds.

Creative Capital supports artists creating adventurous and imaginative work in Visual Arts, Film/Video, Performing Arts, Innovative Literature and Emerging Fields. In 2012, Creative Capital will be considering proposals in Emerging Fields, Innovative Literature and Performing Arts. The online letter of inquiry form opens on February 1, 2012 and closes on March 1, 2012.

Far from a traditional funder, Creative Capital is committed to working in long-term partnership with the bold and groundbreaking artists that they fund, making a multi-year financial commitment while providing advisory and professional development services. Acting as a catalyst for the development of exceptional and imaginative ideas, Creative Capital supports artists whose work is provocative, timely and relevant; who are deeply engaged with their artforms and demonstrate a rigorous commitment to their craft, yet are also boldly original and push the boundaries of their genre; who create work that carries the potential to reshape the cultural landscape.

Any working artist with at least five years of professional experience who is a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident and at least 25 years old is eligible to apply. Selected grantees receive up to $50,000 in direct support and a suite of services valued at more than $37,000.

The session, in Meeting Room 5 of the Portland Public Library, is free and open to the public. RSVP to grants@creative-capital.org.

For more information on Creative Capital, including past recipients and current work, please visit creative-capital.org.

Critics, Critiques and Journalism at Feeding Creativity Conversation Series

2011-09-23T16:17:00.006-04:00

Freeport Creative Arts are continuing their creative conversation series at 7:00pm, October 3 at the Freeport Community Center. This discussion will feature some of the foremost voices in the arts in Maine.

Bob Keyes, arts journalist, Daniel Kany, art critic, and Daniel Fuller, Director, Institute of Contemporary Art, Maine College of Art will be a part of a dynamic conversation about the differences readers find when trying to get information about art, artists and exhibits.

This conversation will be moderated by Darrell Bulmer from the Maine Arts Commission. If you would like more details visit, Freeportcreativearts.org.

Other Maine Arts Commission staff will be on the road in the coming weeks. Kathy Shaw will be presenting a grants workshop in Ogunquit on September 29, 2011.

Keith Ludden will be continuing to offer Leadership Training workshops on October 7, in Lewiston.

Didital Promise Center for Arts Education

2011-09-22T09:47:00.001-04:00

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

The White House and the Department of Education have announced the creation of Digital Promise, a national center created by Congress to promote technologies to transform teaching and learning.

Launched with start-up funds from the Department of Education, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the center will work with researchers, entrepreneurs, and schools to identify and develop new learning technologies.

ArtPlace Grant

2011-09-21T08:58:00.004-04:00

ArtPlace is a national program working to drive the revitalization of cities and towns with an investment model that puts the arts at the center of economic development. A twelve million dollar loan fund has been created to accelerate creative placemaking and put art and culture at the heart of a portfolio of strategies to transform communities.

The initiative is collaboration between the NEA, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Ford Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Rasmuson Foundation, The Robina Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation and an anonymous donor. Other federal partners includethe departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Education, and Transportation, along with leadership from the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Domestic Policy Council.

The first 34 ArtPlace grants have been invested in places that range across the country and vary in size. The initial round of grants totals $11.5 million, with an average grant size of approximately $350,000. ArtPlace invites Letters of Inquiry from initiatives involving arts organizations, artists and designers working in partnership with local and national partners to produce a transformative impact on community vibrancy.

Guidelines can be found here
You can register here for an October 3 webinar on developing a letter of inquiry
Letter of Inquiry deadline is November 15, 2011.

Maine Poet Laureate Selected for Reading at National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

2011-09-20T08:06:00.002-04:00

Wesley McNair, the Poet Laureate of Maine, has been selected as one of five state poets laureate to give a poetry reading at the National Book Festival, in Washington, DC.

The National Book Festival, organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress, will be held on the National Mall on September 24 and 25. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are the honorary chairs of the event and will be in attendance. Elizabeth Sinclair of the Maine Humanities Council will introduce Mr. McNair.

A crowd of over 150,000 is expected, as well as 100 authors and illustrators, including Toni Morrison, Russell Banks, Garrison Keillor, Mary Gordon and Sherman Alexie. The Festival will begin on September 23 with a dinner for authors at the Library of Congress, followed by an author breakfast on September 24 at the “Washington Post.”

Wesley McNair is Poet Laureate of Maine and has authored or edited 18 books, including poetry, essays and anthologies. His most recent volume of verse is “Lovers of the Lost: New & Selected Poems” (David R. Godine). His poetry has appeared in the Best American Poetry, the Pushcart Prize annual, the Writer’s Almanac, NPR’s Weekend Edition and more than 60 anthologies. He has held grants from the Fulbright and Guggenheim foundations, two Rockefeller fellowships and two NEA grants in creative writing. Selected for a United States Artists Fellowship in 2006, the current US Poet Laureate, Philip Levine, has called Mr. McNair, “one of the great storytellers of contemporary poetry.”

For more information: 207-228-8263 or director@mainewriters.org

Apply Now for Poetry Out Loud Contractor Position

2011-09-16T16:52:00.002-04:00

Job Description
In coordination with the Arts in Education Associate, the Poetry Out Loud Coordinator will be responsible for organizing the Poetry Out Loud competition in Maine. Following an established format the coordinator will work with schools to encourage competition participation, prepare for three finals (northern, southern and state), organize judging, entertainment, recording and reporting of the results.

Job Requirements
The Poetry Out Loud Coordinator should have a background or demonstrated interest in the literary arts, and have a minimum of a Bachelors degree. The candidate must have a reliable vehicle and be available to travel throughout the state. The successful candidate should have an understanding of administrative procedures. He/she must have excellent written and verbal communications skills, be highly organized, able to collaborate and work efficiently with several constituencies and be able to create accurate reports.

Contract Details
The contract amount is $4,900 paid in monthly installments until the end of March, 2012.

How to Apply
Please attach a copy of your cover letter, resume, and information for three references to an e-mail and send to darrell.bulmer@maine.gov. Please write “POL Coordinator” in the subject line. Please attach all documents to the email, embedded documents written in the body of the e-mail will not be accepted. Please format documents as Word docs or PDFs. Application deadline is 5:00 pm, Thursday, September 29, 2011.

Poetry out Loud Duties Overview

In coordination with the Arts in Education Associate, the Poetry Out Loud Coordinator will be responsible for organizing the Poetry Out Loud competition in Maine.

A complete established overview will be provided from previous competitions and the coordinator will have access to all document templates.

Poetry Out Loud in Maine has consisted of two regional finals and one state final. These events included no more than three rounds of live poetry recital, entertainment and refreshments. The events are open to the public to attend and are conducted in performance venues in Maine.

A high level of event experience and organization is a must as each event will require coordination with students, teachers, agency staff, performance venue staff, entertainers, caterers, judges, emcees and press.

The coordinator will have the flexibility to work off site, but work at the offices of the Maine Arts Commission in Augusta will be a necessity throughout the contract period.

Further details of the Poetry Out Loud Competition can be found by clicking here, or by visiting the website of the National Endowment for the Arts.

New and Improved Artist Directory is Here

2011-09-15T11:52:00.000-04:00

Work being done on the Maine Arts Commission artist directory has been completed. This means the wait is over for those wishing to update directory images or create new listings. Issues with the Event Calendar have also been addressed.

The artist directory is a free self-subscribed searchable data base of Maine artists and arts organizations. As a promotional tool this directory can form the basis of an artist’s social network. It allows the inclusion of three external links to websites or social networking sites, three links to video samples and two links to audio samples. Artists are also able to add up to five images, include biographical information, provide contact details, and share a whole host of other useful content. Visitors to the directory can search this cultural directory by name, keyword, category, discipline and by county.

Information about the free listing service can be found here.
To update listings or to create an account you can go here.

Free Workshops to Explain Funding in the Arts

2011-08-31T16:03:00.007-04:00

If you have ever had questions about funding that is available through the Maine Arts Commission and other granting entities then help is just around the corner. Kathy Ann Shaw, Senior Grants Associate with the Maine Arts Commission, will be visiting Ogunquit and Bar Harbor to provide all the answers you could ever need. She will be joined in Bar Harbor by Kathleen Mundell who oversees the agency’s traditional arts programs.

On Thursday, September 29, 2011 from 10 am to noon, Kathy Ann Shaw will offer a free workshop about how to access funding sources for artists and arts organizations. The workshop will be hosted by the Ogunquit Museum of American and the Ogunquit Playhouse and held at the Museum at 543 Shore Road, Ogunquit. For directions click here

Kathy will present basic information about the Maine Arts Commission’s grant programs. The presentation will include a review of the National Endowment for the Arts’ new funding categories and will feature tips and tricks for grant writing. This will be an informal gathering which will allow participants to ask specific questions and steer the presentation in the direction most helpful to them.

While in the area workshop attendees are invited to view the Museum’s current exhibitions and/or to attend the matinee of the Ogunquit Playhouse’s production of Miss Saigon

The next workshop in this series will take place on Monday, November 14, 2011, at the Abbe Museum, 26 Mount Desert Street, Bar Harbor. Kathy will be joined by Kathleen Mundell, the agency’s traditional arts specialist, who will address the agency’s folk and traditional arts programs.

For more information on either workshop, please contact Kathy Ann Shaw Senior Grants Associate, 207/287-2750 kathy.shaw@maine.gov.

Juice Conference Contest News

2011-08-30T14:38:00.002-04:00

The Maine Arts Commission is so pleased to be working with the organizers of the 2011 Juice Conference. The conference organizers have created two competitions that offer cash awards on differing scales to artists and entrepreneurs.

The Juice Pitch Contest

Organizers of the Juice Conference have “juiced up” their pitch competition from the prior conference; there are bigger prizes and more opportunities for all types of businesses to learn and participate. They have added a day of coaching sessions with experience entrepreneurs and funders and split the contest into five separate categories. Sign up soon as the contest is limited to 100 participants! Applications are due by Saturday, October 15.

Winners of each category will receive $5,000 prize packages that include a combination of cash and professional in-kind services. The best company overall, as judged by the organizers of the conference based on potential for investor return, will be eligible for a $100,000 investment in the form of a convertible note. Only companies in the Scalable Innovation and Sustainability tracks are eligible for the $100,000 investment.
Full details can be found on the Juice Conference Website.

The Juice Film Contest

As the conference theme for 2011 is risk, organizers are reaching out and asking film-makers these questions: how do you visualize risk? What does a life look like when risk is celebrated? Where does risk lead us? Who do you see taking wise risks? How can risk be celebrated?

They are seeking 60 to 120 seconds of film by the due date of October 15. There is a $1,000 cash prize, the top film-makers will win free tickets to Juice 3.0, and have their film shown to the over 500 attendees at the conference.

Full details can be found on the Juice website.

Job Opportunity at the Maine Arts Commission

2011-08-29T12:13:00.004-04:00

The Maine Arts Commission has an opening for an Arts in Education associate in Augusta, Maine. The position offers a salary range between $37,544.00 and $50,876.80 annually. The deadline for applications is October 14, 2011

The Arts in Education associate provides leadership and oversight in the planning, development, coordination, administration and evaluation of the Maine Arts Commission’s Arts in Education program.

The Arts in Education associate implements projects statewide, providing professional development opportunities and technical assistance to arts educators, teaching artists, arts organizations and others. The associate also collaborates with state and national arts organizations and agencies to promote best practices and exemplary programming in all aspects of the arts.

This position has the following minimum requirements:
A Bachelors Degree in Art, Art History, Art Education, or Art Administration, or a related field, and two (2) years experience working with artists, art groups, and/or humanities organizations. Please note that directly related experience may be substituted for education on a year-for-year basis. A master’s degree or commensurate work experience is preferred.

Full details of this opportunity are available through the Division of Financial and Personnel Services website. Use this link (http://www.maine.gov/fps/opportunities) to access their Career Opportunities main page. Once there, select the “Arts & Humanities Associate link. Accompanying forms can be accessed by clicking the “Direct Hire” link.

Student Artwork Needed For Capitol Show

2011-08-24T10:59:00.005-04:00

Untitled, by Marc Ledroux

The Maine Arts Commission is issuing a call for two-dimensional student art for inclusion in the Fall 2011 Maine Youth Excellence in Art exhibition at the Capitol Complex in Augusta. The work cannot exceed 24" by 18".

Times Square, by Emily Howell

Art teachers from public, private and parochial schools in Maine are invited to submit one piece of two-dimensional artwork that represents artistic excellence from a K-12 student. Selected works will hang in various locations including the Capitol Building, the Blaine House and the office of the Maine Arts Commission for approximately four months. Selected artists their families and teachers will be invited to an opening reception at the Blaine House in November hosted by the First Lady Anne LePage where they will receive a certificate and medallion in recognition of their artistic excellence.

Artwork must be received by September 30 to be included in the show. There are only 30 spots available so we encourage those interested to contact us as soon as possible. Participation will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

This call is for two-dimensional artwork only. We prefer artwork that fits the maximum dimension of 18” x 24.” When submitting smaller artwork we ask that it be mounted on an 18” x 24” mat or poster board. There is a combined maximum thickness of 3/16’’ for artwork and mat together. The artwork can be exhibited vertically or horizontally and will be placed in Plexiglas frames that measure 22” x 28” overall. We are unable to mat, unmat or resize submitted artwork. Artwork submitted that does not adhere to our dimensional guidelines will be excluded from the exhibition. The Maine Arts Commission reserves the right to exclude artwork from the exhibition at our discretion.

To participate in the program one art teacher from your school must be designated as the MYEA teacher and that teacher should e-mail Angela Molino at the Maine Arts Commission with any questions and/or a request to participate in the program. Please use the subject heading “Fall MYEA Participation” in your e-mail to Angela at angela.a.molino@maine.gov. Your confirmation e-mail will include further instructions and all necessary paperwork.

APAP Exchange Funds/ NEFA Travel Funds

2011-08-22T10:45:00.003-04:00

The Association of Performing Arts Presenters Cultural Exchange Fund is a travel subsidy program supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to assist U.S.-based presenting professionals. All applicants must be active members of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters.

The maximum amount awarded per individual organization, inclusive of travel costs and per diem, is $2,000. Group travel subsidies will be awarded only to groups of three or more individuals from different member presenting organizations. The maximum award for a group is $10,000. The deadline is November 4, 2011, for the travel period December 2011 to June 2012. Full information can be found on the APAP site http://www.apap365.org/KNOWLEDGE/GrantPrograms/Pages/CEF3.aspx.

The New England Foundation for the Arts also has travel funds available. The Presenter Travel Fund provides monetary assistance to arts programmers or curatorial staff in New England. Applicants may apply for funding to help cover the expense of attending festivals, showcases, conferences, or other cultural events where they can see artistic work that they may present in their own community. Applicants should apply 30 days or more before the time of travel. More information can be found on the NEFA site at http://www.nefa.org/grants_services/presenter_travel_fund

Grassroots Media Conference, Sept 9-10

2011-08-16T08:31:00.005-04:00

On September 9 and 10 WERU-FM Community Radio and Unity College will host Maine’s first Grassroots Media Conference at the Unity College Center for the Performing Arts. The conference is open to the public; however, participants are encouraged to make a donation to cover costs. You can find out more at http://mainegrassrootsmedia.org.

The event will develop a network of people who use media on the grassroots level, from journalists and artists to educators and organizers. The conference will offer workshop sessions, film screenings and performances. There will also be presentations by Rob Shetterly, artist of the portrait series Americans Who Tell the Truth; Jay Davis, president of the board for the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting; Shenna Bellows, director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union; Ben Fowlie, founder of the Camden International Film Festival; and members of the Beehive Design Collective, a Machias-based arts group focused on social justice.

For information on conference events, menus, places to stay, how to get involved and to pre-register go to www.mainegrassrootsmedia.org or contact Meaghan LaSala, WERU-FM Community Radio, 973-862-7105 meaghan@weru.org

Upcoming August Arts Festivals!

2011-08-11T09:44:00.008-04:00

Image from Portland Chamber Music Festival

In case you have not finalized your summer arts festival schedule, here are some events you may want to consider attending.

Madawaska Acadian Festival
August 11 to 15, 2011
The Acadian Festival is one of Maine's largest cultural festivals. It is held each year in conjunction with an Acadian family reunion. This year the reunion is of the Cyr family. The festival includes re-enactments of the first Acadian landing in northern Maine, traditional Acadian supper, Soiree Acadienne, Danse du Main Street, Festival parade and much more. Information can be found online or by calling (207) 728-7000.

Portland Chamber Music Festival
August 11 to 20, 2011
Portland Chamber Music Festival (PCMF) summer concerts are held at the Abromson Center at the University of Southern Maine’s Portland Campus. The festival brings nationally recognized artists to Portland to present a wide range of classical chamber music, including the music of living composers. PCMF works to develop excitement for classical music among young people and the greater Portland community, hosting a free children’s concert, a Young Artist Apprentice Program, concerts in Gardiner and at Bates College, and adult chamber music workshops.

Salt Bay Chamberfest
August 16, 19, 23, 26, 2011
The 2011 Salt Bay Festival is titled 300 Years of New Music. It is a creative conversation between works of living and past composers. The Damariscotta event will host a number of premiere performances of U.S., World and New England artists. The event will draw some of the world’s most prominent composers and performing musicians to Maine.

Brunswick Outdoor Arts Festival
August 20, 2011
The Fifth Annual Festival presented by the Brunswick Downtown Association will celebrate talent in and around the Town of Brunswick. Scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the sidewalks of Maine Street, the festival will showcases more than 80 juried artists, ten musical groups, mimes, jugglers, and members of various youth theater troupes.

Blisterd Fingers Bluegrass Festival
August 25 to 28, 2011
Blistered Fingers is one of the largest family musical events in New England. The Bluegrass Festival takes place twice every year bringing Music lovers from all over the World to Litchfield, Maine. The Blistered Fingers festival has something for all ages during the four day event. Buses, RV's, campers, tents and day attendees are all welcome.

NEFA Opportunities!

2011-08-04T13:36:00.002-04:00

The next deadline for a New England States Touring (NEST) grant is September 1, 2011. The NEST grant program provides support to nonprofit organizations based in New England for community-related activities by select New England performing artists from outside of the presenter's state.

NEFA also has a Presenters Travel Fund to provide monetary assistance to arts programmers or curatorial staff in New England. Applicants may apply for funding to help cover the expense of attending festivals, showcases, conferences, or other cultural events where they can see artistic work. Applications must be sent to NEFA at least one calendar month prior to the departure date of the proposed trip.

Its never too soon to think about Meet The Composer funds. Designed to increase opportunities for New England composers and encourage meaningful interactions between composers, their music, and the citizens of New England. Eligible projects encompass the full range of music composition, including jazz, classical, and songwriting. Grants range from $200 to $2,500 and are available in amounts of up to 50% of the composer's fee, inclusive of honoraria, travel, and per diem. Deadline December 1, 2011.

Are You Ready For Juice 3.0?

2011-08-03T13:35:00.005-04:00

The Maine Arts Commission is once again proud to be an active partner in the third iteration of the state’s foremost economic conference this November.

The Juice Conference is a multi venue event in downtown Camden with a $100,000 business plan pitch competition, keynote performances, panel sessions, how to workshops, and networking venues with a focus on cross-pollination of industries including arts & culture, community development, green industry, entrepreneurship, and technology & innovation.

There will be over 80 speakers who will energize, educate, and motivate conference attendees. Juice 3.0 will start with stories that celebrate risk and will result in important collaborations and connections that lead to innovation and creation.

Check out the promotional video above and then visit http://juiceconference.org/ to start getting all the information you need about this amazing conference.

USArtists International: Apply Now!

2011-08-01T15:27:00.005-04:00

Guidelines are now available for the 2012 USArtists International program (USAI). USAI provides support for American dance, music, and theater ensembles and solo artists invited to perform at significant international festivals or engagements that represent extraordinary career opportunities anywhere in the world (outside the United States and its territories). Grants will seldom cover the applicant's total expenses and generally range from $1,000 to $10,000 USD.

First Round Deadline is September 6, 2011 for projects taking place between November 1, 2011 and October 31, 2012. This is a receipt deadline.

Additional deadlines for the 2012 program cycle include:
December 9, 2011 for projects taking place between March 1, 2012 and February 28, 2013
April 20, 2012 for projects taking place between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013

For a copy of program guidelines go to the information page on the Mid-Atlantic Artists Foundation site. Questions about USArtists International should be directed to Sara Nash, at saran@midatlanticarts.org.

More summer Festivals

2011-07-29T13:18:00.005-04:00

The end of July is a festival-rich environment throughout Maine. The LL Bean Summer series is in full swing and Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, Sebago-Long Lake Music Festival and the Mt. Desert Festival of Chamber Music are all in the middle of their offerings. Oxxfest 2011 is scheduled for this weekend as part of the ongoing Bangor Waterfront Concerts. Also on the horizon is the Saltwater Celtic Music Festival and the Kah-Bang Music Art and Film Festival.

Oxxfest 2011
July 31, 2011
featuring Stone Temple Pilots, Deadseason, Uncle Jack, Nobis & 30 other national and local bands. Gates open at 10am at the Bangor waterfront.

Saltwater Celtic Music Festival
July 31, 2011
The Saltwater Celtic Music Festival will be held at beautiful Thomas Point Beach in Brunswick, and at satellite locations on days prior to the July 31 main event. It promises to be one of the most important events on the New England Celtic calendar. Many artists will be available for meet and greet following their performance.

KahBang Music Art and Film Festival.
August 05-13, 2011
KahBang is an annual summer festival showcasing independent artists in music, art and film. The festival opens with the Art and Film exhibitions and ends with a 2-day multi-stage music festival. The events take place throughout the downtown and waterfront of Bangor. During the event Bangor is transformed into one of the largest independent music art and film events in New England.

Mt. Desert Festival of Chamber Music
July 19, 26. August 2,9 and 16
The Mt. Desert Festival of Chamber Music takes pleasure in announcing its 48th anniversary season of summer concerts at the historic Neighborhood House in Northeast Harbor, Maine. Four prominent string quartets will be performing at this years festival.

Sebago-Long Lake Music Festival
Tuesdays, July 12 to August 9
The Sebago-Long Lake Music Festival is devoted to presenting high-quality chamber music performances in the lake region of Western Maine. Founded in 1972 by bassoonist Homer Pence and other professional musicians who summered in the region.
The musicians are all string, wind or keyboard artists of the highest caliber.

Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival,
June 20 to August 21
Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival is often called the "Cradle of chamber music teaching in America". It is a chamber music school, a concert series and chamber music advocate. Concerts are offered by the acclaimed faculty of musicians and the 50 exceedingly-talented young artists who study there.

LL Bean Summer series
July 2 through September 3, 2011
Held in Discovery Park at the LL Bean flagship campus. Every week throughout the summer events, concerts, and unique entertainment are offered.

Micro Budget Indie Film Talk, August 1

2011-07-28T09:32:00.004-04:00

Filmmaker Kyle Martin

Kyle Martin and Lance Edmands, key members of the filmmaking team that helped create last year’s acclaimed indie success Tiny Furniture (Best Narrative Feature" 2010 SXSW, "Best First Screenplay" Independent Spirit Award), will be at Rockport’s Union Hall on Monday August 1 at 8:00pm. They will be sharing their experiences of the independent film world, showing clips of past work and talking about their upcoming project Bluebird which will be shooting in Millinocket in January 2012. This event is hosted by the Maine Media Workshops and College, admission is free and open to the public.

For more information on this event, please contact Melissa at mpage@mainemedia.edu or at 236.8581 ext. 363 or alternatively Emily at emily@louiserosenltd.com or 207.725.8215.

Interesting Opportunities

2011-07-22T11:00:00.002-04:00

As we head into the weekend there are a couple of additional opportunities we’d like to share with you all.

The Alaska State Arts Agency executive director job is open. This position caries a $6,132 minimum monthly salary and the deadline for applications is September 1. The details are in the Opportunities Section of MaineArts.com.

For the performing arts enthusiasts the announcement that the Penobscot Theatre in Bangor will be holding open auditions on Sunday, July 31, may be of interest.

This day will serve as an initial audition for the entire season. Callbacks will be held throughout the rest of the year as the specific shows approach. Those who wish to be considered for the spring productions are strongly encouraged to attend this audition. However, there are roles that are being sought for the coming shows:

Last Gas by John Cariani (September 9-25); The Marvelous Wonderettes (October 26-November 13) and A Christmas Story (December 2-23). Full details of the positions are in the Opportunities Section of MaineArts.com.

To secure an audition slot, call The Penobscot Theatre Box Office at 942-3333 Monday through Friday between 12-4pm. Audition slots must be secured no later than Friday, July 29. Walk-ins will most likely not be seen.

$10,000 Art Commission Announced in Biddeford, Maine

2011-07-21T11:10:00.005-04:00

Thread, a downtown development company dedicated to advancing community through revitalization, is sponsoring the $10,000 commission for a mural, installation, or combination of the two. The original piece is being commissioned for an exterior wall on their historic property at 265 Main Street in downtown Biddeford. Engine, a community arts organization in Biddeford, is assisting with coordinating and jurying the entries.

Photos of the property under renovations can be seen at on Thread’s Facebook page. Proposals and conceptual sketches for the project are now being accepted and must be received no later than September 30, 2011.

The mural, installation, or combination of the two being commissioned is for the east wall of the property. The wall is approximately 16.5-feet tall by 43.5-feet wide. Both 2-D and 3-D concepts, or a combination, will be considered. Proposals that utilize a greater portion of the east wall will be considered. Please visit Engine’s web site for photographs of the wall and for further specs.
The mural or installation may be traditional or contemporary in nature—the foremost criterion for selection is artistic excellence. The winning concept will likely show an understanding of and sensitivity toward the unique spirit of the building—originally a mercantile and then a furniture store fondly remembered as the Potter’s Building—and also of Biddeford, a former textile industry mecca currently in the throes of revitalization.

Only one proposal will be selected for the commission; two additional proposals will be chosen as finalists and publicized. Proposals must include conceptual sketches that are very close to what the final piece will resemble when executed.

AWARD
The winning proposal will receive a $10,000 payment, in negotiated allotments, to execute their proposal. The winning artist must be able to either execute or oversee the execution of their proposal. The winning artist will be asked to enter into a contractual agreement with Thread that outlines the project’s scope and deadlines.

SELECTION
A jury will include representatives from Thread, Engine, Maine College of Art, and the Maine Arts Commission.

SUBMIT
Respondents must submit:
1. Narrative proposal (two-page max)
2. Conceptual sketches (PDFs)
3. Budget
4. Resumé

Materials may be submitted via email to director@feedtheengine.org or by mail to:

Engine
41 Franklin Street #1
Biddeford, ME 04005

DEADLINE:
Proposals must be received by 5PM (EST) on September 30, 2011.

ELIGIBILITY
All artists residing in Maine and 18 years of age or older are eligible.

QUESTIONS
Tammy Ackerman, Executive Director of Engine
director@feedtheengine.org or 207/229-3560

Strengthening Maine’s Nonprofit Arts Boards

2011-07-19T12:48:00.006-04:00

The Maine Arts Commission is offering a series of free board development workshops throughout the state to bolster the strength and effectiveness of Maine’s nonprofit arts and cultural organizations.

Board members, leaders and directors from cultural organizations are invited to attend the workshops that begin on September 8 in Portland and move on to Norway, Lewiston, Bangor, Belfast, Presque Isle and Camden.
With funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Maine Arts Commission has organized this series of workshops to address both board development and the training of future leaders within organizations. The all day sessions will be led by Tony Scucci, a senior governance consultant with Board Source. Scucci has an extensive list of clients that have included the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the American Red Cross.

The board development workshops will focus on increasing the board’s understanding of it duties, roles and responsibilities and clarifying expectations. These workshops will take place at the following times and locations:

• September 8, St. Lawrence Arts Center, Portland
• September 9, Western Maine Art Group, Matolscy Gallery, Norway
• October 19, University of Maine Museum of Art, Bangor
• October 26, University of Maine, Presque Isle
• October 27, Waterfall Arts Center, Belfast

The leadership training sessions will help participants understand their own leadership qualities and styles; it will also provide clear guidance on the five core leadership competencies. These sessions take place at the following times and locations.

• October 7, Olin Arts Center, Bates College, Lewiston
• October 28, Camden Opera House, Camden.
Complimentary luncheons will be provided for attendees at all venues. Those wishing to attend should sign up soon as space is extremely limited. Full details, including registration, for each location can be found on MaineArts.com.

Maine Summer Festivals!

2011-07-18T11:20:00.010-04:00

The Maine International Film festival is still going strong, but there are many other festivals happening this week (and throughout the summer). If you have not locked in your plans you should make a point to attend as many of these offerings as you can. Here are just a few.

Image provided by Bay Chamber Concerts

Ossipee Music Festival, July 21-24, 2011
http://www.ossipeevalley.com/
A four day acoustic music event with over 60 hours of live music from two stages. The Festival is host to the New England Flat-picking, Banjo and Songwriting Contests. It also hosts numerous workshops and dances and the four day children music academy, Roots & Sprouts.

Bates Dance Festival, July 1 – August 13, 2011
http://www.batesdancefestival.org/
The Bates Dance Festival brings together an international community of choreographers, performers, educators and students in a cooperative community to study, perform and create new work.

Bowdoin International Music Festival, June 25 – August 6, 2011
http://www.bowdoinfestival.org/
Each summer, the Bowdoin International Music Festival brings renowned artist instructors, performers, soloists, and gifted pre-professional classical musicians from around the world to beautiful Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine for six weeks of intensive chamber music study, collaboration, and performance.

Bay Chamber Concerts, July 1 – September 1, 2011
http://www.baychamberconcerts.org/
Each week in July and August, you can find a concert presented on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Most summer concerts start at 8:00 p.m. Most Wednesday night concerts are at the Strand Theatre, all Thursday night concerts are at the Rockport Opera House.

The DaPonte String Quartet, June 11 - August 29, 2011
http://www.daponte.org/
The DaPonte String Quartet was formed in Philadelphia in 1991 and came to Maine in 1995 on a Rural Residency Grant. At the end of the grant period the four musicians and their families decided to put down personal and professional roots in Maine.

More offerings can be found on the Maine Arts Commission Events Calender or on the Office of Tourism Maine Performs page.

Artist-friendly Efficiency Apartments Soon Available in Portland

2011-07-14T16:11:00.003-04:00

Portland will have affordable housing for artists available at 72 Oak Street, around the corner from the restaurant 555. The anticipated opening date is December 2011. There will be 37 artist-friendly efficiency apartments in total.

Avesta worked with architects and designers to make these 37 efficiency apartments artist-friendly. The ground floor includes a gallery and there is a shared workspace on the second floor. The units have high ceilings, deep storage space, and large windows. As an affordable housing solution, the all-inclusive rent is based on income and there is an income limit. Applications are reviewed and processed in the order they are received.

Please share the attached information with artists who are looking for affordable housing in the Arts District.

For more information and to get added to the inquiry list, visit Avesta Housing.

Free Information Sessions Offered by Maine Arts Commission

2011-07-14T15:15:00.008-04:00

Staff members from the Maine Arts Commission are taking to the road next week to present at two venues, one in Eastport on July 20 and the other in Lubec on July 21.

Artists and staff of cultural organizations are encouraged to attend these free presentations in order to gain knowledge of various ways of accessing funding.

The Tides Institute and Museum of Art will host Donna McNeil, director of the Maine Arts Commission for an Art Talk titled, Public Art is Not an Oxymoron, on Wednesday, July 20 at 7:00 pm. Ms. McNeil will show examples of public art from around the state, the nation, and the world, discussing the ins and outs of navigating the process of public art, and the specifics of Maine’s Percent for Art law. A question and answer discussion will follow. This event is free and open to the public.
The Cobscook Community Learning Center (CCLC), in Lubec, will be the venue for a free workshop about funding sources for artists and arts organizations, and how to access them.

This workshop takes place from 12 – 2 p.m., Thursday, July 21. Staff from the Maine Arts Commission, including Donna McNeil, will present basic information about the Maine Arts Commission’s grant programs and additional funding opportunities available to artists and cultural organizations through the commission. The presentation will include a review of the National Endowment for the Arts’ new funding categories and tips and tricks for grant writing basics.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch – the CCLC will provide a light dessert and beverages. This will be an informal gathering which will allow participants to ask specific questions and steer the presentation in the direction most helpful to them. Please call 207/733-2233 with questions.

Maine International Film Festival Begins This Week.

2011-07-12T13:57:00.010-04:00

Since 1998 the Maine International Film Festival has represented the best of American independent and international cinema. They also have featured some of Maine's most exciting and innovative filmmakers. The event is a project of the Maine Film Center and this year's 10 day festival offers nearly 100 films between July 15 and 24.

At the festival audiences will be offered world class film and a chance to meet some of the people behind the movies. Filmmakers will host panel discussions and informal Q&A sessions, giving movie-goers an incredible chance to learn more about the art of film. This year’s Mid-Life Achievement Award honoree is Malcolm McDowell, a versatile and prolific actor with a career spanning over forty years. McDowell will accept his award on Saturday, July 16 at Colby College’s Given Auditorium.

The Maine Arts Commission is again sponsoring part of the film festival by lending support for Making it in Maine Day on Saturday, July 23.

The 34th Maine Student Film and Video Festival

The Maine Student Film Video Festival is open to Maine residents 19 years of age and younger. The movies submitted to the festival are judged on the basis of originality, content, style, and technique. Movies are reviewed by categories: Pre-Teen Division, grades K - 6; Junior Division, grades 7 - 8; and Senior Division, grades 9 - 12. All film genres are accepted and usually are entered from animation, documentary and narrative. Each year finalists’ and winners’ movies are selected for screening at the Public Screening and Awards Presentation held in conjunction with MIFF. A grand prize winner is selected each year and receives a $2,500 scholarship to the Young Filmmakers program, donated by The Maine Media Workshops, Rockport, ME.
Admission is free.

More information about the festival can be found on the Maine International Film Festival site.

Check out the 2011 Norway Arts Festival this Weekend

2011-07-08T09:11:00.004-04:00

On July 7-9 Norway will host their annual Arts Festival, sponsored by the Western Maine Arts Group and Norway Downtown. This year the festival's focus-figure is Tony Montanaro (1927-2002), the internationally acclaimed mime artist, director, and teacher who founded the Celebration Barn Theater in South Paris. The event will close down Main Street to accommodate over 100 artists at the 44th annual Norway Sidewalk Art Show along with musicians, jugglers, dancers, children's activities, drummers and giant puppets.

The weekend will offer the Norway Triathlon, Poets on the Porch VIII, the annual Library Used Book Sale, and much more. All events are free and open to the public.
Go to the Norway Festival site for more details.

Artwork of Jacobus Baas Exhibited in Maine’s State Capitol

2011-07-06T14:36:00.004-04:00

Hay There, oil on linen 24x30

The artwork of Jacobus Baas is now on display in Maine’s Capitol Complex as part of the Maine Arts Commission's Arts in the Capitol program.

The exhibit has been generously loaned by the Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland, and will remain on display until the end of September. The work is viewable by the public throughout the week at the Maine State House from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and at the Blaine House from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Those wishing to visit the Blaine House are advised to call ahead.
Goose River Farm, oil on linen 24x30

Born in the Netherlands in 1945, Baas spent his early years in Rotterdam, surrounded by rich landscapes and cloud-laden skies made famous by the Dutch Masters throughout history. He arrived in the U.S. in his early teens with a deeply ingrained interest in art.

Baas initially channeled his creativity towards jewelry design. His unique and original works captured a following that resulted in over 35 years of success as a goldsmith at his business in Laguna Beach. This success has afforded Baas the freedom to pursue his first love, painting.

“Painting has become my full time passion; there is no time to make jewelry. The act of applying paint to a canvas has always been intriguing to me,” said Baas. “To transform a two dimensional surface and give it a feeling of space with carefully arranged brushstrokes, using the right colors and values is pure magic. Every time I paint on location, with each brushstroke I experience that magic again, and hopefully the viewer will experience it as well in the finished painting.”

Baas has been exhibiting his artwork for over 30 years and is currently represented by galleries in Maine, California, Hawaii, Washington and Texas. His work will be at the State House, Blaine House and offices of the Maine Arts Commission until the end of September.

All Arts in the Capitol events and free and open to the public; however, exhibitions are self-guided and may only be viewed within prescribed times: Maine Arts Commission Office 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; Maine State House 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday; and the Blaine House - 2:00 - 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (Please call ahead at 207/287-2121). For more information on this and all programs available through the Maine Arts Commission, visit MaineArts.com.

Dover-Foxcroft Percent for Art Competition

2011-06-23T11:52:00.005-04:00

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

2011-06-20T11:13:00.001-04:00

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

2011-06-20T09:37:00.002-04:00

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

2011-06-10T12:17:00.003-04:00

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!

2011-06-10T09:53:00.005-04:00

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

2011-06-06T14:52:00.003-04:00

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.

Imagination Intensive Community for 2011 Announced

2011-05-31T10:21:00.002-04:00

Telling Room Staff: photo Argy Nestor

The Maine Alliance for Arts Education, the Maine Department of Education, and the Maine Arts Commission are pleased to announce that the Telling Room in Portland has been named Maine’s 2011 Imagination Intensive Community.

With funding this year from the Kennedy Center, the Maine Arts Commission, the Maine Department of Education, and Bangor Savings Bank, the Imagination Intensive Communities program is in its second year of identifying and celebrating, through an open application process, those Maine communities where schools and partnering organizations of all kinds invest in the imaginative development of children and youth.

Located in downtown Portland, the Telling Room is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the idea that children and young adults are natural storytellers. Recognized for its many programs and community partnerships, the Telling Room focuses on young writers ages 6 to 18 and seeks to build confidence, provide real audiences for students’ stories, and strengthen literacy skills through literature, writing, music, drama and visual arts.

The Telling Room has evolved into a community that reaches beyond its own doors to collaborate with a wide variety of local and regional partners, including schools, Portland Public Library, Portland Ovations and others. As the selection panel noted, “The Telling Room should be recognized and celebrated for participating in community building in a most meaningful way through their work.”

When notified of the award, Telling Room Executive Director, Gibson Fay-LeBlanc commented, “The Telling Room is honored to be selected as an Imagination Intensive Community. We believe that the power of creative expression can change our communities and prepare our youth for future success and are pleased to join the other model communities, schools, and organizations that are teaching students in and through the arts around the state. We value this award both for recognizing our past work with young writers and artists and for the way it will push us to continue to innovate and better serve students in Greater Portland and beyond.”

Past Imaginative Intensive Communities include Arundel, Blue Hill, Camden-Rockport, Deer Isle/Stonington, North Haven, and York (2010). Five communities have received honorable mention as “emerging communities:” Dover-Foxcroft and Kittery (2011) and Brunswick, Denmark, and Portland’s Reiche School (2010).

The Telling Room was recognized as the 2011 Imagination Intensive Community at a recent awards event that included the presentation of a check for $1200, a banner, and award certificates for the Telling Room and its collaborating community partners.

Deadline for Media and Performing Arts Fellowship

2011-05-23T13:36:00.002-04:00

The deadline for the Individual Artist Fellowship in Media and Performing Arts is June 10, 2011. The $13,000 award recognizes artistic excellence and all eligible Maine artists are encouraged to apply. Please help spread the word to anyone who might be interested in this fantastic opportunity.

The fellowship award is designed to support performing arts creators, not interpretive artists. A creator is an artist who produces the majority-share of a creative original work. For example, a composer qualifies but a musician does not; a singer/songwriter qualifies but a singer does not; a choreographer qualifies but a dancer does not; a theatre director qualifies but a theatre actor does not, etc.

Applicants should apply with their own original work. If the work is created through a collaborative process the applicant should explain how they were the majority contributor. An application can be made by a team or group if they consistently work together and the resulting artwork is owned by the group. Playwrights and screenwriters may apply if they also have an important part in the production, otherwise they should apply to the Literary Arts Fellowship. There are also fellowships for the visual arts and for the traditional arts.

More information can be found on the Maine Arts Commission website.
http://mainearts.maine.gov/grant_individualfellowship.aspx

Additional Funding for Downeast Artists Announced

2011-05-20T15:11:00.003-04:00

The Maine Arts Commission is pleased to announce that $12,500 in additional funds will be available to artists in Hancock and Washington Counties over the next 12 months thanks to a partnership with the Maine Community Foundation.

Funding through the Maine Community Foundation is provided by the Belvedere Fund, which was established in 2000 by the late Deborah Pulliam. Deborah had a fondness for functional crafts and her legacy will support additional Traditional Arts Apprenticeships and Good Idea Grants in the region of Maine where she lived.

“The Maine Arts Commission is honored to work with the Maine Community Foundation as we reach out to artists in Washington and Hancock Counties,” said Donna McNeil, Maine Arts Commission director.

“Deborah Pulliam had a passion for traditional handcrafts," said Meredith Jones, Maine Community Foundation president and CEO. "We are pleased that the Maine Arts Commission will help further the legacy of that passion in Downeast Maine."

The Maine Arts Commission will use the funding to administer five additional artist grants. These will be offered as two Traditional Arts Apprenticeships and three Good Idea Grants. The Traditional Arts Apprenticeships will help communities in Washington and Hancock Counties preserve their cultural heritage by supporting master traditional artists as they pass on their skills to qualified apprentices. The Good Idea Grants will support the growth of regional artists through the creation of new work or professional development.

The application deadlines for these grants are June 16 and June 24 respectively. Complete information about both of these programs can be found in the grants section of www.MaineArts.com.

Maine Performing Arts Promoted Through Tourism Website

2011-05-11T15:32:00.004-04:00

Performing arts organizations, venues and events in Maine are featured in the new "Maine Performs" brochure guide and the companion website landing page www.MainePerforms.com.

The resources were created by the Maine Office of Tourism, in collaboration with the Maine Arts Commission and participating organizations, to highlight and promote Maine's longtime tradition of unique and diverse performing arts offerings.

"As a business, we do a very good job at promoting ourselves within Maine, but creating awareness in audiences from out of state is more difficult and costly," said Monica Kelly of Bay Chamber Concerts. “The creation of the Maine Performs group gives us the platform to promote our organization in a way that will effectively reach outside the state.”

The free, 15-page, full-color guide provides information on more than 20 theaters, arts centers, festivals, and organizations producing live music, dance, film or stage productions. The destinations span each of Maine's eight tourism regions from Madawaska to Bangor, Waterville, Buckfield, Ogunquit and Stonington.

"The Maine Performs initiative follows the philosophy of a high tide raising all boats," said Linda Nelson from Opera House Arts in Stonington. "Collaboration is the key to today’s economy. The performing arts sector is coming together to develop and increase audiences for all of Maine. Whether communities have large concert halls or small venues, Maine Performs sends the message that Maine is a culturally rich place with a lot of high quality performances throughout the state."

MainePerforms.com brings visitors to the performing arts page of the Office of Tourism website where the guide can be downloaded, and web links are provided for each listing from the guide.

The web page also links to Maine music, dance and theater pages, and allows users to explore live arts opportunities in each tourism region. A link to a comprehensive listing of more than 100 members of the state's performing arts sector is also on the page.

The brochure guide is available at Maine visitor information centers and select performing arts organizations and venues throughout the state. The brochure can also be downloaded at www.maineperforms.com.

Wesley McNair Speaks at Blaine House

2011-05-11T11:19:00.002-04:00

On April 19, Wesley McNair and many lovers of the written word gathered for a celebration of poetry at the Blaine House. As McNair was formally introduced as Maine's Poet Laureate by the First Lady, he delivered a speech.

Thanks to the mutually beneficial partnership between the Maine Arts Commission and the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, you can view this speech below.

Maine Poet Laureate Wesley McNair: Blaine House Remarks on Vimeo.

You can read more about the position of the Poet Laureate and some of the initiatives begun by Wesley McNair on MaineArts.com.

Maine Honors the Congressional Art Competition Winners

2011-05-10T15:20:00.005-04:00

The winners, runner-ups, art teachers and family, involved in the 2011 Congressional Arts Competition, attended a reception at the Blaine House this Saturday, May 7. Governor LePage and representatives from both congressional offices were present to honor the extraordinary creative talent discovered in the young Maine artists taking part in the competition.

Those young artists attending included Whitney Wei, winner of the 1st District; Jeremy Vroom, winner of the 2nd District; the runner-ups of the 1st District, Elizabeth Cox, Eve Hupper and Emily Howell; the runner-ups of the 2nd District, Caili Inman, Matthew McKeown and Sylvia Beliveau.Don Tuski attended the reception to announce that the Maine College of Art offers the winning participants an $8,000 scholarship and a $6,000 scholarship for the runner-ups.

The Congressional Art Competition features one piece of student artwork from every participating congressional district in the country. Maine’s winners will have their work displayed in the halls of U.S. Capitol for a year. Both winning students, along with their families, will be flown to Washington in an opening ceremony in June.

Governor LePage honored the wonderful creativity exhibited by these students, expressing how significant creative thinking is for the leaders of tomorrow.

“Your success, based upon your creativity, represents a considerable achievement and I am certain that this success will follow you into whatever future you choose for yourself,” said Governor LePage. “I hope you will keep your creativity here in Maine and be a part of a great future for our state.”

In honor and pride of the artists and their pieces, Michaud said, “The corridor that these students’ work will hang in is the same one I and many members of Congress walk through each day we are voting in the House of Representatives. It’s always a treat to see the great student work on display—especially the two works of art from the state of Maine.”

The encouragement of the event certainly will follow these young artists into their future endeavors, especially onward to the opening ceremony in the U.S. Capitol.

The Maine Arts Commission organized the Congressional Art Competition in cooperation with both congressional offices. For more information on this, or any other Maine Arts Commission programs, visit http://www.mainearts.com

A Good Idea Grant Success Story

2011-05-04T13:38:00.006-04:00

In 2010, Philip Brou was awarded a Good Idea Grant from the Maine Arts Commission in order to move forward on a project relating to a hotel room in Portland. In Philip’s own words:

“On September 10, 2001, Mohamed Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omari drove a rented car from Boston, Massachusetts, to South Portland, Maine. The next morning they flew out of the Portland International Jetport and launched a series of devastating attacks that shook our world.

I located the hotel and room, room 233, where Atta and al-Omari stayed in South Portland. The hotel is near my home. I pass it every time I drive to the grocery store. I contacted the hotel’s manager and reserved the room.

The project funded by a Good Idea Grant and included in the Portland Museum of Art’s (PMA) Biennial is a culmination of my research into room 233, the room where Atta and al-Omari spent their final night. I view this project as a record of facts, similar to the flight data recorder –the black box- that is always running while a plane is in flight.”
Philip’s project received the "Purchase Award," (meaning that the museum is purchasing the project for its permanent collection) at PMA’s Biennial.

Furthermore, the project was recently selected to be shown at MECA's Institute of Contemporary Art in the fall. In addition to the pieces included in the biennial, Philip will be showing several paintings related to room 233. His work will be exhibited alongside that of Johan Grimonprez's internationally acclaimed film essay "Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y."

Haystack Fab Lab, Visitors Day

2011-05-04T07:18:00.002-04:00

Neil Gershenfeld, Director of the Center for Bits and Atoms at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will be visiting Haystack from June 14-21 as part of the inaugural season with the new digital fabrication studio, fab lab. Establishing a fab lab at Haystack creates a regional location in Maine that is equipped with the latest technology, allowing access to machinery and expertise not readily available otherwise.

Neil, who has been a summer conference presenter and an artist in residence at Haystack, will be available to the media for photos, interviews, and to give tours of the fab lab.

Please contact Ginger Aldrich or Stuart Kestenbaum, with any questions or to schedule a visit in June. 207/348-2306 www.haystack-mtn.org

This project was supported by the Maine Arts Commission's Innovative Production Grant.

Maine Arts Commission Presents Workshop for Area Artists at Stonington Opera House

2011-05-03T10:49:00.003-04:00

Are you an artist or cultural organization seeking funding to support your work?

On Thursday, May 12, from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m., Kathy Ann Shaw, Senior Grant Associate of the Maine Arts Commission, will lead a grant workshop, answer questions, and host a “meet-and-greet your state arts commission” at the Stonington Opera House, in collaboration with Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.

Kathy will present basic information about the Maine Arts Commission grant programs and additional funding opportunities available to artists and cultural organizations through the Maine Arts Commission. Her presentation will include a run through of the National Endowment for the Arts’ new funding categories and tips and tricks for grant writing basics.

Light refreshments will be served and the intimate gathering will allow participants to ask specific questions and steer the presentation in the direction most helpful to them.
The event will be preceded by an opening reception for an exhibition of work by Maine artist Randy Regier from 2 - 4 p.m. at Haystack’s Center for Community Programs, and will be a chance for area artists to explore recent upgrades to the Stonington Opera House and presentation/exhibition capacities at both locations.
For more information on the workshop contact Opera House Arts at 207/ 367-2788 or info@operahousearts.org.

Further presentations by Kathy Shaw are scheduled at the following times and locations:
July 21: Cobscook Community Learning Center, Lubec
August TBA: Ogunquit Playhouse or Ogunquit Museum of American Art
September TBA: Penobscot Theatre, Bangor Opera House
October 18: Mahoosuc Arts Center, Bethel
November 10: Abbe Museum, Bar Harbor

Congratulations NEST Recipients

2011-05-03T08:01:00.004-04:00

New England States Touring (NEST) program from the New England Foundation For the Arts (NEFA) provides support to nonprofit organizations based in New England for community-related activities by select New England performing artists from outside of the presenter's state. Any nonprofit, school, or government entity based in New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) is eligible to apply for a NEST grant.

The most recent Maine recipients of this grant include:

Mahoosuc Arts Council, to support touring the Bosoma Dance Company, Incorporated / Boston Somatic Dance Company to Maine in October.

Merriconeag Waldorf School, to support the touring of Circus Smirkus to Maine in August

Opera House Arts at the Stonington Opera House, to support the touring of Cordis to Maine in August.

Bates Dance Festival, to support the touring of Race Dance to Maine in July

Franco-American Heritage Center at St. Mary's, to support the touring of Laszlo Gardony Group to Maine in October.

Beehive Design Collective, to support the touring of Shirim Klezmer Orchestra to Maine in August.

Space Gallery, to support the touring of What Cheer? Brigade to Maine in September.

If you have the opportunity, please support these organizations and these artists. A complete list of NEST recipients can be found here.

If you are interested in the NEST program visit the NEST page at NEFA. The next deadline for applications is June 1.

Jane Morrison Fellowship Awardee Announced

2011-05-02T14:31:00.007-04:00

Sally Levi of Bristol is the 2011 recipient of the Jane Morrison Film Fellowship, awarded by the Maine Community Foundation and administered by the Maine Arts Commission.

Sally Levi graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. She has has taught at Maine Media Workshops in Rockport since 2008 and was director of the film program in 2010. She has served as writer, director and/or producer on a number of documentary films, including Killer Subs in Pearl Harbor for PBS/Nova in 2009 and Design Revolution sponsored by MIT in 2010. Levi will use the Morrison fellowship to finish a master’s degree at the Film and Media Producing program at Lund University in Sweden. She plans to return to Maine after her studies to work and teach.

The Jane Morrison funds were established in 1988 in memory of filmmaker Jane Morrison. Previous winners include Amy Brown, Joseph Brunette, Lance Edmands, Nikolai Fox, and Cecily Pingree. Applications for next year’s fellowship(s) are due January 14, 2012. Go to www.mainearts.maine.gov for guidelines. Each applicant must speak with Kerstin Gilg, media arts and performing arts associate at the Arts Commission, at 207/287-6719 before applying. Preference is given, but not restricted, to Maine residents.

The Maine Community Foundation is a statewide organization which partners with donors and nonprofits to strengthen Maine communities. For more information, visit www.mainecf.org or call 1-877-700-6800.

Craft Leadership Conference Comes to Portland in June

2011-04-29T10:57:00.004-04:00

The Maine Craft Association is hosting the Craft Organization Development Association (CODA) Conference in Portland from June 8 to June 11. Scholarships are still available.

The conference, titled, Connecting the dots...collaborating...fundraising...telling your story… offers craft organization professionals training to better market their organizations, grow membership, expand services, attract customers and connect to funders. The 2011 CODA conference, held at the Eastland Park Hotel, is located in the heart of downtown Portland’s acclaimed arts and shopping district. Executive Directors, Education Coordinators, Public Relations Directors, Development Officers, Arts Administrators, Board of Directors and Craft Professionals alike, will benefit from this specialized, intensive craft-oriented conference in a beautiful coastal Maine setting.Keynote Speaker Andy Goodman (above), a communications consultant and trainer based in Los Angeles, specializes in helping nonprofits, foundations, government agencies and educational institutions communicate more effectively through print, broadcast media, and the Internet. Presenting Storytelling: The First Big Thing, Andy explains why storytelling remains the single most powerful communication tool you possess. Immediately following the keynote, Goodman will lead a hands on workshop with specific ways of using stories to advance your mission.

Conference workshops and sessions include: Program Viability Assessment…Speed Networking sessions…Panels and discussions with State and National Government agencies…private foundations… fundraising experts… craft institutions that have successfully collaborated on projects…and much more.

For all the conference details, visit codacraft.org.

Poetry Out Loud Finals to be Screened Live Online

2011-04-27T15:32:00.002-04:00

The National Endowment for the Arts is streaming live content at the Poetry Out Loud finals this week.

Friends, family, classmates, and others can watch the Poetry Out Loud National Finals without hopping on a plane! Both the semifinals (all 53 competitors) and the national finals (the top 9) will be webcast live as they happen on Thursday, April 28, 9am-8pm, and Friday, April 29, 7-9pm. Be sure to tell everyone to tune in during your semifinal! This is a one-time-only webcast, and will not be available for viewing after the event.

To watch this competition online please use this link.

Maine's State Champion, Lulu Hawkes, will compete in her semifinals from 9:00am-12:00pm on Thursday April 28.

The Maine Arts Commission has provided a short video of this year's Maine State Final to give you an insight into the competition thus far.

Don't miss the Creative Communities Exchange Conference!

2011-04-27T07:51:00.003-04:00

Presented at Mass MoCA on May 19 & 20, 2011, the Creative Communities Exchange conference will build upon the progress of the 2010 Rhode Island Connecting Creative Communities summit.

The Creative Communities Exchange is a day and a half of workshops prepared by creative and cultural community leaders. The Exchange is an opportunity to move beyond connecting with peers to learn about model projects directly from those developing creative communities on the local level. Workshops will focus on the implementation of successful creative economy work and presenters will provide valuable information and actionable tools. The event is hosted by NEFA and Berkshire Creative, and sponsored by Autodesk, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, MASS MoCA, Red Lion Inn/Porches Inn, Trinity Financial, and Art New England.

Creative Communities Exchange will take place in North Adams Massachusetts May 19 and 20.
Early Bird Registration ($80) till May 1. Registration will be open until May 15 ($100). More information is available on the NEFA website.

A Celebration of Poetry at the Blaine House

2011-04-20T17:48:00.005-04:00

Maine's First Lady welcomed poets and lovers of the written word into the Blaine House today for a celebration of Maine poetry. The celebration, which formally welcomed Welsey McNair as Maine's Poet Laureate and featured poetry recitation from Maine's Poetry Out Loud Champion, was attended by over 70 people. The First Lady began proceedings by welcoming everyone to the Blaine House and going on to introduce Wesley McNair. Wesley thanked the First Lady and went on to outline his plans for the coming years as Poet Laureate. He introduced two new initiatives: "The Maine Poetry Express,” a “train” that begins in our northernmost town of Fort Kent, and makes it way south by way of “stops” that feature group readings given by poets in all the regions of Maine, including what are called “underserved areas,” from north to south and from east to west. The public will be able to purchase broadsides of work by the participating poets at each stop, and follow the train’s journey online at the Maine Writers and Publisher’s Alliance website, or on the new Maine Poet Laureate Facebook page.

The second initiative will begin immediately and continue throughout Wesley's tenure. He will sponsor a new column for newspapers across Maine featuring one poem a week by a Maine poet from the present, or from our illustrious past. The name of the column will be Take Heart: A Conversation in Poetry, or more simply, Take Heart.

Wesley has already secured commitments to this column from all the major daily newspapers in the state, and more than a dozen others, from the coast to the far north, and every location in between.

The event concluded with two recitations from Maine's Poetry Out Loud Champion, Lulu Hawkes. Lulu captivated the audience with her powerful recitations and received an ovation from attendees.

Maine Playwrights Festival

2011-04-14T13:37:00.004-04:00

The Maine Playwrights Festival will be happening through April 30 at the St. Lawrence Arts Center (76 Congress Street) in Portland. Tickets are $16 adults, $14 students and seniors.

The Festival is produced by Acorn Productions and gives playwrights the chance to have their work produced for a live audiences. This year's festival includes 10 short plays,2 full-length plays and the second annual 24-Hour Portland Theater Project April 30.

The plays will be performed in the evenings. Times and information can be found on the Acorn Productions website.

Grant Supports Focus on Immigration in Portland

2011-04-13T12:59:00.006-04:00

Family photo from the collection of Clare Foley. Mrs. Foley emigrated from Ireland to Maine in the 1940s.

The Maine Arts Commission and Maine Humanities Council have awarded a Community Arts & Humanities Grant to the Maine Irish Heritage Center in support of their partnership with Rockhouse Mountain Productions on a new documentary film project. The film will trace the history of immigration on Portland’s East End, with specific focus on the neighborhood’s Irish and East African diaspora communities. Support for the project has also been awarded by the LEF Foundation of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Rockhouse Mountain Productions is based in Harpswell, Maine. Founded in 2007, its debut film “The Eventful Life of Al Hawkes”, has aired on Maine Public Broadcasting Network and has screened at festivals across the United States. The Maine Irish Heritage Center, based at the former St. Dominic’s Church in Portland, houses Maine’s Irish Genealogical Center & Library and provides a center for Maine's diverse communities to share their cultural experiences through educational programs and community events.

Student Artists to be Honored at Blaine House

2011-04-07T10:27:00.003-04:00

Moving and Grooving
Eric Denison
Jordan Acres School

Student artists from 17 of Maine’s schools will receive recognition from Maine’s First Lady at a Blaine House ceremony on Monday, April 11. They will receive certificates for their participation in the Maine Youth Excellence in Art exhibition that has been on display in the Capitol Complex since February.

Students, teachers and family members from places as far afield as York, Mount Desert Island and Greenville will travel to the Blaine House where they will be welcomed by Maine’s First Lady, receive recognition for their work and then finally get to see their work on display in Maine’s Capitol buildings.
Crows
Ann M. Stanley
Mount Desert Island High School

The work currently on display is part of the Maine Youth Excellence in Art program that is an ongoing partnership between Maine’s First Lady, the Maine Arts Commission, the Maine Alliance for Arts Education and the Maine Art Education Association.

The Maine Arts Commission currently houses an online gallery of the works that are displayed in the capital; the gallery can be found within the arts in education section of MaineArts.com.

Portland Museum of Art Hosts Public Forum to Discuss Mural Controversy and Public Art Ownership

2011-04-01T16:46:00.002-04:00

The Portland Museum of Art will host a public forum entitled “Whose Art Is It?” on Friday, April 8, from Noon to 1:30 p.m., to facilitate a round-table discussion about public ownership of public art and the controversial removal of the mural from Maine’s Department of Labor. Participants will include: Mark Bessire, Director of the Portland Museum of Art; Sharon Corwin, Director and Chief Curator of the Colby College Museum of Art; Christina Bechstein, Sculpture Professor and Director of Public Engagement at Maine College of Art; and Chris O’Neil, Government Relations Consultant for the Portland Community Chamber. Invitations were extended to Governor Paul LePage, who is unable to attend and to artist Judy Taylor, who has respectfully declined. A moderator for the forum will be announced next week. This free event is co-sponsored by the Portland Museum of Art, Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin college art museums, and the Maine College of Art.

As reported by the media, The Maine Labor Mural Cycle, an 11-panel, 36-foot-wide mural, was created by Tremont, Maine artist Judy Taylor, and depicts scenes from Maine’s labor history. The mural was installed in 2008 in the lobby of Maine’s Department of Labor building in Augusta. It was removed during the weekend of March 26, 2011.

Maine Festival of the Book!

2011-03-30T07:58:00.007-04:00

The Maine Festival of the Book will begin on April 1 in Portland and continue to April 3, offering more than 75 authors, artists, and performers at locations throughout the city. The event is free (with the exception of Opening Night) and there is programming for ages 3 to 100!

Presenters include Paul Harding, winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, Sarah Braunstein, a winner of the 2010 National Book Award 5 under 35, Julia Glass, winner of the 2002 National Book Award for Fiction, bestselling novelist Stewart O'Nan, Lily King, winner of the 2010 New England Book Award for Fiction, Tom Allen, President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers, Margaret Roach, AWaytoGarden blogger and former editorial director for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and many others.

Opening Night, Friday, April 1 at 7:30 pm at Hannaford Hall, Abromson Center, University of Southern Maine, will be an evening with Stewart O'Nan and Julia Glass. Tickets are $5 in advance and $10 after March 28. Seats are limited and unreserved. Doors open at 7 pm.

For more information go to: http://www.mainereads.org/MaineFestivaloftheBook.asp

Percent for Art Competition Woolwich Central School

2011-03-28T13:54:00.004-04:00

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 Woolwich Central School in Woolwich, Maine. The total project budget is $50,000 and the submission deadline is 2:00 pm, Tuesday, May 10, 2011.

The Woolwich Central School is a K-8 facility that will open in the fall of 2012. The new school building is constructed with an emphasis on sustainability and environmental responsibility. Its design is forward thinking and will include many technological innovations. There are several locations well situated for large artwork of any medium, as well as spaces very well suited to smaller works.

Spaces set aside for the installation of artwork include the lobby, the stairwell, the front entrance and community garden spaces.

Full details, with plans, are available on MaineArts.com.

Maine Leaders to Explore the Critical Connection Between Imagination, Creativity and Economic Development

2011-03-24T14:39:00.003-04:00

A collaboration of public and private organizations has come together to host a community-wide event so that Maine can lend its collective voice to a national conversation on how to foster the innovation and creativity needed to compete in the 21st-century global marketplace.

“From Imagination to Innovation: Maine Participates in the Lincoln Center Institute’s Imagnation Conversation” will be held from 4 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, April 5, in USM’s Hannaford Lecture Hall, Bedford Street, Portland. To register, go to http://bit.ly/aAdRV4
Tickets are $20 for the public and $5 for students.

The Maine Center for Creativity and the University of Southern Maine are presenting the event. Collaborators include the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, the Maine Arts Commission, the Creative Portland Corporation, the Farnsworth Art Museum, the Maine Department of Education, Wright Express, the Maine Alliance for Arts Education, the Maine Humanities Council and Maine Public Broadcasting.

Through a keynote address and a series of discussions in concurrent workshops, the “Conversation” will provide opportunities for people from diverse sectors to consider how we can integrate imagination into our schools, workplaces and communities in such a way that it advances creation of a vibrant economy and quality of life.

To help focus the discussions, participants will be asked to respond to the following three questions:

How does imagination function in your field/work/sector?
How do you cultivate and sustain imagination in your work?
What will it take for us to foster these practices in Maine?

Conversations from each of the 50 states are being documented and compiled for presentation at a national “Imagination Summit” in New York scheduled for July of this year. It’s expected that an action agenda will be developed to make the cultivation of imagination a key element in our schools and part of a national public policy agenda.

The Portland event will feature nationally known artist Eric Hopkins of North Haven, who will offer the keynote address. Other speakers include University of Maine Professor of Civil and Structural Engineering Habib Dagher; mimedancer Karen Montanaro; Aaron Frederick, entrepreneur and a founder of Rippleffect, the non-profit that exposes teens to the coastal Maine experience; and Carol Farrell, co-director of Figures of Speech Theatre. Veteran Maine journalist and public affairs consultant Patsy Wiggins will serve as moderator.

“As part of our mission as a public university we provide a forum where people of diverse perspectives can come together and think creatively and provocatively about how to better understand and advance the important issues of the day,” said USM President Selma Botman.

For more information on the Lincoln Center Institute (LCI) and the “Imagination Conversations,” visit http://lciweb.lincolncenter.org/imaginationconversation/

Spring Film Festivals

2011-03-22T14:36:00.005-04:00

Spring is here and it is time for film festivals!

The Maine Jewish Film Festival (MJFF) will take place at the Portland Nickelodeon Cinema March 26 to 31. The opening night party is sold out, but you can still enjoy many other offerings of the festival. MJFF began in 1998 at South Portland’s Congregation Bet Ha’am. Since then they have presented over 250 films both domestic and foreign, brought more than 70 guest artists from the U.S. and around the world and sold close to 28,000 tickets to both Jewish and non-Jewish attendees. Experience it for yourself! http://www.mjff.org/

Lewiston Auburn Film Festival (LAFF) is a brand new festival that will be held on April 2. The event will showcase 26 Maine-made films, as well as cinematic offerings from around the world. Tickets can be purchased through LA Arts. Films will be exhibited throughout the Lewiston Auburn area at the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce, Auburn Public Library, Fish Bones American Grill, Franco-American Heritage Center, Free Grace Church, Hilton Garden Inn, Holly's Own Deli and Restaurant, L/A Gallery 5, Lewiston Public Library and She Doesn't Like Guthrie's. For more information visit www.lafilmfestival.org.

The Maine Deaf Film Festival will be taking place Friday April 8 from 7-9:30 p.m. and Saturday April 9 from 1-10:30 p.m. on the University of Southern Maine Campus. The festival provides a platform for people to learn about, appreciate, and celebrate Deaf culture, issues and art. For more information, visit http://www.mainedeaffilmfest.com.

And be sure to pencil in other great film festivals that will take place later this season, like the Maine International Film Festival ( http://www.miff.org/) in Waterville July 15-24, The film offerings at the KahBang Festival (http://www.kahbang.com/film) August 5-13, the Camden International Film Festival from September 29 to October 2. (http://www.camdenfilmfest.org/) and all the other great celebrations of film in the state of Maine.

Maine Arts Commission Assistant Director Position Open

2011-03-17T12:01:00.000-04:00

The Maine Arts Commission currently has an opening for an assistant director who will assist the director in the day-to-day operations of the Maine Arts Commission and will oversee certain program initiatives. The agency is interested in applicants with vision and originality, who are deeply and broadly knowledgeable in the arts, the creative economy concept, with a proven career engagement with arts innovation, engagement with artists and arts organizations and general diplomacy.

Responsibilities include developing and managing advocacy and granting programs, strategic planning implementation, internal fiscal and office management affairs, coordinating special federal programs, and acting as liaison with arts organizations, the Maine Arts Commission members, as well as regional, federal and state agencies and commissions.

You can read the entire job description on the pages of MaineArts.com. The closing date for applications is April 30, 2011.