Student Artwork Needed For Capitol Show

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.

A Celebration of Poetry at the Blaine House

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.

Student Artists to be Honored at Blaine House

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.

Young Artists Honored at the Blaine House

Maine’s First Lady, Karen M. Baldacci, welcomed young artists from 11 schools to the Blaine House this week to honor their participation in the Maine Youth Excellence in Art program.
Students from Readfield Elementary School, Maranacook Middle School, Wiscasset High School, Indian Island School, Riley School, Viola Rand School, East Grand School, Brunswick High School, Waterville High School, Dr. Lewis S. Libby School and Madison Area Memorial High School, came to the Blaine House to receive medallions, certificates and the applause of their fellow artists and well wishers; none more so than Maine’s First Lady who was responsible for starting this program in 2004.

“In the last six years, the Maine Youth Excellence in Art program has given young artists from all of Maine's 818 public and private K-12 schools an opportunity to have their artwork exhibited in Augusta,” said the First Lady. “To date, more than 500 student works have been shown in the state capital, and showcasing student art is a wonderful way to create a vibrant space for our governor, legislature, citizens and visitors to enjoy.”

Student Artists to be Honored at Blaine House Today

Young artists from schools across the state of Maine are heading to the Blaine House today, where they will meet Maine’s first lady and receive recognition for their participation in an art exhibition that has been on display throughout Maine’s capitol since June.


Thirty Eight students from Palermo Consolidated School; Wiscasset High School; Boothbay Region High School; Readfield Elementary School; Waterville High School; Bangor’s Fruit Street School; and Danforth’s East Grand School will all be honored for their part in the Maine Youth Excellence in Art program. These young artists, who have brightened Maine’s corridors of power in recent months, will receive certificates of excellence and medallions from First Lady Karen Baldacci honoring their achievement.

This is an ongoing exhibit and the next group of works will be put on display at the end of October, 2009. Art teachers of all grade levels are welcome to submit student art for this exhibition. For more information, including more detailed guidelines and schedule for exhibitions visit www.mainearts.com, or contact Paul Faria at the Maine Arts Commission, 207/287-2790, paul.faria@maine.gov.

Images:
MYEIA Group: First Lady, Karen Baldacci, honors young art students at the Blaine House. Hannah Peacock: Hannah is all smiles after meeting with Maine’s First Lady, Hannah is from Burnham Village School
Student work currently on exhibit features,Nicole Tibbetts, Portraits, Study of Dark & Light, Grade 11, Teacher: Manon Lewis, Boothbay Region High School.
Maya DeGroote, Hands of Peace, Grade 10, Teacher: Manon Lewis, Boothbay Region High School

Blaine House Tea for Poets

Maine’s First Lady, Karen Baldacci, invited poets and lovers of poetry into the Blaine House on Thursday, April 9, for afternoon tea and recitals.

The event, organized in part by the Maine Arts Commission, featured noted guests, such as Maine’s Poet Laureate, Betsy Sholl. Other guests at the podium during the afternoon were Matt O’Donnell, Adrian Blevins, Carey Salerno, Jeffrey Thomson and 2009 Maine State Poetry Out Loud Champion, William Whitham.