FARMINGTON – The UMF Art Gallery kicks off the new academic year with a celebration of the visually and conceptually diverse artistic voices of the art faculty at the University of Maine at Farmington. “JUXTAPOSE: the UMF Art Faculty Exhibition,” will be featured on campus from Sept. 7 – Oct. 8, 2023. A public reception will be held Thursday, Sept. 7 from 4-7 p.m. All events are free and open to the public.
Ann Bartges teaches 2D design, digital photography and video. Her experimental approach to digital media offsets the intimate domestic and even daily moments in life her images and installations document.
Tom Jessen is a minimalist multimedia artist inspired by the vernacular of everyday discarded objects. Countering the high seriousness of historical minimal art, Jessen’s work uses humor, playfulness and irreverence to reveal a game-like dynamic between artwork and viewer.
Dawn Nye teaches graphic design, web design and animation. Her experimental films explore deep personal and historical memories through conversations with people in her community.
Elizabeth Olbert is a painter whose work ranges from large surreal images of grotesque creatures to lyrical studies of clouds in the sky. She teaches courses in drawing outdoors and painting.
In his installations, sculptor Jesse Potts uses altered objects and construction materials to create narratives about the human condition. He uses startling juxtapositions of these elements to play with the viewer’s perception of gravity, feelings of physical and psychological disconnection from space and ground, ultimately calling to mind notions of mortality.
Painter/sculptor Katrazyna Randall works in combined media to create installations that reveal the seductive beauty of nature as a commodity. In her work the natural environment becomes a stage for a capitalist danse macabre in which animal forms both blossom and mutate as objects of desire.
The UMF Art Gallery is dedicated to bringing contemporary art to the campus and regional communities. artgalleryumf.org The gallery is located at 246 Main Street, behind the Admissions Office. Gallery hours are Tuesdays-Sundays 12-4 p.m., and by appointment. Please contact Sarah at maline@maine.edu or 778-1062 for more information or to make an appointment.
More on University of Maine at Farmington: A nationally-recognized public liberal arts college known for its commitment to student success, UMF provides a challenging yet supportive environment to prepare students for both careers and further study. Rooted in a tradition of teacher preparation, UMF offers top quality programs in the arts and sciences, teacher preparation, and pre-professional studies. Located in the heart of Maine’s four-season outdoor recreational region, UMF is a welcoming, close-knit academic community that prepares students for enriching professional careers, engaged citizenship and an enduring love of learning.
