Secrets of the Sea exhibition inspired by marine life

Mon, 10/06/2014 - 2:00pm

Story Location:
51 Westminster Street
Lewiston, ME 04240
United States

The Atrium Art Gallery at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn Campus presents “Secrets of the Sea,” a multi-media exhibition of work inspired by marine plants and animals. The exhibit, running through Nov. 22, includes 70 works — paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and work in glass, metal, ceramic, stone, polymer, wood, fiber and video — by 22 artists.

Works in the exhibit were inspired by marine plants such as bladderwrack, invertebrate species including sea urchins, barnacles, mollusks, sea slugs, octopus, horseshoe crabs, and vertebrates such as fish, seals and whales.

Maine artists in the exhibition: R. Keith Rendall, Wiscasset; Anne Alexander, Windham; Chris Augusta, Waldoboro; Thomas Berger, Kittery; Holly Berry, Waldoboro; Kate Cheney Chappell, Kennebunk; Karen Gola, Sanford; Rebecca Goodale, Freeport; Jamie Hogan, Peaks Island; Ann Jenkins, Bar Harbor; Wendy Newcomb, Sebago; Nathan Nicholls, Waldoboro; Barbara Putnam, Deer Isle; Richard Remsen, West Rockport; Brian White, Union; and Melanie West, Bowdoinham.

Highlights of the exhibit include “Angler Fish,” by the late Nathan Nicholls of Waldoboro. The 6 foot long, 52-inch high interpretation of an angler fish is welded with scrap metal including garden forks, rake tines, propane tank, bicycle seat and pick heads.

The exhibition features poetry from 14 writers in a limited edition chapbook titled, “Poems For Tube-Snouts and Other Secrets of the Sea,” available to visitors free of charge, while available.

The poets: Dave Bonta, Elizabeth Bradfield, Robert Chute, Sarah DeWeerdt, Elizabeth Garber, Rachel Kessler, Carl Little, Cecilia Llompart, Dora Malech, Jane Nelson, Sierra Nelson, Stephen O’Connor, Michael Waters and Captain Paul Watson.

The exhibit includes a 1.5 minute, stop-motion video by the artist PES. In 2013, the artist was nominated for an Academy Award for his brilliant, but brief, stop-action animated videos.

The Atrium Art Gallery is located at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn Campus, 51 Westminster St., Lewiston. Gallery hours are Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 pm.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; closed holidays. Call 207-753-6500. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.usm.maine.edu/atriumgallery.