Four graduating UMA art students invite you to explore their creative journeys in “How Did We Get Here?” a new exhibition opening May 10 at the Charles Danforth Gallery.

Running through Aug. 15, the show features works of senior art students exploring identity and personal journeys through sculpture, painting, printmaking, assemblage and digital art. The exhibition, which opens with a reception and artist talk on May 10 at 12:30 p.m., is a chance to connect with the creative vision behind the work and experience it firsthand.

The Danforth Gallery is located in Jewett Hall on the Â鶹APP campus, 46 University Drive, Augusta. The gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. All are welcome to this free event.

Artists:

Morgan Cafferata (they/them) makes work that is enticingly uncomfortable. Exploring identity, sexuality and the grotesque across mediums, they draw inspiration from feminist art, folklore, camp films and the natural world, attempting to make the uncanny relatable. They live on the unceded land of the Wabanaki Confederacy in so-called mid coast Maine.

Sheila M. Lynch (she/her) of Northport, Maine exhibits works in linoleum block printing, and is exploring her identity through the lens of the architecture and buildings that create a community.

Fatima Babar (she/her) is a digital artist exploring identity and personal journeys through worldbuilding and storytelling.

Jeff McKay (he/him) of Hallowell, Maine is showing digital prints of original watercolor paintings for a children’s book he is illustrating. His exploration of identity through an original character called “Watersharkamelon” follows a half-watermelon, half-shark as he searches for other similar creatures in the great big oceans of the world. Jeff is not half-artist, half-shark.

For more information about the exhibition and gallery, please contact Amy Rahn, Charles Danforth Gallery Director: amy.rahn@maine.edu.

Join us for an evening of art, music and inspiration at Art & Music Night, a special fundraising event in support of student scholarships. The event will take place Thursday, April 24, from 5 to 7 p.m. in Jewett Hall on the UMA Augusta campus, at 46 University Drive.

Art & Music Night will feature a student art exhibition, a reception with a cash bar at the Danforth Art Gallery and live music performances by Â鶹APP esteemed music faculty, including Lindsey Wiehl, Duane Edwards, Christine Letcher, Anita Jerosch and Jeffrey Rojo.

The event is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome and encouraged, with all funds raised supporting scholarships for UMA art and music students.

“This event is more than just a night of art and music—it’s an investment in the future of Â鶹APP talented students,” said Assistant Professor of Music Lindsey Wiehl, of Â鶹APP Contemporary and Popular Music Program. “Every ticket, every donation, and every moment of support helps provide scholarships that turn passion into possibility. We can’t wait to share an inspiring evening with you and make a real difference together!”

Art & Music Night showcases the talent and dedication of UMA students and faculty while raising critical funds to help the next generation of artists and musicians thrive.

Please join us Tuesday, Jan. 28 from 5-7 p.m. for a reception for “Artists/Educators: Work from Artists Teaching in Maine” currently on view at the Â鶹APP (UMA) in the Danforth Gallery, Jewett Hall, 46 University Drive. This exhibition brings together incredible new works by artists who many in our community might already know from their work in the classroom. “Artists/Educators” demonstrates the synergistic nexus of creative achievement and educational excellence in Maine. 

During the reception, visitors can see the exhibit, meet and talk with the artists exhibiting work, explore UMA’s art studios, and learn about art programs at UMA. Please join us for this very special event! 

“Artists/Educators: Work from Artists Teaching in Maine” runs through March 12, 2025 at the Danforth Gallery and features works by the following artists:

Michael Branca

Lars Boye Jerlach

John A. Knight

Scott Minzy

Jennifer Paisley

Matthew Peinado

Jeremy Smith

The reception and open studio event Jan. 28, 5-7 p.m. is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Danforth Gallery Director Amy Rahn at amy.rahn@maine.edu.

Costanza’s book, “The King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin,” published in 2021 by Atheneum, has garnered accolades from critics and won the 2022 Golden Kite Award for Picture Book illustration from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Described as “pitch-perfect” by Publishers Weekly and “a biography as bouncy and colorful as ragtime itself” by Kirkus, the “melodic, flowing text goes beyond Joplin’s personal details to paint a picture of what life looked like for African Americans during the Jim Crow era,” according to Booklist.

Costanza is the author and illustrator of other award winning picture books including “Mozart Finds a Melody,” “Vivaldi and the Invisible Orchestra,” as well as several other books for children, including “Noodleman the Pasta Superhero,” by April Sayre. His work has been recognized by the Bologna Book Fair, Society of Illustrators and the Maine Library Association. He is a frequent visitor to schools and libraries, sharing his experience as a writer, illustrator and rusty piano player. He lives and works on North Haven, an island in Penobscot Bay, Maine.

“The King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin,” presentation is Thursday October 17, 2024, 4 – 6 p.m. in the Danforth Gallery, Jewett Hall on the UMA campus, at 46 University Dr., Augusta. This is the final event of The Great State of Illustration in Maine exhibition at Â鶹APP Danforth Gallery; the exhibition closes the following day. On display are the work of more than eighty published Maine illustrators and features media such as watercolor, pen and ink, and woodcuts. The diversity of methods, subjects and artists charge the exhibition with energy, humor and emotion, transforming the space of the Gallery into a glittering showcase of some of Maine’s most talented and creative artists. The exhibition is organized by the Illustration Institute and sponsored by the UMA Cultural Events Council.

The Great State of Illustration in Maine is on view now through October 18, 2024. The public is welcome to visit the gallery in Jewett Hall. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The discussion and exhibition are both free and open to the public.

Follow the Danforth Gallery on Instagram and Facebook @UMADanforth and on their website: .

A panel discussion on Women in Illustration will be held in the Danforth Gallery, Jewett Hall, on the Â鶹APP (UMA) campus, October 8 from 12-1 p.m., presented as part of The Great State of Illustration in Maine exhibition, now on view at the Danforth Gallery in Jewett Hall at Â鶹APP. This free lunch-time event includes pizza and the opportunity for attendees to ask the panelists questions about their work and careers.

Panelists include:

is a writer and illustrator who uses art, craft, and good humor to spread ideas and build community. Her work has appeared in The Sketchnote Handbook by Mike Rohde, ARCADE, and Harvard Graduate of Education’s Ed Magazine. Her book Online Affects Offline: Learnings from the Field details how online engagement can build and strengthen relationships online and offline. In 2011, she spearheaded the design and launch of United Way of Greater Portland’s “LUbrary”, the Live United storytelling library of videos and illustrations.

is a mixed media collage artist and illustrator. Her 3-D pieces include found objects, paint, paper and usually a beach treasure or two. Work created as illustration is supplied to her clients in digital form, artfully photographed by Russell French. Her work has been shown as part of open studios, gallery exhibits and published in magazines, children’s publications, textbooks and for a variety of corporate clients. She is the co-founder and program director of the non-profit Illustration Institute.

is an illustrator, designer, and storyteller inspired by her experience working as a park ranger and environmental educator. She has worked in Glacier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and the redwoods of Northern California. In 2018, she created Grand Canyon National Park’s official centennial poster series. Her other creative endeavors include writing and illustrating a Young Adult novel and making mushroom-inspired ceramic sculptures. Her clients include DK Publishing, Down East Magazine, Maine to Mountain, Tallulah Ketubahs, Maine Ocean Farms, Willow Bend Environmental Education Center, The Nature Conservancy of Maine, Shine Creative Industries, and the Maine Audubon Society.

an award-winning illustrator, educator, and biker living three miles out to sea. Jamie was an adjunct professor at Maine College of Art in Portland from 2003 to 2018, teaching courses in the BFA Illustration program and Continuing Studies. Her illustrations have appeared in books and magazines and have won merit from the Maine Advertising Club, the 3 x 3 Illustration Annual, American Illustration, PRINT Magazine, Graphis, and the Society of Illustrators. She has illustrated a dozen children’s books and adult titles, including Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins, which won the Jane Addams Peace Association Award and was named one of the New York Public Library’s 100 Best Books. Rickshaw Girl has also been adapted into a motion picture!

The Great State of Illustration in Maine exhibition displays the work of more than eighty published Maine illustrators and features media such as watercolor, pen and ink, and woodcuts. The diversity of methods, subjects and artists charge the exhibition with energy, humor and emotion, transforming the space of the Danforth Gallery into a glittering showcase of some of Maine’s most talented and creative artists. The exhibition is organized by the Illustration Institute and sponsored by the UMA Cultural Events Council.

The Great State of Illustration in Maine is on view now through October 18, 2024. The public is welcome to visit the gallery in Jewett Hall. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The discussion and exhibition are both free and open to the public.

Follow the Danforth Gallery on Instagram and Facebook @UMADanforth and on their website: .

Maine artist Scott Nash will be speaking as part of the The Great State of Illustration in Maine exhibition, now on view at the Danforth Gallery in Jewett Hall at Â鶹APP (UMA). If you have ever seen the logos for Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, or Comedy Central, you have seen Nash’s work. He has enjoyed a long career as a partner in Big Blue Dot, a graphic design firm specializing in kids’ media. He founded the Illustration Department at MECA+D and served as an adjunct professor of illustration there for ten years, and recently as an online graduate instructor of children’s book writing through Johns Hopkins. He has illustrated over 50 books, including Flat Stanley and Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp, and is the author/illustrator of The High Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate.

Nash will present his talk “Getting Started as an Illustrator” at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 1 in Jewett Hall, 46 University Dr. Augusta. This event is free and open to the public.

The Great State of Illustration in Maine exhibition includes the work of more than eighty published Maine illustrators and features media such as watercolor, pen and ink, and woodcuts. The diversity of methods, subjects and artists charge the exhibition with energy, humor and emotion, transforming the space of the Danforth Gallery into a glittering showcase of some of Maine’s most talented and creative artists. The exhibition is organized by the Illustration Institute, of which Nash is executive director and co-founder, and sponsored by the UMA Cultural Events Council.

Other upcoming events by Maine illustrators will be a panel discussion on Women in Illustration moderated by Jess Esch on October 8 from 12 to 1 p.m.; and an artist presentation by Steve Constanza on October 17 from 4 to 6 p.m.

The Great State of Illustration in Maine is on view through October 18, 2024.

The public is welcome to visit the Danforth Gallery in Jewett Hall on the UMA campus, 46 University Dr., Augusta. Gallery hours are Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The exhibition and events are presented free of charge and are open to the public.

The Illustration Institute, based on Peaks Island in Maine, brings their energetic, multifaceted exhibition The Great State of Illustration in Maine to its first educational venue, the Charles Danforth Gallery at the Â鶹APP. The exhibition, which includes the work of more than eighty published Maine illustrators, will be on view September 3 through October 18 with a reception September 12 at 4pm.

The Great State of Illustration in Maine includes works by time-honored Maine talents like Dahlov Ipcar and Ashley Bryan and many emerging artists, and in media like watercolor, pen and ink, and woodcuts. The diversity of methods, subjects, and artists charge the exhibition with energy, humor, and emotion, transforming the space of the Danforth Gallery into a glittering showcase of some of Maine’s most talented and creative artists.

The exhibition will include four events open to the public: a reception September 12 at 4 p.m.; a talk by Scott Nash about Getting Started as an Illustrator on October 1 from 12 – 1 p.m.; a panel discussion on Women in Illustration moderated by Jess Esch on October 8 from 12 – 1 p.m.; and an artist presentation by Steve Constanza on October 17 from 4 – 6 p.m. The public are welcome and invited to all these events.

The Great State of Illustration in Maine is on view from September 3 – October 18, 2024, and the public is welcome to visit the gallery in Jewett Hall, which is open on Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Follow the Danforth Gallery on and (@UMADanforth) and on their website, .

Charles Danforth Gallery
Jewett Hall, Â鶹APP
May 4 – May 23, 2024

Opening Reception and Artist Talk in the Danforth Gallery,

Immediately following Commencement on May 4, 2024, at Noon

The graduating Art students of the Â鶹APP will exhibit their senior thesis artwork in the Charles Danforth Gallery on Â鶹APP Augusta campus in an exhibition entitled Trust the Process. The exhibition includes the work of seven artists and will open at noon with a public reception immediately after Commencement on Saturday, May 4.

Trust the Process reflects the evolution of each artist’s concepts and work over the past semester, using the tools of self- and faculty-critiques. Exhibiting artists include Emily Allen, Julia Dry, Des Dumais, Bruce Forbes, Donald L. Patten, Sophia Reyes, and Jared Winslow.

Trust the Process is on view from May 4 – May 23, 2024, and the public is welcome to visit the gallery in Jewett Hall, which is open on Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. The UMA community and the general public are invited to the opening reception and artist talk on May 4 at noon.

Follow the Danforth Gallery on and , and on their website: .

Artist Biographies

Emily Allen (Gardiner, Maine): Emily Allen is an aspiring illustrator who works primarily in 2-dimensions with media ranging from graphite and paint to digital drawings. Over the past three years, Emily developed a story that she is translating into a graphic novel. Several completed pages for this novel, along with a myriad of her preparatory sketches for this work are on view in the exhibition. After graduation, Emily will pursue a master’s degree in illustration, eventually publishing her complete graphic novel.

Julia Dry (Hallowell, Maine): Julia Dry is a mixed media artist who primarily works with sterling silver, enamel, and copper to create sculptures and jewelry pieces. While the subject of her work is often changing, her love for color has stayed consistent. Julia’s process centers experimentation and research to better understand her chosen materials. She hopes to pursue a master’s degree after graduation.

Des Dumais (Fort Kent, Maine): Des Dumais is a tattoo artist. She moved from Fort Kent to Augusta to pursue her dream of being a tattoo artist. Her fine arts education has given Des the tools and knowledge to excel in her career. Des creates tattoos that not only adorn the skin, but also resonate with the spirit within. Each session is an opportunity to forge a connection, leaving a mark that transcends the physical and becomes a part of the wearer’s identity.

Bruce Forbes (Philipsburg, Pennsylvania): Bruce Forbes is a photographer who moved to Augusta long ago for work reasons. He focuses on portraiture, but also engages in landscape photography, especially scenes from the Kennebec River and the city of Augusta. Bruce also pursues street photography during warmer weather. He brings his training in composition and color to his photographic work. In addition to his portraiture and landscape work, he hopes to photograph a series centered upon truck stops this summer.

Donald L. Patten (Belfast, Maine): Donald is a draftsman, oil painter, and ceramicist. In the past, old master painters would depict historically significant disasters that happened to them to cope. A student of the old masters, Donald has made a series of drawings that represent his pandemic experiences by referencing past masterpieces that depict the embodied experience of trauma. After graduating, he will display oil paintings and ceramic artworks at several art markets around Maine before pursuing an MFA degree.

Sophia Reyes (Houston, Texas): Sophia is an interdisciplinary artist residing in Maine. The Houston, Texas native primarily works with photography, digital art, and printmaking. With photography being her first love, she centers her printmaking practice on captured memories using the aid of digital tools and traditional printmaking techniques to bring these images to life. Her work explores the themes of home and identity through the navigation and reflection of personal narratives and experiences of a first generation Mexican American.

Jared Winslow (New Sharon, Maine): Jared is a mixed media artist who works primarily with inks, gouache and watercolor to create fine drawings and illustrations. Jared’s works feature a wide range of subjects, but one consistent theme is his passion for nature and plant life. His artistic process involves finding inspiration by immersing himself in natural environments, sketching intricate details, and then experimenting with compositions. His approach allows him to layer materials. After graduation, he hopes to pursue his master’s degree.

Charles Danforth Gallery at the Â鶹APP
Jewett Hall, Â鶹APP
46 University Dr., Augusta, Maine

Exhibition Dates

January 24 – March 6, 2024

Exhibition Programming

Opening Reception with Gallery Talk: Tuesday, January 23 at Noon, in-person

Performances in Danforth Gallery: January 24, 25, and 26 from Noon – 1 pm, in-person

Brooklyn, NY and Venice, Italy-based artist Anne Mourier will be on Â鶹APP Augusta campus January 23 – 26 performing in her exhibition, While we still ask ourselves how to speak to each other, and meeting with students in Â鶹APP classes. Mourier’s exhibition and performances are titled after a quote from the Feminist philosopher Luce Irigaray, and examine the Feminine as it is associated with practices, qualities, and visualities that Western societies tend to devalue and even suppress, and what the implications of that value system are more broadly. Mourier, whose work often centers domestic labor frequently associated with women, and uses craft techniques long undervalued in Western art history builds While we still ask ourselves how to speak to each other into a collaborative site of re-thinking and re-valuation in an associative field of artworks, performance, and texts.

Anne Mourier is an internationally known artist who was a founder of the influential New York art space . She works in media from lace to blown glass to performance. A strong representation of the artist’s recent work across media will be on view in the Danforth, along with UMA Katz Library books on themes addressed in the exhibition, which the artist and Â鶹APP library specialists selected in a collaborative process.

Anne Mourier is a French-born conceptual artist. She has exhibited in several international venues including the Caos gallery in Venice during the 2015 Biennale, The galerie Huit in Arles during Les Rencontres d’Arles, and the Henry Luce III center for the Arts and Religion in Washington, DC. Her works are included in the collection of the Watermill center, the MoMA library and the private collection of the French minister of culture, Rima Abdul-Malak.

The Charles Danforth Gallery at the Â鶹APP is located in Jewett Hall, and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET starting (for the spring semester) January 23, 2024. The artist will offer a gallery talk at her opening reception January 23 at 12 p.m. ET, and perform in her exhibition January 24, 25, and 26 from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

The Charles Danforth Gallery at the Â鶹APP

Named after a renowned artist and former faculty member at the Â鶹APP, the Charles Danforth Gallery serves the UMA campus and the wider community of central Maine with rotating contemporary art exhibitions. Conceived as a living classroom, and used for lectures and other events, the gallery is a site for faculty, students, alumni and community members to engage with ideas, forms, and conversations in art. The gallery is open during regular business hours from September through May.

Danforth Art Gallery, UMA Augusta Campus

Opening Monday, December 11 at 2 p.m. in the Charles Danforth Gallery at UMA, the Â鶹APP is proud to present “Wham! Bang! Pow!: Work from Â鶹APP Graphic Storytellers.” The exhibition features two sets of student projects from the Fall 2023 ART/ENG/INT 330 Â鶹APP Wham! Bang! Pow! Graphic Storytelling in Form and Practice class. Co-taught by Professor of Art Peter Precourt and Professor of English Lisa Botshon, this 6-credit interdisciplinary course involves reading, discussion, research, making, critique, and collaboration. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

“Graphic storytelling” is a capacious concept that involves words and images to tell a story. Over the course of this fall, Wham! students experimented with different mediums and strategies in order to tell their own stories, some of which are featured in this show.

Using their skills developed over the semester, the class also created a collaborative sequential art project based on Karen Russell’s short story “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” (2006), which is featured in the other half of the gallery. Each student took on two or more roles in order to render this story into a wall-sized multi-panel graphic narrative. They adapted the text, scripted, storyboarded, edited, illustrated, colored, lettered, and installed the project.

Wham! Bang! Pow! helps students become better critical thinkers, researchers, problem solvers, and creators who are prepared to work with others, challenge themselves to learn new skills, and make germane connections. This show is a testament to our students’ incredible abilities.

Students contributing to the exhibition are: Emily Allen, Fatima Babar, Morgan Cafferata, Barbara Drennen, Julia Dry, Des Dumais, Camryn Elliott-Proctor, Jada Gastia, Marguerite Jacques, Jeff McKay, Sullivan O’Keeffe, Sophia Reyes, Natalie Rohman, Jared Winslow, and Jen Worthing.

Event Information
Opening reception for “Wham! Bang! Pow!: Work from Â鶹APP Graphic Storytellers”
Monday, December 11 at 2 p.m. ET
Charles Danforth Gallery, Â鶹APP, 46 University Drive, Augusta, ME 04330, The Danforth Gallery is located inside Jewett Hall on the Augusta Campus
Free and open to the public.

The Charles Danforth Gallery at the Â鶹APP

Named after a renowned artist and former faculty member at the Â鶹APP, the serves the UMA campus and the wider community of central Maine with rotating contemporary art exhibitions. Conceived as a living classroom, and used for lectures and other events, the gallery is a site for faculty, students, alumni and community members to engage with ideas, forms, and conversations in art. The gallery is open during regular business hours from September through May.

UMA transforms the lives of students of every age and background across the State of Maine and beyond through access to high-quality distance and on-site education, excellence in student support, civic engagement, and professional and liberal arts programs.