Student Art Exhibit “Thought-Box” Opens at UMaine
Contact: James Linehan, 581-3287; Laurie Hicks, 581-3247
ORONO — The University Of Maine Department of Art’s annual senior capstone exhibit is open to the public through Jan. 23 in Lord Hall, featuring nearly 100 works by 11 UMaine senior art majors.
The show, titled “Thought-Box,” is both the culmination of students’ art studies — a show in which the seniors exhibit their best works — and also an experience in the practical aspects of making a career as an artist, which includes knowing how to operate a small business and how to create a professional exhibit.
The works include paintings, drawings, lithographs, photography, sculpture and computer-generated art, says James Linehan, professor of art and instructor of the class, ART499, for which the show was required.
An opening reception was held last month. The exhibit is accessible at no cost from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It features work by students Joshua Bolduc of Orono, Sylvia Herbold of Bangor, Kevin Jewett of Wiscasset, James Mehorter and Emily Monroe of Orono, Randy Rackley of Howland, Skylar B. Richardson of Easport, Brandi Schissler of Detroit, Maine, Steven Schlipstein of Brewer, Eliza Steadman of Fryeburg and Lindsay Strout of Brewer.
Linehan says the show will be of interest to the public as it highlights student talent and also is “a good representation of what’s going on in the art department right now.”
The 11 students in the exhibit selected the works to be shown, framed and hung the work, arranged for the reception and handled other chores necessary to promote the exhibit.
Linehan says students in the class also learned about important but seemingly small details about life as a professional artist.
“A working artist is a small business person,” he says. “There hundreds of thousands of artists in the country and many of them will find it difficult to live exclusively off their work, so they may need to be creative about their careers.”
Half of all artists make their living in some form of teaching, Linehan says. Others may work in museums or art galleries, so they need to know about business management or publicity, in addition to understanding the nuances of putting together an exhibit.