Downtown Bangor to celebrate humanities during fourth annual event

January 21, 2016 Arts, Museums, Outreach

The University of Maine Humanities Center will host the fourth annual Downtown Bangor Public Humanities Day at various locations Jan. 30 with a kickoff event Jan. 29.

Free events for participants of all ages will be offered at venues including the University of Maine Museum of Art (UMMA), Bangor Public Library and Maine Discovery Museum. This year’s Humanities Day is organized by UMaine art historian Michael Grillo, who is the chair of the Art Department.

The Downtown Bangor Public Humanities Day began in 2013 to create a better forum for connecting UMaine faculty, staff and students with the general public in the region.

Local partners of the day are the Bangor Public Library, Maine Discovery Museum and the Norumbega Collective, a community group that promotes the literary arts in the Bangor-Orono region.

The events kick off 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29 with a humanities-themed PechaKucha presentation at Coe Space, 48 Columbia St. in Bangor. UMaine faculty and local cultural leaders will make presentations on music, art, history, travel and literature. Refreshments will be provided, and donations are welcome. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to arrive early to ensure a seat.

Events on Saturday, Jan. 30 are:

12:15 p.m. at UMMA — Gallery talk by artist Dan Dowd about his current exhibit, “thick skinned”
1 p.m. at UMMA — Discussion of Richard Whitten’s exhibit, “Studiolo,” by Michael Grillo, UMaine art professor, and Kat Johnson, UMMA education coordinator
1:30 p.m. at UMMA — Screening and discussion of short early 20th century films by Georges Méliés
2:30 p.m. at Maine Discovery Museum with help from River City Cinema — Screening of film “Hugo,” which was inspired by Méliés and set in Paris
3:30 p.m. at Bangor Public Library — Readings by Norumbega Collective authors and UMaine creative writing master’s students Chris Becker, Joe Linscott and Tyler Nute

Members of the UMaine community are encouraged to take the Community Connector bus to downtown Bangor. Those coming from campus can meet the UMaine Humanities Center (UMHC) graduate assistant at the bus stop behind the Memorial Union for the 11:30 a.m. bus. The graduate assistant will have gift certificates for restaurants in downtown Bangor.

The Downtown Bangor Public Humanities Day is one of many UMHC events planned for spring 2016. The UMaine Humanities Center, housed in UMaine’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences since 2010, advances the teaching, research and public engagement of the arts and humanities to create richer collaboration among Maine residents. More about UMHC is online.

For more information about the Downtown Bangor Public Humanities Day or to request a disability accommodation, contact Michael Grillo at michael.grillo@umit.maine.edu or 581.3246.

Contact: Elyse Kahl, 207.581.3747