Lord Hall Gallery hosts two summer exhibitions

touch my human
Giles Timmstouch my human
The Painter and her skeleton
Irene Hardwicke Olivieri The Painter and her skeleton

Two exhibitions that speak, in different ways, to the nature of life and the importance of transformation or change will be on display July 19 through Sept. 20 in Lord Hall Gallery at the University of Maine.

Works by Giles Timms, a UMaine assistant professor of art, will be featured in “touch my human.” Timms describes his work as commenting on life and story as irreversible change. 

Working in mixed media, Timms’ imagery explores “the vagaries of our human condition,” using what he refers to as carnivalesque elements to examine cultural norms as subtext and the uncertainty and wonder of childhood. The exhibition includes digital and video work.

“The Painter and her skeleton” is an exhibition of paintings and mixed media by Irene Hardwicke Olivieri, an artist living in Seal Cove, Maine. 

Her images respond to and tell stories of what she describes as aspects of life that are often subterranean or more specifically, focus on love, relationships and obsessions. With this as a basis, Hardwicke Olivieri’s work also reflects a process of “rewilding the heart” in an effort to find deeper “connections to wild animals and wild lands.”

An artists’ reception and gallery talk 5:30–7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20 will close the exhibition. Timms and Hardwicke Olivieri will speak about specific pieces in the exhibitions, and the foundational concepts and processes of their creative practices. 

The exhibits and reception are free and open to the public. Lord Hall Gallery is open 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and is wheelchair accessible.