UMF Arts Program alumni return to campus with “Dreadful Unimaginings"

Time: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Location: Flex Space Gallert in the UMF Emery Community Arts Center

Five University of Maine Farmington alumni of the UMF arts program are returning to campus to present “Dreadful Unimaginings,” an art exhibition of the macabre.

The exhibit will be in the Flex Space Gallery in the UMF Emery Community Arts Center from June 14 through Aug. 2. An opening reception will be held from 5-7 p.m. on June 14. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Lurking at the dark and hazy crossroads of beauty and grotesquery is the monstrous. Equal parts appalling and morbidly appealing, our collective cultural fascination with monsters is deeply rooted in artistic tradition—witches, evil beasts, and mythical creatures of the unknown have been subjects of artists and storytellers for centuries. What is it about them that we find so mesmerizing?

This exhibition surveys a medley of monstrous locales tackling abhorrent acts of violence, environmental havoc, and hoarding, as well as perceptions of selfhood and interpersonal communication. Dreadful Unimaginings explores the myriad meanings the monster conjures, from the depths of the imagined to the insidious dwelling within the mundane.

Featured artists include UMF class of 2014 graduates: Samantha Funk, Alana Knapp, Mal Smith, Tobey Tozier, Ashley Wilkins, and USM class of 2016 graduate Jazmin Knapp.

The Emery Community Arts Center is located on Academy St. between Main and High streets in downtown Farmington. The gallery summer hours are Wednesday to Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.

More on the UMF Emery Community Arts Center

The Emery Community Arts Center is an innovative, experimental venue for the arts in Western Maine. It features an exciting 2,500-square-foot, 109-seat multipurpose performance space with dynamic vertical foldaway doors that open onto an outdoor performance area and a 1,600-square-foot Flex-Space gallery for traditional exhibits, new media and performance art. A dramatic interior corridor offers additional exhibition space and connects the center with the UMF Alumni Theater. Designed by designLAB architects of Boston to complement the historic performance venues of Nordica Auditorium and Alumni Theater, the 15,000-square-foot center is the keystone for the arts complex on the UMF campus.

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Media Contact: Ann Bartges, director of Emery Cmmunity Arts Center, at ann.bartges@maine.edu or 207-778-7461