Local art shown in downtown display

Downtown Bangor Artwalk showcases work by local artists throughout town

By Hillary Nason

Posted on Oct. 30, 2011, at 11:51 p.m.

The brisk autumn air was a fitting atmosphere for the first Downtown Bangor Artwalk of the season.

Two dozen artists showcased sculptures, paintings, fashion, drawings and music from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday at shops and studios in of downtown Bangor.

This artwalk was a “bonus” artwalk and featured spooky Halloween-themed artwork. Attendants were able to talk with the artists in addition to viewing and purchasing the artwork.

Some of the local businesses that hosted artist exhibits included Metropolitan Soul, WBRC Architects, The Rock and Art Shop, Main Street Music Studios, Blue Heron and the University of Maine Museum of Art. Grants from The Maine Community Foundation, the Quimby Family Foundation, Maine Office of Tourism and the Maine Arts Commission assisted in funding the artwalk.

While most of the artists were scattered throughout the downtown area, 170 Park Street — location of One Lupine Fiber — was the center for most of the artists. Eight of the exhibiting artists were in the three-story building.

“I begin painting from the abstract and find my way toward the figurative. The challenge is not so much where to begin, but where to finish,” said artist Russell D’Alessio.

D’Alessio showcased a room full of striking ladies, physically and atmospherically, clothed in explosions of fantastical reality — an extraordinary usage of the blending of color. Birds are present through his paintings as well.

“Birds are in our world except we don’t always pay attention to them,” said Linda D’Alessio, the wife of the artist. “If they weren’t there we would miss them, their sound, and the life they bring to the world. They are added to the paintings because they are so much a part of our life.”

Hand-painted silk fashions of Michael Shyka, metropolitan-themed photography of Karen Littlefield, paintings by Sally Gilbert, fiber arts by Jodi Clayton and ceramics by Katie Miller were also scattered through the building.

Two indie terror films, “Damnationland” and “Tucker & Dale vs Evil” by River City Cinema were shown at the Union Street Church at 7:30. “Damnationland” is a showcase of short Maine-made horror films consisting of new filmmakers every year. “Tucker & Dale vs Evil” is a horror comedy about killer rednecks and murderous hillbillies.

At the UMMA, exhibitions by Dominic Chavez, Carlo Pittore, Aba Ajay and Mary Mailler were on display. The digital enhancement of Mary Mailler’s illustrated collages focused around prints that depicted vintage architecture and outdoors from the imagination of the past and brought it to life with texture and color.

Poetry and paintings of Julie Miller were hosted by Main Street Music Studios. Her goal was to “give voice to those that could not speak for themselves.” The paintings were composed of watercolor and Indian inks.

The Artwalk started in 2008 as an informal open-studio tour uniting artists with downtown businesses to celebrate the diversity of local art. Hundreds of people from all over Maine spend the evening enjoying conversation, refreshments and the finest handmade craft Maine has to offer.

Artwalk Maine increases art awareness in 16 communities across Maine by holding more than 80 artwalks a year. It is a project of Five Rivers Arts Alliance and is organized by a group of local artists. Five art walks are organized annually in Bangor. They typically take place on Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m.

“A volunteer body of nine members makes sure each art walk happens,” said treasurer and intern chair of the board Jodi Clayton. “They are a group of local artists that want to make an art walk happen and happen to work well together. The newest members of the group include George Kinghorn, director of UMMA and Josh Gass and Kate Dawson of the Kahbang Music and Art Festival.”

The Bangor Art Walk, scheduled for Nov. 18, is the largest in the area, with over 50 artists exhibiting their work. An excess of 600 to 700 people attended the artwalk last November. With the growing interest in art and popularity of the artwalk spreading, that number is expected to rise by hundreds this year.

The walks are self-guided. Brochures can be downloaded online at downtownartscollaborative.org and on DBAC’s Facebook page.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 30th, 2011, 11:51 pm. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.