ORONO — The University of Maine’s Lord Hall Gallery will feature an exhibition titled “ORBITS” with the work of three Maine-based artists who are invested in material reuse and sustainability. Works by Tom Jessen, Isabelle Maschal O’Donnell and Ian Trask will be on display through March 14, with an opening reception Feb. 7 from 5-7 p.m.
During the reception, six Maine poets will read poems they wrote about the artwork in ORBITS. Participating poets include Matt Bernier, Monique Bouchard, Sylvia Godreaux, Annaliese Jakimides, Carl Little, and Leslie Moore. The event is free and open to the public.
Artwork will feature the transformations of excess waste, including paper, textiles and plastics. In their work, Jessen, O’Donnell and Trask emphasize playful colors and forms that function as a counterpoint to the urgency of the issues they explore, such as sustainability, waste and consumerism. ORBITS brings awareness to material culture and humans’ relationships with their surroundings.
Jessen gathers castaway food packaging and cuts it into small strips sorted by color, which are then reconfigured into kaleidoscopic surfaces reminiscent of woven fabrics. O’Donnell gathers textile waste and manipulates it into quilt-like surfaces inspired by Maine. Trask bundles and wraps an assortment of materials bound for the landfill into orbs clustered and suspended in the air.
For additional information, contact Director of Galleries Diana Baumbach at [email protected].
