After being closed to the public for 16 months, the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Art Gallery is proud to present ACHROMATIC – A Celebration of Black-and-White Art. The show opens on July 23 and will be on display through Sept. 17, 2021. The public is invited to view the exhibition throughout the show’s run and attend the Opening Reception on Friday, July 23 from 5-7 p.m.
To ensure everyone’s safety, anyone entering campus buildings is required to wear a face covering through July 25 and either be fully vaccinated or have a negative COVID test within 72 hours. Starting July 26, those who are fully vaccinated will no longer be required to wear a face covering while inside campus buildings; however, those who are not full vaccinated will need to continue wearing face coverings and have a negative COVID test within 72 hours.
“We are so pleased to finally be able to open the Reed Art Gallery back up to the public and to showcase this unique ‘achromatic’ exhibition as our first offering,” Reed Gallery Director Frank Sullivan said. “As Wim Wenders said, ‘Life is in colour, but black and white is more realistic.’”
ACHROMATIC – A Celebration of Black-and-White Art features a selection of drawings, prints, photographs, and mixed media in a wide range of styles by diverse artists from Maine and around the world, including: Alberto Giacometti, Robert Longo, Edwin Gamble, Frederick Lynch, Jeanne Wells, Andy Warhol, Francisco Goya, Madeleine Gekiere, Frank Eckmair, Carl Grupp, and many more.
“Without the element of color, artists must convey their ideas using only line, shape, value, texture, and composition. Although this may seem restrictive, the absence of color can allow the artist to be more subjective and expressive by taking the viewer away from the world of the familiar and into a world of pure visual form as a means of communication, thus encouraging the viewer’s imagination to play a part in interpreting the work,” Sullivan said.
“In the hands of skilled artists, Black and White media can allow for a greater degree of subtlety through minute variations in value, as well as an opportunity to convey intense drama by juxtaposing White and Black – the lightest and darkest possible values. The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s collection includes some wonderful black and white works, which I am excited to share with the people of Northern Maine,” he said.
The Reed Art Gallery is located on the upper floor of the Center for Innovative Learning in the heart of the UMPI campus at 181 Main St. in Presque Isle. Summer hours for the gallery are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Regular gallery hours during the academic year will be Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sundays from 2 to 8 p.m. The Reed Art Gallery is closed on Saturdays and holidays. Anyone visiting UMPI buildings and grounds will need to follow University health and safety protocols while on campus.
For more information, contact Gallery Director Frank Sullivan at frank.sullivan@maine.edu or 207-694-1920.
