Opening Reception: Seeking Light/Plants from Shoreline to Canopy in the Arts & Sciences (Portland)

This two-part exhibition, taking place at both the Portland and Biddeford UNE Art Galleries, highlights the role of plants in the environment and in the creative imagination. Plants are a primary source of subject matter for many artists, providing a rich and varied visual stimulus paired with a narrative of growth, ascension, and decay. Scientists hone their understanding of ecosystems and environmental interdependence through close study of plants and trees. Seeking Light explores a variety of approaches to picturing and deconstructing the plant, from the shoreline of the Atlantic ocean to the top of the forest canopy. Information graphics from UNE's scientific work with trees provides insight, offering an analytic perspective on their role in our environment. 

Seeking Light illuminates the importance and power of plants from a wide range of viewpoints, opening the imaginations of visitors to new poetic and empirical approaches to this universal subject. Artists in the Portland exhibit include Jennifer Brou, Chip Barchilon, Breehan James, Luke Davulis, John Knight, Jocelyn Lee, Jim Mullen, Tessa Greene O’Brien, Christopher Patch, and John Sundling.