BANGOR – The University of Maine Museum of Art opens three new exhibitions this week along with a selection from the museum’s permanent collection titled “Steve’s Picks.”
The new shows are “Michael Crouser: Dog Run,” “Robert Rivers: The Promised Land” and “Candace Ivy: Honey from the Belly of the Lion.” All shows open Friday and are on view through March 20, except for “Steve’s Picks,” which is on view through March 8.
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The museum, 40 Harlow St., will host an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Admission is free.
Over the course of several years, Crouser has made photographs of dogs at urban dog parks. Dogs run free in an arena where codes of conduct are shed in a grand display of unharnessed energy. The photographs range from the endearing and humorous to the uncanny and disturbing.
Crouser has taught at the International Center of Photography in New York, the Minneapolis Photo Center and the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops. His book, “Dog Run,” was a top 10 photography book of the year by the International Photography Awards, Photo District News and Communication Arts.
Rivers’ “The Promised Land” is a series of drawings in graphite, red pencil, acrylic glazes, oil paint and other media. In these narratives, serpents wind their way through the works, figures unwrap the cloth bandages of a mummy, and wide-eyed, cartoon-like humanoids stand awkwardly. A recurring nude woman gazes at all of the action.
The dominant subject in most of the compositions is an array of mostly male figures pictured with shaved heads, wearing T-shirts and combat boots, suggesting the challenges facing American soldiers.
Rivers received his master’s degree in printmaking from the University of Georgia, and teaches at the University of Central Florida. His art has been exhibited in numerous venues, including the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh; and the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
A multi-media artist, Ivy presents a site-specific installation in the Zillman Gallery, incorporating both video and sculptural elements to create an immersive, sensory experience for viewers.
She lives near Boston and teaches at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and Wellesley College, where she is also the director of the Jewett Gallery. She received her bachelor’s in fine arts from Coker College, Hartsville, S.C., and her master’s from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts/Tufts University, Boston.
For information, visit umma.umaine.edu.
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