When? June 1, 2022, 18:00 – 21:00
Where? The Portland Museum of Art is located in the Art District of downtown Portland, within walking distance to all hotels and USM.
The Welcome Reception for the 2022 Meeting of the Assembly of UArctic will be held at the Portland Museum of Art (PMA) in Portland, Maine. The PMA is the perfect setting to meet new and old friends, enjoy a sampling of Maine cuisine and refreshments, and view contemporary art of the North Atlantic region. This special exhibit, The North Atlantic Triennial: “Down North”, a collaboration of the PMA, Reykjavík Art Museum (Iceland), and the Bildmuseet (Sweden), will be open during the reception.
The PMA is the largest and oldest public art institution in the U.S. state of Maine. Founded in 1882 it is the cultural heart of Portland – located in the busy Arts District – with an extensive collection and nationally renowned exhibits. The PMA boasts a significant collection of American, European, and contemporary art, as well as iconic works from Maine—highlighting the rich artistic tradition of the state and its artists. The collection has been growing – both in size and diversity – for many years and now stands at over 18,000 pieces.
Lucky for us, the current special exhibit featuring contemporary art of the North Atlantic region will be on display during our reception before moving on to Reykjavík, Iceland and then to Sweden. The North Atlantic Triennial: “Down North” is the first exhibition devoted entirely to contemporary art of the North Atlantic region (Maine, the Canadian Maritimes, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Faroe islands, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark, as well as indigenous nations throughout the region). The North Atlantic Triennial seeks to strengthen the bond between Maine and other nations in the North and adopts a circumpolar perspective to position the North as the center.
Gerhard Mercator, “Septentrionalivm Terrarvm descriptio. Per Gerardum Mercatorem Cum Privilegio,” A Representation of the Northern Regions, (1633 version of 1595 map). Osher Sheet Map Collection. Courtesy of the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, University of Southern Maine.