AIGA Maine is excited to announce our third annual poster exhibition, “Feast Your Eyes,” opening October 4th, 2024 at Portland Media Center.  With a thematic focus on the realms of food and drink, “Feast Your Eyes” aims to spotlight the influence of culinary experiences in shaping cultural identity and fostering communal connections. Recognizing Maine’s burgeoning reputation as a culinary destination, this year’s exhibition seeks to celebrate the rich tapestry of flavors, traditions, and social nuances intertwined with food and drink.

Join us for our First Friday open reception on Fri, Oct 4, 2024 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM,  celebrating the art of poster design related to food and drink, bringing together talented artists from various disciplines to display their unique visions and creative styles.  This is a free event! Light refreshments will be provided.  After the reception, the posters will remain available for viewing during the month of October at Portland Media Center during their open hours.  We hope to see you there!

Harold’s guest for the October show is Ellen Goodman, Pulitzer Prize winning syndicated Boston Globe journalist . She has long been a voice for women and until recently had a podcast, “She Votes!”, concerning the women’s suffrage movement.  Ms. Goodman has been a part time resident of Maine for over 40 years.

This summer Full Plates Full Potential became one of PMC’s newest nonprofit members.  Full Plates works to strengthen child nutrition programs as critical tools for ending childhood food insecurity in Maine.  They envision a future where all kids in Maine have the food they need to thrive and reach their full potential.  As one of the leading forces behind Free School Meals for All in Maine, Full Plates provides resources, guidance and support to efforts aimed at ending food insecurity among children.  They also advocate for public policies to strengthen our community’s food systems.

The first PMC nonprofit member benefit Full Plates has taken advantage of is our training and access to field cameras.  Daniel Schechtman, Full Plates Communications Manager, is now trained and certified in using our field camera and has started checking out our camera to document their events.  This will provide excellent footage for videos about Full Plates, school nutrition professionals, and the systems and individuals who support them.  We look forward to learning more about Full Plates as they work with us to create informative videos in the year ahead.  Photo credit: Winky Lewis.

One of PMC’s newest nonprofit members, Opera Maine, has asked us to tape their latest productions:  Rappahannock County and Aida.  Although their interest in having these recordings is for archival purposes, we are hopeful that we’ll be able to broadcast and run online once they are edited.

Opera Maine is dedicated to providing creative and inspiring opera productions and other performances of artistic excellence and ensuring that they are accessible to and representative of our community.  They foster young operatic talent, provide educational opportunities related to opera, and engage our audiences in ways that excite enthusiasm for the artform.

Over its twenty-nine year history, Opera Maine has presented many of the world’s favorite operas, from Mozart to Puccini. Under the artistic direction of Dona D.Vaughn and the musical direction of such internationally renowned conductors as Stephen Lord and Israel Gursky, Opera Maine’s productions have been widely acclaimed. Their outstanding performers have ranged from rising young stars to Kate Aldrich and the legendary James Morris.

Opera Maine is a nonprofit performing arts organization led by a volunteer Board of Directors. An Advisory Council also provides valuable expertise and guidance. Their staff is headed by Artistic Director Dona D. Vaughn, Executive Director Caroline Musica Koelker and Studio Artist Program Director Richard Gammon.

On a recent episode of PMC Studio, PMC volunteer Sandra Perez interviewed Caroline about Opera Maine.  You can see that episode by following this link:  https://portlandmedia.org/show/pmc-studio-mt-joy-orchard-aaron-parker-july-2024-2/

Esduardo Mariscal has assembled a large group of artists from New England, Arizona, Mexico and Brazil, showcasing contemporary art in its different forms. The group Includes young college students and seasoned, well known artists.  Each month Esduardo adds different pieces, so the display continues to evolve.

First Fridays will include live music and performers. Other times (by arrangement with Esduardo) will include walk-through talks with some of the artists. Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy the diversity of the images displayed and the connection with the artists.

From May through September, Portland Media Center (PMC) will be hosting open mic, First Friday Window Concerts, each First Friday from 5:00pm-7:30pm, in the front window of the PMC conference room.  The venue is rather small so we’re looking specifically for small groups (1-3 performers).  The concerts will also be recorded for broadcast at a later date on PMC’s two TV channels (cable channels 2 and 5).  Artists (singers/musicians/rappers/comedians/etc) interested in performing for the street audience on first Fridays this summer should contact Luigi Scarcelli at luigi@portlandmedia.org or David Bedell at david@portlandmedia.org

We are pleased to announce that well-known choreographer Esduardo Mariscal will be curating a changing series of art at Portland Media Center July through September.   There will be a variety of artists and possibly some performances.   Each month the artists will host an open house on First Friday!  Join us for this community-rich ongoing event.