With a theme of “Express Yourself” the Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA) will host a 50th year Gala on August 3, 2024 at Merrymeeting Hall, 27 Main St., Bowdoinham from 6 to 11 PM.  Titled "The Carlo Pittore Costume Ball and Art Auction", this art party celebrates community and camaraderie in the spirit of Carlo Pittore, the force behind the founding of the UMVA in 1975. Pittore’s studio was in Bowdoinham.  The band BookHead SweetTooth from Belfast will supply the music (https://www.facebook.com/groups/237598333928131/).  A pot luck plus wine and beer are also planned for the event. Suggested donations range from $10-$50 at the door.  This fundraiser will finance and support UMVA’s new updated website providing more value for members. Sponsors include Rising Tide Brewery, Maine Gallery + Studio Guide and WERU Community Radio.

Pittore, the subject of the film CARLO … and his Merry Band of Artists, produced by Richard Kane as part of the UMVA Maine Masters project, will premiere at the Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) mid-July (TBA). Other screenings include July 25th at the Waldo Theatre in Waldoboro, August 8th at the Lincoln Theatre in Damariscotta, as well as at NOMAD in Fort Andross, 14 Main St, Brunswick, ME on August 1 and 4 as part of the Gala activities.  See the trailer:  https://vimeo.com/kanelewis/carlotrailer2023

UMVA is a non-profit organization that promotes and advocates for the visual arts, artists, and all arts supporters.  As artist advocates, the UMVA initiated and saw enacted into state law the Maine Percent for Art Program (requiring a percentage of funds for state buildings to include art) and the Artist's Estate Tax Law (allowing art work to be used to pay artists estate taxes).  Other programs and projects supported by UMVA include: The Maine Arts Journal, an online, quarterly publication The Journal features essays by and about artists, interviews, UMVA member submissions, poetry, UMVA updates about its current projects, local chapters, and more; ARRT! Artists' Rapid Response Team, a collaboration of artists & progressive groups making art to create positive change; Lumen ARRT!!, a group creating large-scale video projections in public spaces to give a visual voice to progressive non-profits; and the New England Emmy Award-nominated Maine Masters Project, a video series of 19 compelling profiles of some of Maine’s most distinguished and often less recognized artists. There are currently two chapters: Portland and Midcoast. More information at www.TheUMVA.org.