Dreaming at Dawn will be the largest exhibition presented by the Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA) of 2026, scheduled for August and September, 2026 in three gallery spaces at Bangor Public Library—the Cyr Gallery, the Stairwell Gallery, and the Lecture Hall Gallery.

Call for Art is open to Maine artists as of May 7. Deadline for applications is June 7. As always, there will be no fee to apply—your annual UMVA membership entitles you to free application to all UMVA exhibitions.

Artists are encouraged to interpret the theme freely. We would love to see various investigations into the concepts of dawning and dreaming.

Taking Dreaming at Dawn as our theme, the artists of the UMVA will present a range of inspired, dreamy, future-imagining, and contemplative works—painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and more—addressing the concepts of dawning and dreaming in all of their senses, from the early light of sunrise over Maine’s mountains and waters, to our historical beginnings and imagined futures. One widely held belief is that the dreams we experience near dawn are those saturated with our truest creativity, our most deeply imagined, and those most likely to become reality. What visions will we awaken? What possibilities will we dream?

Juror: Peter Walls https://peterwalls.squarespace.com/

Call for art: May 7–June 7, 2026

Location: Bangor Public Library gallery spaces, 145 Harlow Street, Bangor ME

Exhibition dates: August 1–September 30

Reception: Thursday, August 6, 5:00–7:00 p.m.

Drop off: Thursday, July 30, time TBD

Pick up: Wednesday, September 30, time TBD

Exhibition coordinators: Shanna Compton & Sally Stanton

Join the Union of Maine Visual Artists here: https://theumva.org/membership-levels/
Guidelines & applications here: https://theumva.org/event/call-for-art-dreaming-at-dawn/