Artist Stephanie Garon presents under/current at The University of Southern Maine Art Gallery

The University of Southern Maine Art Gallery is pleased to announce our 2024 fall exhibition, under/current. Featuring work by artist Stephanie Garon, this show uses video, sound, and mined rocks to transform our two-century-old building into an immersive artistic experience. Stephanie Garon focuses on materials to investigate human collisions with the environment.

She recently acquired a 20,000-rock core collection from a Gold Rush mining site from 1850. The site sits between two Passamaquoddy reservations and five towns in eastern Maine. Garon utilizes these rocks to create a new landscape within the Gallery. The resulting exhibition asks viewers to consider and respond to these material transformations, noting how such alchemizations prompt us to pay closer attention to our surroundings. In turn, our understanding is deepened regarding how natural resources are gathered, accumulated, and commodified.

All are invited to join us for the exhibition and two major programmatic events:
● An opening reception for under/current on Thursday, October 3 at 6 p.m.
Location: University of Southern Maine Art Gallery 5 University Way, Gorham, Maine

● A panel discussion on October 5 at 4 p.m. on issues around land claim, mining’s impact on the local economy, and how themes of economic and ecological intertwinement can be viewed as a microcosm of the concerns that face many communities throughout the ecoregion.
Location: USM McGoldrick Center for Student Success
35 Bedford Avenue, Portland, Maine 04101 & online via Zoom
Learn more at usm.maine.edu/gallery

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Stephanie Garon (b. 1972) received dual science degrees from Cornell University, then attended Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Her environmental art has been exhibited internationally in England, Colombia, South Korea, as well as across the United States. Her writing, a critical aspect of her artistic process, has been published in international literary journals. Her poetry book, “Acreage”, was published by Akinoga Press in December 2021. She is a Trawick Art Prize winner, an Aspen Institute/Social Art & Justice Fellow, a Hamiltonian Gallery fellow, a National Park Service Artist-in-Residence in the Everglades, and a recipient of grants including The Foundation for Contemporary Art, The Puffin Foundation Environmental Art, The Lucid Foundation, and Maryland State Arts Council.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE ART GALLERY
The Art Gallery serves the most diverse population of any Maine institution of higher learning. It is known for its rich blend of contemporary art exhibitions, lectures, events, and Artist-in-Residence community projects. Our exhibitions in Gorham and Portland showcase art students’ multidisciplinary projects in a range of media, as well as regional collaborations and curated themes with socially engaged public programming that underscores the University’s broadly inclusive mission.

The University of Southern Maine Art Gallery is open from 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday.