The Courier-Gazette
knox.villagesoup.com
August 22, 2023
CAMDEN/ROCKLAND — AIO Food & Energy Assistance announces the opening of the 2nd Annual ArtFeeds exhibition and online silent auction, taking place Sept. 10 through 16 at Page Gallery, 23 Bayview St., Camden. The event will showcase a collection of wooden bowls shaped and donated by Maine State Correctional Facility’s industries program, and decorated by well-known Maine artists. Each artist interprets sharing food and fighting food insecurity in their creative style on each bowl.
The online silent auction also opens Sept. 10 and runs the length of the exhibition, culminating with a reception Saturday, Sept. 16, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Page Gallery. The exhibition is free and open to the public.
“ArtFeeds represents an entire summer of artists, volunteers, partnering organizations and supporters working together to demonstrate how a community can address hunger,” said AIO Executive Director Joe Ryan. “For the winning bidders, an ArtFeeds bowl will be a family treasure for generations to come, and the benefit to hundreds of local families will be immediate.”
“At Page Gallery, we are happy to be partnering with AIO and the Maine State Prison to raise awareness about food and energy insecurity,” said gallery owner Colin Page. “Artists jump at the chance to work on new pieces for this auction as we all know how important AIO is to our community. When the bowls are on display at Page Gallery, you can see how much creativity and beauty is brought to the table by the selected artists.” Page went on to say, “As a gallery owner I love using our space to give back, and as an artist I find it a rewarding and interesting challenge to paint across the form of a bowl, and to consider how my artwork can be used to benefit others.”
Participating artists include Alan Magee, Annie Bailey, Barbara Sullivan, Beth Bull, Caroline Dishop, Christopher Mur, Colin Page, Carol Sloane, Hannah Berta, Helene Ferra, Eric Hopkins, Ileana Appleton Foster, Ingrid Ellison, Laura Waller, Leecia Price, Lise Bécu, Margaret Rizzio, Meghan Brady, Monica Kelly, Nancy Glassman, Nathaniel Meyer, Peter Walls, Sal Taylor Kidd, Sarah Lee, Simon van der Ven, Susan Williams, Tara Morin, Alanna Hernandez, Alexis Iammarino, Anneli Skaar, Greta Van Campen, Amy Lowry, Ariela Kuh, Lily Sukeforth, Margaret Williams, Richard Chalmers, and a resident of the Maine State Correctional Facility. AIO will share the artists’ creative process and artist statements on @aiofoodpantry (Instagram) and @AIOFoodpantry70 (Facebook).
Links to all artist works, bidding instructions, private party tickets, and additional information about AIO Food & Energy Assistance, 1A Gordon Drive, Rockland, can be found at AIO4me.org.