Lewiston -
LEWISTON, Maine — The Atrium Art Gallery at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College, begins its fall season with a solo exhibition by James Strickland, continuing through Nov. 30. “Waypoints: Happenstance and Longed-for Arrivings” will highlight recent work by artist, theologian, heliocentric and kinetic sculptor, James Strickland, whose studies of architecture, Japanese temples, martial arts, ocean navigating, mountaineering, and technology illuminate his work.
A reception will be heldfrom 4 to 6 p.m. Monday Sept. 26. Free and open to the public, the evening will include appetizers and a cash bar. The reception coincides with the Google Geo Teachers Institute on Sept. 26 and 27, held at USM LAC, presented by Google and hosted by the Maine International Center for Digital Learning (MICDL). James Strickland’s work often begins with a conceptual model using Google’s SketchUp program, a widely recognized learning tool for visualizing and communicating information.
A resident of Belfast, Maine, Strickland is originally from Oklahoma. Strickland has degrees from Arizona State University and California Divinity School of the Pacific. His work has been included in over 100 exhibitions around the country and abroad.
While studying for the ministry, Strickland spent summers as a skipper delivering boats to several Pacific Islands and Hong Kong. In addition to a doctorate in theology, he studied architecture and apprenticed with Paolo Soleri and Charles Eames later studying Japanese temple architecture with Hiroshi Hasanawa. With side roads into kendo martial arts, mountaineering, and ballooning, his artistic journey brought him—via sailboat in 1999 with his partner artist-designer Patricia Shea—to Belfast Maine. He creates large and small scale sculpture in an 1888 studio barn for municipal, corporate, and private commissions .
The exhibition’s title, Waypoints, refers to a two-part permanent sculpture of the same title installed at the college in 2008. In nautical terms, a “waypoint” is a set of coordinates that marks a physical point. In metaphorical terms, a waypoint marks a culmination of thought and process. For the artist, it represents a milestone along a creative path.
Strickland’s latest work embraces technology in not only the process, but also in the final work. In the exhibition essay, noted arts writer Carl Little writes that, “Strickland has ‘crossed over’ in another intriguing way: his sculptures often produce energy, via built-in solar panels and/or wind vane elements. These heliocentric pieces represent an attempt to not only make the work green, but also to blend mechanics and art.” Strickland says, “Sculptures that can enrich our visual world and at the same time heat our buildings, light our parks and gardens, and teach our children about sustainable energy resources have become more than just a dream.”
Carl Little’s essay can be seen online at usm.maine.edu/atrium gallery, along with installation views of the exhibit. The Atrium Art Gallery is located at USM LAC. 51 Westminster St., Lewiston. Gallery hours are Mon.-Thurs., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Fri., 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; closed holidays. Admission is free; for more information, 753-6500 www.usm.maine.edu/atriumgallery.
For More Information:
Contact Name: Robyn Holman, 753-6554
Telephone Number: (207)753-6554
Website: http://usm.maine.edu/atriumgallery
Email: holman@usm.maine.edu
