Jeff Badger, “Fujisaki Apples,” 2019
The SMCC Foundation is launching a series of monthly virtual luncheon presentations featuring interesting work done by SMCC faculty, staff and students.
The Light on the Point Luncheons series will kick off on December 2, from 12:15-1 p.m., with a talk by Jeff Badger, co-chair of the SMCC Fine Arts Department and coordinator of SMCC’s Global Studies Center. The presentations are free and open to the public. Interested persons can register on the Light on the Point Luncheons Eventbrite page.
Badger will give a presentation about the Maine-Aomori Printmaking Society, or MAPS, a cultural exchange project with Aomori, Maine’s sister state in Japan.
MAPS is a multi-tiered project developed to share prints, exhibitions and artist residencies between Maine and Aomori on an ongoing basis. The project has led to more than 25 exhibitions, publications and delegation visits since it began in 2015.
Badger will discuss the history of the relationship between Maine and Aomori, which began when a three-masted ship out of Bath, Maine, was destroyed in a powerful storm in the Aomori region of Japan. Badger will show images of the delegation visits, art exhibits, and woodblock prints by artists from Maine and Japan. He’ll also discuss how his passion for cultural exchange informs his teaching and led to the founding the Global Studies Center at SMCC.
Future presentations will feature Professor Corey Norman, who will talk about being a Maine Registered Guide, and Professor Michele Neujahr, who will speak about networking during a time when social distancing is required.
The SMCC Foundation raises money from businesses, civic groups, community leaders and individuals for academic programs, classrooms and equipment, and scholarships for deserving students. People can support the Foundation by calling the Foundation office at 741-5559 or through its website, www.smccme.edu/foundation.