Art students hold show at Portland gallery
Students graduating from SMCC’s art program this month are exhibiting their paintings, lithoprints photos, digital illustrations and other works at a Portland art gallery.
Five students are showing their works at the Zero Station gallery on May 4 and 5. The gallery is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. both days, and an artist reception will be held from 5-8 p.m. on May 5. Admission is free and the public is invited to the reception.
Students taking part in the show are:
- Lindsey Checker, variety of mixed media work with a focus on printmaking
- Heather Cron, a series of Xerox lithoprints, collages and assemblages celebrating color, her Peruvian heritage and the women in her family
- Marti DeCoste, colorful abstract and figurative paintings in oil, acrylic and watercolor
- Cheyenne Roberts, explorative surreal works of painting and digital illustration
- Desiree Willette, photographs of the color life and landscape of coastal Maine
This is the 11th group of students to graduate from SMCC with an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Studies with an art concentration. The Fine Arts Department offers more than 40 courses in studio art, art appreciation, art history, music, theater and dance, and has transfer agreements with the Maine College of Art, Lesley University College of Art & Design, the New Hampshire Institute of Art and Saint Joseph’s College of Maine.
Maine Mayhem Film Festival to showcase SMCC student films
Six films produced by Southern Maine Community College students will be featured in the seventh annual Maine Mayhem Film Festival.
The festival each year showcases the work of senior students who have been working on films this semester as capstone projects in a filmmaking class offered through the college’s Communications & New Media Studies program.
The films will be shown on Wednesday, May 10, at 7 and 9:30 p.m. at the Nickelodeon Cinemas in Portland, and on Friday, May 12, at 8 p.m. at Central Gallery in Bangor. They will be shown again at the Sanford International Film Festival in September.
This year’s lineup includes science-fiction, documentary, fantasy, comedy and horror films that range in length from 12 to 25 minutes each. The screenings will be followed a question-and-answer session with the student filmmakers.
The films are:
- “Aida,” a sci-fi film about a young girl put into medical paralysis by her parents. Directed by Amber White.
- “It’s a Match,” a documentary about online dating in Portland. Directed by Sarah Ford.
- “Leap of Faith,” a religious comedy about two people overcoming their flaws and taking control of their lives. Directed by Christopher Motley.
- “The Mustang, the Hand and the Big Man,” a sci-fi neo-noir western about a girl who seeks revenge against the corporation that killed her friends and stole her memories. Directed by Andrew Anzora.
- “The Windigo,” a horror film about a native legend that comes to life. Directed by Ness Hutchins.
- “Wizard Wars,” a fantasy about a wizard trying to save a friend from turning to the dark side. Directed by Nicholas Cavanaugh.
Other students who worked on the films’ crews were Aidan Bothwell, Alex Lally, Anthony Marshall, Sean Slaughter and William Tiner. The films are all written, directed and produced by SMCC students, many of whom go on to work in the filmmaking field after graduation. Maine Mayhem serves as a steppingstone from college to the professional world, said Corey Norman, who teaches the course and organizes the festival.
“It’s one thing to make a film and show it in a class. It’s completely different to show it in public,” Norman said. “The festival helps transform them from feeling like students to feeling like professional filmmakers.”
Captain’s Cupboard: We want you
The Captain’s Cupboard is expanding its summer hours in an effort to expose more students to the student-run food pantry.
The Captain’s Cupboard opened in late 2013 in the Captain’s House to provide food and other items to students and their families.
In an effort to boost more interest in the pantry and recruit more volunteers, the Captain’s Cupboard hopes to expand its days of operation during the summer months, with plans to be open Monday through Thursday. That way, it will be included on campus tours during orientation sessions so new students can acquaint themselves with the pantry.
Besides providing packaged food and hygiene product, the Captain’s Cupboard during the past year has expanded its offering of prepared meals, using leftover food from the Culinary Arts program, packing it in microwave-safe containers and freezing the containers. The meals include a protein (such as chicken, seafood or beef), a starch and a vegetable, as well as soups, pastries and other foods.
The organization is looking to bolster its volunteer ranks with people who are interested in helping others and giving back to the SMCC community.
For information about volunteering, send an email to nicolepwickstrom@smccME.edu.
For more information about the Captain’s Cupboard, check out www.facebook.com/TheCaptainsCupboard/
Photo caption: Security personnel, shown here with Captain’s Cupboard volunteers, delivered a basket full of food and hygiene items on April 25 as part of the Security Department ongoing food drive that so far has resulted in about 300 donated items.
On the road: Biz club visits the Big Apple
Fifteen SMCC students visited Wall Street and other sites during the Business Club’s annual trip to the world’s financial capital, New York City.
The club traveled to New York on April 20 for three days of education, sightseeing and bonding.
Among the stops were the United Nations (see photo), the New York Stock Exchange, Federal Hall, the Trump Building and the famous Charging Bull bronze sculpture in the city’s Financial District. Students also visited Times Square, One World Trade Center, Chinatown, the Empire State Building, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Central Park.
Funding for the trip was provided by the Student Senate, club fundraising events and contributions from the students who took part.
Participants included students Haleigh Barrett, Savannah Barnes, Erik Beaudet, Matthew Brown, Gianna Dudley, Mosa Khalifa, Bronson Kieltyka, Nathalie Mitchell, Michael Moser, Joey Mullins, Steven Ntibandetse, Hali Parsons, Celetta Richard, Ray Richard and Valerie Roy, as well as Business Professor and club advisor Steve Strand.