FARMINGTON, ME (June 12, 2023)—The UMF Emery Community Arts Center is excited to announce its next major exhibit, “Dona Seegers: A Celebration of Art and Life.” The exhibit is on display in the Emery Flex Gallery and throughout the Emery Arts Center from June 24-August 5, 2023.
An opening reception will take place at the Emery Center from 5-7 p,m,, Saturday, June 24. The event is free and open to the public.
Dona Seegers
Dona Seegers (1948-2023) was a lifelong artist and enthusiastic art educator. This multi-media retrospective presents a selection of artwork created over the last four decades. The exhibit includes works in watercolor, pastel, graphite, colored pencil, photography, sculpted paper, video and digital media. Her generous spirit and passion for art, design, color and beauty are evident throughout this exhibition.
Dancer with Full Moon, watercolor, colored pencil and graphite on paper
Seegers earned her art degree from the Museum School in Boston and her bachelor’s degree in education from Tufts University. She moved to rural Maine in the late 60s where she raised her family.
During her early years in Maine, she co-founded the successful greeting card business, Blue Mountain Printmakers. She then moved on to teach art in the public schools in Franklin and Kennebec Counties as well as at the University of Maine Farmington, until her retirement. All the while she maintained a prolific studio art practice and engaged in collaborations resulting in a large and varied body of work that has been exhibited widely throughout Maine and Vermont.
Untitled, sculpted paper and acrylic paint
A keen and thoughtful observer of nature, she spent countless hours outdoors engaging in her creative process. She was often photographing her environment, taking art materials outside, and bringing natural materials inside–all of which she would fold into her work, both literally and figuratively.
Cosmic, digital image
Seegers explained, “I develop a series of works around personal reflections, then combine photography, mixed media and installation to express my ideas. It is essential for me to be able to work outdoors as well as in the studio.”
Her deep connection to the earth and her curiosity about the human spirit wend their way into all of her work through an interactive dance of observation, experience and materials.
More on the UMF Emery Community Arts Center
The Emery Community Arts Center is an innovative, experimental venue for the arts in Western Maine. It features an exciting 2,500-square-foot, 109-seat multipurpose performance space with dynamic vertical foldaway doors that open onto an outdoor performance area and a 1,600-square-foot Flex-Space gallery for traditional exhibits, new media and performance art. A dramatic interior corridor offers additional exhibition space and connects the center with the UMF Alumni Theater.
The Emery Arts Center gallery is located on Academy St. (between Main St. and High St.) in downtown Farmington. The gallery is open Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm; Saturday, 4pm-6pm. Closed Sundays and holidays. Please check Emery’s website for updates at https://wpsites.maine.edu/emerycommunityartscenter/
For more information contact Ann Bartges, director of UMF Emery Community Arts Center at ann.bartges@maine.edu or 207-778-7461.
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EDITOR’S NOTE:
Image: https://www.umf.maine.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1/2023/06/RP223-058A.jpg
Photo Caption: Dona Seegers portrait
Photo Credit: Submitted Image
Image: https://www.umf.maine.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1/2023/06/RP223-058B.jpg
Photo Caption: Dona Seegers, Dancer with Full Moon, watercolor, colored pencil and graphite on paper
Photo Credit: Submitted Image
Image: https://www.umf.maine.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1/2023/06/RP223-058C.jpg
Photo Caption: Dona Seegers, Untitled, sculpted paper and acrylic paint
Photo Credit: Submitted Image
Image: https://www.umf.maine.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1/2023/06/RP223-058D-scaled.jpg
Photo Caption: Dona Seegers, Cosmic, digital image
Photo Credit: Submitted Image
