he Inspired Hand II,” a juried exhibition of work by members of the Maine Crafts Association, will open Sunday, Sept. 12, in the Atrium Art Gallery at Lewiston-Auburn College.

The exhibition highlights the work of 38 artists in clay, fiber, wood, metal, glass and paper. It includes furniture, jewelry, hand-woven garments and rugs, pottery and sculptural work.

“We often conceive of history as beginning with ourselves, but craft teaches us that the materials with which we work have their own histories – physical and aesthetic – and the work of the hand, an inspired and sympathetic hand, can convey that,” writes Stuart Kestenbaum, director of Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.

In the essay that accompanies the exhibition, he writes, “The work of the makers in ‘The Inspired Hand II’ contains a vital spirit because it goes beyond skill. Skill may be what gets the hand to move with unconscious grace, but the work will be inert if somewhere along the way in the making process – in the back and forth journey between hand, mind, and eye – the maker doesn’t discover something in the piece.

This can be the feel of a handle or the proportions of a table or two colors combined just so – in craft even the smallest moment counts.”

The exhibit includes both established and emerging Maine artists with works that are traditional and innovative. The result is a eloquent collection of work that encompasses all media and presents an inspired perspective of contemporary crafts in the state, according to the organizers.

The Maine Crafts Association is a statewide nonprofit founded in 1983, which promotes contemporary crafts throughout the state. For more information on the association, people can call (207) 780-1807 or visit www.mainecrafts.org.

Jurors for the exhibition were Genetta McLean, Wally Mason, and Laurie Adams. McLean is executive director of Round Top Center for the Arts in Damariscotta and former director and curator of the Bates College Museum of Art. Mason is director of the Museum of Art, University of Maine, Orono. Adams is a painter who worked as a potter for 42 years; she is a past president of association.

Also on exhibit are African textiles from the collection of Susan Bowditch. “Kente Cloths from Ghana” features seven hand-woven textiles that represent the traditional dress of Ghanaians. Both contemporary and antique, the Kente cloths are rich in color with vibrant patterning and examples of the high art of hand-weaving.

For more information, people can call the college, 753-6500, or go online to www.usm.maine.edu/lac/art/inspired.

The two exhibits continue through Oct. 23. The Atrium Art Gallery is in Lewiston-Auburn College, 51 Westminster St.. Gallery hours are Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free.

The reception, also free and open to the public, is from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday.