LEWISTON – The largest yellow birch in Maine lords over the woods in Deer Isle with a crown spread of 90 feet. An even larger tree, a silver maple and the largest known tree in the state with a trunk measuring 26 feet around, is at the edge of a field in Androscoggin County.

Two equally impressive photographs 4½ feet high of these trees will be on exhibit with the work of 11 other artists and six poets from May 25 to July 7 at the Atrium Art Gallery at USM/Lewiston-Auburn.

“Forests: Anchors of Earth, Tellers of Time,” is a multimedia exhibition featuring ceramics, woodblock prints, textiles, paintings, photographs, handmade books, sculpture, and poetry created by artists and poets who are inspired by the forest.

The opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 25, will feature a poetry reading and is free and open to the public. The poets, selected under the guidance of Auburn poet Lillian Baker Kennedy, are Herb Coursen of Brunswick, Kathleen Ellis of Orono, Gayle Portnow of Camden, Candice Stover of Mt. Desert, Jeniferlee Tucker of Topsham, and Douglas Woody Woodsum of Smithfield.

Visual artists are Derrick Anderson of Portland, Peter Asselyn of Durham, Libby Barrett of Cape Elizabeth, Garret D. Bonnema of Bethel, Melody Bonnema of Bethel, Allison Cooke Brown of Yarmouth, Jere DeWaters of Portland, Wayne Hall of Bucksport, Lin Lisberger of Gorham, Bobette McCarthy of Auburn, Lorraine Roy of Dundas, Ontario, and Lois Strickland of Pownal.

The Atrium Art Gallery is at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College, 51 Wesminster St. in Lewiston. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday. For more information phone 753-6500 or online at www.usm.maine.edu/art/forests.

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