Caitlin Allen of Starks has been painting all her life. Her art is part of the “Art of Eating Well” exhibit at the Madison Public Library through mid-September.

‘Art of Eating Well’ features local talent

MADISON – “The Art of Eating Well,” a multimedia art exhibit, is being shown in the rotunda at the Madison Public Library through mid-September. The show features nine Maine artists, whose designs convey the message of a western Maine initiative supporting local farms and promoting greater access to fresh healthy foods.

The location of the show is equally inspiring. In 2006 the 100-year-old Madison Public Library removed a false ceiling that hid the octagonal dome architecture in the rotunda.

“If you haven’t been in to see the library’s new look, please come in,” said Head Librarian Carol Collins. “It’s the most beautiful building in Madison.”

The library is open from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

In 2005, the Western Mountains Alliance launched the Eat Smart Eat Local initiative to promote local agriculture. The alliance asked artists from all over Maine to help capture the concept in a logo that could be used to publicize the initiative.

Professional artists and students used oil, watercolor, graphic design/photography, collage, crayon, pastel and wool fiber to create a poster design. The winning image is being used by coalitions across western Maine to build awareness of the importance of supporting farmers: the local people who grow and raise food.

The nine artists exhibiting are: Caitlin Allen of Starks, Lynne Harwood of Anson, Katie Bussierre and Katie Pooler of Skowhegan, Luanne Wrenn of Wilton, Jennifer Hartung of Farmington, Betsy Bell of Mexico and Tiffany Stevens and Virginia Valdes of Sumner.

Harwood finds inspiration for her art on the farm. “I love being in rural New England and the lifestyle of seasonal chores – growing and preserving food, heating with wood, keeping chickens and bees. Painting fits in as another farm product,” she said.

Valdes is a new media artist whose work has been shown internationally. She teaches graphic arts at Oxford Hills Technical School and her students have won numerous awards.

One of her own designs is on display, as well as that of her student, Tiffany Stevens. Stevens is inspired by the work of Andy Warhol and Ansel Adams and plans to study interior design at Hesser College.

Wrenn, teaches children to paint in her studio, Wrenn’s Nest Studio in Wilton. Bussierre and Pooler were students in the accelerated art program at Skowhegan Middle School when they submitted their art work. Bell has exhibited across the country. Hartung of Design Initiatives created the winning logo.

Allen is a carpenter who has been painting all her life. She also creates papier mache lamps called “Lampscapes.”

The work of the 27 artists who originally submitted their art has been displayed throughout the state over the past two years. Seven posters can be seen now at a concurrent show at the Heritage Center on Church Street, Farmington. The next stop for the exhibit will be the Oxford County Fairgrounds at the new Farm Life Center, Sept. 12 to 15.