LEWISTON — The Atrium Art Gallery at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn campus is presenting an exhibition by artists around the state who are faculty for USM’s Book Arts at Stone House Program. The reception, free and open to the public, is 6 to 8 p.m., Friday, April 27. The exhibition runs through June 1.

The exhibition, “Reading ,Writing, and Defining: USM Book Arts at Stone House Faculty Exhibition,” features work by 24 artists in all forms of book arts and other media including painting, drawing, printmaking, and photography. The exhibition includes books made with traditional materials as well as inventive and unusual methods. Accordion books, scrolls, tunnel books, pop-ups, and suspended books all show the range of ideas and invention that artists use when considering the form of the book. This is the second Stone House faculty exhibition, featuring work in a variety of media, dimensions, and ideas.

Two poets, former Maine poet laureate, Betsy Sholl, and current poet laureate Wesley McNair, both have a selection of poems included.

The USM Book Arts at Stone House program is held at USM’s Stone House in Freeport and is open to students of all levels. The week-long summer institute brings together well-known book artists with participants interested in exploring the complex and engaging nature of the artist’s book as a form of expression. The includes topics such as star books, books with moveable parts, paste papers, calligraphy, comic books, traditional book binding, poetry, screenprinting and other techniques. Rebecca Goodale, one of Maine’s most creative artists in the book arts field, is the faculty director of the Institute.

Artists in the exhibition are Karen Adrienne (Gardiner), Dan Bouthot (Deer Isle), Alan Bray (Sangerville), Michael Connor (Portland), Anne-Claude Cotty (Stonington), Grace DeGennaro (Yarmouth), Dennis Gilbert (South Portland), Rebecca Goodale (Portland), Eric Hopkins (Rockland), Mary Howe (Stonington), Lissa Hunter (Portland), Elizabeth Jabar (Portland), Lis Janes (Portland), Colleen Kinsella (South Portland), Alison Kuller (Camden), Nancy Leavitt (Stillwater), Peter Madden (Westbrook), Wesley McNair (Mercer), Jennifer Morrow (Deer Isle), Carrie, Scanga (Brunswick), Betsy Sholl (Portland), Erin Sweeney (Peterborough, N.H.), Bernie Vinzani (Whiting), and Richard Wilson (Portland).

The exhibition is supported in part by USM Book Arts at Stone House, USM Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts, and USM Professional and Continuing Education.

The Atrium Art Gallery features year-round exhibitions of sculpture, painting, drawing, and contemporary crafts and is open to the public free of charge. USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College is located at 51 Westminster St. in Lewiston and offers interdisciplinary bachelor and graduate degree programs with both online and on-site classes. Art Gallery hours are 8 p.m to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday,  8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,  Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, through May 5.

The website for USM’s Book Arts at Stone House is www.usm.maine.edu/summer/special/bookart/.

For more information on the exhibit or to arrange a gallery tour contact Robyn Holman, 753-6554, [email protected]. The exhibit website www.usm.maine.edu/atriumgallery