AUGUSTA — “New Lives/New England,” a traveling exhibition and series of artist presentations, will open with a reception from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, April 24, at the Michael Klahr Center, home of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine, UMA. A special performance is in the works for opening night. The exhibit will run through Friday, May 30.

“New Lives/New England” is an exhibition that explores the role traditional arts play in helping newcomers create a new home in New England. Weaving a kilim, applying henna before a wedding or making a market basket, these traditions and their longtime practitioners, serve as touchstones for fellow refugee and new immigrant community members, artfully reminding people of who they are and where they came from.

Central to the exhibit is the idea that continuing to practice familiar artistic traditions, as well as sharing them with new neighbors, is an important part of the acculturation process, especially as people negotiate and shape new roles and identities. “New Lives/New England” is organized around specific traditional art forms such as Bosnian carpet weaving, Somali Bantu embroidery, Somali Bantu wedding music and dance, Burmese/Karen weaving, Assyrian needlework and Somali storytelling.

“New Lives/New England” will be open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday beginning Friday, April 25 through Friday, May 30. Additionally, the exhibit will be open when there are programs at the HHRC and by appointment. For more information, call 207-621-3530 or visit the calendar page at hhrc.uma.edu.