Albert tells story through art exhibit

    FORT KENT — “Everyone has a story to tell, from the young to the old, the learned to the ignorant, man or woman, everyone has a tale to narrate. Even you do. These tales can be many years old, or from just the other day, no matter how short, how old, how insignificant, a tale is a tale, and should be told,” stated Bhava Albert, local artist.     Albert also has a story to tell. But rather than indulge in her own experiences, she prefers to delve into her very own exhibition entitled, “Tales of Ancient India,” on display through the month of July at the University of Maine at Fort Kent’s Blake Library Gallery.
    The exhibition will be filled with stories rich with exotic flavor and steeped in religion. These are tales filled with love, war, betrayal, and courage. Heroes rise to face daunting challenges, villains create insidious schemes, and demons attack without warning — they are among the oldest and most fascinating of tales ever to be narrated.
    From the countless stories Albert has selected from favorite passages and has them displayed for all to see. The graphite drawings are the scenes as she see them, transferred from her mind onto paper offering glimpses into the ancient times of India, when demons, gods, and heroes flourished.
    “I can only hope that you enjoy these amazing tales as much as I did when I first experienced them, all those years ago,” said Albert.
    “While being hundreds of years old, I still feel these stories are very personal to me,” said the artist. “These are tales I grew up listening to, my mother reading them to me before I drifted off to sleep. Some of these stories are relatable to me, perhaps even to you. They inspired my imagination and creativity, motivated me to practice and hone my skills, and helped to mold me into the artist you see before you. I would not be the person I am today without them,” she added.
    Albert is 23 years old and lives in St. John. She was born in West Virginia. Albert love to read books, draw, paint, write stories, and play video games. She recently graduated from the University of Maine at Presque Isle with a bachelor in arts degree. Albert has been a follower of ISKCON, a religion from India, her entire life because of this, she is a strict vegetarian (no meat, eggs, fish or fowl. No gelatin, either). She drew from her religion and its many stories and tales to create her exhibition. Albert is considering going to a graduate school, where she plans to major in art.
    The exhibit can be viewed during regular library hours.  For more information on the exhibit, contact Sofia Birden, gallery curator, at 834-7527.