PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Fine Art Gallery will present the 2024 senior thesis exhibition by fine art major Dylan Ouellette from Friday, April 5, through Friday, April 19.
The exhibition will be open for the Presque Isle First Friday Art Walk on Friday, April 5 from 6-8 p.m. and during regular gallery hours through the next two weeks. The public is invited to view the exhibition throughout the show’s run and attend the opening reception on April 5. The Reed Gallery is located on the second floor of the University’s Center for Innovative Learning.
In his thesis exhibition entitled “Heated”, Presque Isle artist Dylan Ouellette creates a dialogue between the traditional and the contemporary by integrating modern technology and an original approach to color with classic ceramic forms inspired by Greek amphora vessels and Korean moon jars. The exhibition will feature nearly one hundred ceramic pieces in a wide variety of sizes and colors, with some featuring electrical circuitry, lighting, and motorization, as well as the integration of glass elements.
“The use of color in my work brings attention to the traditional forms while giving it a sense of originality and modernity. Integrating circuitry and lighting with these forms brings a new narrative to the traditional artistic practice of ceramics, influencing the viewer’s experience through the interplay of form, lighting, color, and materials,” Ouellette said.
“Dylan has shown tremendous artistic growth over the past year as a visual artist, continually challenging himself and pushing the boundaries of his chosen medium,” Gallery Director Frank Sullivan, who also teaches the senior thesis project course at UMPI, said. “We are very excited about presenting Dylan’s work in the Reed Gallery and encourage everyone in the community to come and see the fruits of his labor.”
Ouellette will be graduating from UMPI with his bachelor of fine arts degree this spring. In addition to creating art, he enjoys teaching and sharing his passion for art with others. He currently works for the university as a teaching assistant in the ceramics studio through an internship program and he has created The Ceramic Project, through which he plans to teach pottery classes from his home studio. Upon graduating from UMPI, he will be pursuing graduate studies at the Maine College of Art through its low residency MFA program.
The public is invited to attend a reception on Friday, April 5 from 6-8 p.m. The artist will be giving a brief presentation about his work and will be available to discuss it and answer questions. Light refreshments will be served.
The Reed Art Gallery is located on the upper floor of the Center for Innovative Learning in the heart of the UMPI campus at 181 Main St. in Presque Isle. Gallery hours are:
Mondays through Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Fridays, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and
Sunday, 2-10 p.m.
The Reed Art Gallery is closed on Saturdays and holidays.
For more information, contact Sullivan at frank.sullivan@maine.edu or 207-694-1920. For more information about Ouellette’s work, visit his website at https://theceramicproject.com/.
