YORK

Russian icon maker offers workshop on icon painting

Additional Photos

“Mother-of-God-of-Vladimir” by Marina Forbes, who will lead a workshop, “The Art of Icon Painting,” at the York Art Association. Courtesy photo

Marina Forbes, a Russian icon maker, teacher and lecturer, will offer a workshop, “The Art of Icon Painting,” from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for four Tuesdays beginning this week at the York Art Association, 393 York St. It is a hands-on studio workshop for students interested in creating traditional Russian icons. The program will include a discussion and demonstration of traditional materials and methods.

Students will create their own icons using traditional and contemporary materials and methods. They will learn about board and painting surface preparation, gessoing, image rendering, pigments, brush stroke techniques, detailing, highlighting, gilding, Old Slavonic lettering and varnishing. For more information, call Forbes at (603) 332-2255 or by e-mail at marina@anylanguage.org.

FARMINGTON

Writer McNair to read from new collection of poetry

Wesley McNair, professor emeritus and writer in residence at the University of Maine at Farmington, will launch his new book, “Lovers of the Lost: New & Selected Poems,” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Landing in the UMF Olsen Student Center. The reading is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a signing.

“Lovers of the Lost” represents more than 40 years of McNair’s poetry. The recipient of numerous prizes for his poetry, McNair has held grants from the Guggenheim and Fulbright foundations, two Rockefeller fellowships and two grants in creative writing from the National Endowment for the Arts. He recently read his poems at the Library of Congress and was selected for a United States Artists Fellowship as one of “America’s finest living artists.”

A guest editor in poetry for the 2010 Pushcart Prize anthology, McNair has served four times on the nominating jury for the Pulitzer Prize in poetry.

ROCKLAND

Farnsworth Art Museum presents award June 26

The Farnsworth Art Museum will present its annual Maine in America award to Alex Katz. The summer gala and award ceremony will be at 6 p.m. June 26 at the Rockland museum. Tickets cost $250 per person, and seating is limited to 300 people. Call 596-6457, ext. 143.

WESTBROOK

Artist in residence gives talk, presents work Tuesday

Mikael Kennedy, artist in residence at the Bakery Photographic Collective, will give a talk and present work inspired by the American landscape at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the collective’s studio in the Dana Warp Mill, 90 Bridge St., Suite 265. His talk is free and open to the public.

PORTLAND

MECA viewbook wins award in education communication

The Maine College of Art “viewbook” won a Communication Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. The award recognizes outstanding achievement in higher education, independent school and nonprofit organization communications.

The college produces its “viewbook” every two years to provide prospective undergraduate students with an overview of the college and the 10 available majors in the bachelor of fine arts program at MECA. The “viewbook” is a series of 24 unstapled pages resembling the format of a newspaper or alternative magazine. The pages fold twice to fit into a die-cut sleeve.

Judges assess design, content and writing, as well as the use of photography, graphics and technology.

The publication was designed by Janet Friskey of Friskey Design, with copy by Gabe Goldberg, photography by Richard Howard and project management by Molly Hunt.

Photographer will show exhibition from Chile

Portland photographer Elizabeth Horton will show landscape photography from Chile in a benefit exhibition on Monday at Nosh, 551 Congress St. Horton lived in Chile in the 1990s, working in Santiago and traveling across the country.

Monday’s exhibition will raise money for the earthquake relief effort in Chile. Admission is $5, and proceeds go directly to the Red Cross.