ACCESSIBLE ART

A visit to the University of Maine Museum of Art may have been on your list of leisure options ever since it moved to downtown Bangor five years ago. But for some reason, the visit never happened. Maybe it was a priority, but other distractions intervened. Now’s the time to go.

Why? For one, because it’s free. Thanks to a donation by Machias Savings Bank, in memory of Bangor lawyer and arts supporter Ted Leonard, admission is free through the end of 2008. A second reason is that the museum has become a tasty treat in the Greater Bangor cultural smorgasbord, one that should not be passed over by anyone who is proud of their community.

Some may be tempted to dismiss art – especially the kind that hangs in a university museum – as fitting only for the latte-sipping, Sunday New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving crowd. Not so. Art is entertainment. Just as watching a football game on TV, reading the new Stephen King or Richard Russo novels, or hearing a great band at the American Folk Festival are all entertainment.

Forget about trying to decipher the Great Truth About Life that the painter tried to convey on canvas; instead, stand quietly and look. Be sure to be at least twice as far back as the canvas is high; you can step forward for a closer examination of the technique later. For now, just let the colors, textures and shapes work their magic on your eye, your heart and your head. Are they soothing? Disturbing? Perhaps they elicit memories, reminding you of a glimpse of sea through fir trees on a visit to the coast, the way the sun shines on the old pine floors of your house in late afternoon, or the way the sky looks just before a thunderstorm.

Maybe the scene depicted speaks of loneliness, or peace, or perhaps it crackles with so much energy it puts you on edge. Abstract art, such as the eight pieces by renowned artist Angelo Ippolito donated to the museum’s permanent collection by his son, University of Maine professor Jon Ippolito, makes you work harder. But don’t be intimidated; react.

The old cliche, “I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like,” is actually as profound and true an explanation of the relationship between viewer and art object as any 500-page volume of art criticism.

Machias Savings Bank’s donation toward free admission will help draw new visitors and ensure that the museum will be a vibrant venue in the years and decades to come. The UMaine Museum of Art is located in Norumbega Hall at 40 Harlow St. The current exhibit, “A Legacy of Collecting: 1983-Present,” will be on view through April 5.