MACHIAS – The University of Maine at Machias’ Art Galleries will showcase a new exhibition celebrating the Passamaquoddy petroglyphs of Washington County. The show opens Friday and runs through July 18.

“The Equinox Petroglyph Project: Interpretations by Women and Children Art Exhibition” features works by 22 women artists, native and non-native, and by more than 30 Passamaquoddy children.

There will be an opening reception, including a Passamaquoddy welcoming ceremony and live music, from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday.

The exhibit’s interpretive works include paintings, drawings, printmaking, beadwork, basketry, handmade drums, photography, wool felting, poetry, essays, short stories and original musical compositions. The children who contributed art are fifth- through eighth-graders who attend school at both the Pleasant Point and Indian Township reservations.

“Starting with a mere idea expressed in conversation last summer, it is thrilling to see the impressive collection of more than 100 artworks that have been created through the Equinox Project,” said Stephanie Francis, a Passamaquoddy who is the curator and originator of the project. “This exhibition is the result of that effort. It’s our hope that many more people will become aware of the rich Native American history of Down East Maine.

“Some contend that the tribes had a matriarchal tradition before European influences were felt,” Francis continued. “We thought it was an appropriate time to seek out women and children to bring their perceptions and impressions of the stories that have been told in stone.”

A nonprofit organization, the Maluhsi-Hikon Petroglyph Foundation, was formed to preserve, research and further educate about the petroglyphs and ancient Passamaquoddy culture.

The foundation, the sponsor of the exhibition, is raising funds to build a public educational center to facilitate further study of the petroglyphs and the Passamaquoddy culture.

The exhibition will travel throughout Maine, the Northeast and other parts of the United States over three years.

After a one-month show at UMM, the exhibition will shift to the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor from Aug. 22 through Jan. 3, 2009. There will be a formal Autumnal Equinox opening on Sept. 21 at the Abbe Museum. From Sept. 18 through Oct. 11, 2009, it is scheduled to be at the Tides Institute in Eastport. Other venues will be announced as they are secured.

To learn more about the project, go to www.equinoxpetroglyphproject.org. For information about the exhibit, contact Stephanie Francis at stephanie.francis@maine.edu or at 858-3005.