PORTLAND – The Portland law firm Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson has launched the Maine Arts Initiative, a series of programs aimed at providing legal and technical expertise and education to arts organizations and artists. The first program will be held April 3 at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the Maine College of Art, in Portland.

“Our goal is to support the arts in Maine, not simply by financial support, but rather by providing the arts community with the key information it needs to flourish,” said a Bernstein, Shur attorney, Jack Montgomery, who also is an artistic photographer. “We will be presenting a series of programs that will give arts organizations, administrators, board members and artists the tools to succeed.”

The first program on April 3 will focus on issues confronting arts organizations, such as basic legal and tax issues, as well as sources of public and private funding. Speakers will include: Chris Crossman, director of the Farnsworth Museum and former chairman of the Maine Arts Commission; Mark Bessire, director of the Institute of Contemporary Art at the Maine College of Art; Nelson Toner and Jim Houle of Bernstein, Shur, who are experts on tax and nonprofit issues; and Sonni Fogel, director of the Maine Philanthropy Center.

“We are very pleased that the institute has made its space available for this program,” Montgomery said. “It underscores the collaboration between the Maine arts community and our law firm in moving forward with the Arts Initiative.”

To register, those who are interested may call Diane Langton at Bernstein, Shur, at 774-1200, Ext. 7107, or Jack Montgomery at 774-1200, Ext. 7249.