Past Exhibitions

Faces of Literacy, Voices of Courage

The special exhibition Faces Of Literacy, Voices Of Courage celebrates hope and success by highlighting people who have changed their lives through the Maine Literacy Volunteers Network. This special exhibition includes about 20 photographs of Maine literacy learners, their tutors, and families by students and recent graduates of Portland's Maine College of Art. The project will premiere with a special event in Portland on September 17 and will then travel to different venues throughout the state. The Saco Museum is proud to be the premiere exhibition venue for this thought-provoking and wide-ranging project. Faces of Literacy, Voices of Courage will be on view at the Saco Museum through November 15, 2009.

Presented by Literacy Volunteers of Maine (LV Maine), Faces Of Literacy: Voices Of Courage aims to erase the stigmatized, narrow world that surrounds adults with low literacy. Fifteen percent of Maine's population struggle with reading to the degree that activities of daily living are often compromised. Each year, over 1,000 adults bravely step into Literacy Volunteers offices throughout Maine to better their lives and open new doors with the help of dedicated tutors. Still, over 200,000 Mainers need help with literacy to become more independent citizens.

In a first-ever collaboration with Literacy Volunteers of Maine, photography students from the Maine College of Art have traveled the state to create compelling portraits of real people who have achieved literacy. These portraits will be exhibited with their extraordinary individual stories at the Saco Museum, as well as at the event on September 17. The photographers are Melissa DiPaola, Ashley Earl, Jeff Fujiu, Diane Wren, Jessica Perro and Emma Sampson.

A special evening of entertainment will take place September 17th at Portland's Abromson Community Education Center, headlined by Vicki Myron, author of the #1 New York Times adult best seller Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched The World. Festivities begin at 5:15 with a reception of live jazz of The Clam Flat Five, hors d'oeuvres, raffles, book buying, viewing the photography exhibit, and more. The stage program follows at 6:00 pm, with a book signing at 7:30. Tickets are $25; $15 for teens/students/seniors. All proceeds benefit the nonprofit Maine Literacy Volunteers Network. To purchase tickets or to learn how to be a program sponsor, call 207-773-3191, 1-800-322-5455, or email info@lvmaine.org.

About Literacy Volunteers of Maine:
Literacy Volunteers of Maine is dedicated to increasing access to literacy services. Our fourteen LV affiliates provide free, confidential reading instruction to over 1,000 adults each year through a network of dedicated and well-trained tutors. www.lvmaine.org.

About Maine College of Art:
Maine College of Art delivers a demanding and enlivening education in visual art and design within an intimate learning community. The College teaches each student how to transform aspirations and values into a creative practice that serves as the foundation for a lifelong pursuit of personal and professional goals. www.meca.edu.

Image credit: George Heino, Rockland 2009
Photograph by Jeff Fujiu