FARMINGTON — The Emery Community Arts Center on the University of Maine Farmington campus plans to present a series of events organized by TUG Collective, an interdisciplinary arts collective, that focus on contemporary restorative justice and social issues and their community impact.

The events are part of “Freedom & Captivity,” a year-long statewide initiative, which culminate in an art exhibit entitled “sea/sky, blood, earth, you.” All events are held at the Emery Community Arts Center on Main Street, and are free and open to the public.

Events include a Franklin County Community Action Meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 3 p.m., featuring TUG Collective, Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition, Maine Prisoner Reentry Network and Maine Coastal Reentry Center.

An open conversation facilitated by Bruce Noddin, Maine Prisoner Reentry Network; and Robyn Goff, Maine Coastal Reentry Center. The MPRN and MCRRC team want to hear from community members and invite Franklin County community leaders, substance use and mental health professionals, nonprofits, churches, MDOC and  County Jail partners, volunteers, re-entry specialists, formerly incarcerated and members of the public to join the conversation. Link for Community Action Conversation registration (registration is for purposes of seat capacity, not COVID): https://forms.gle/q65FSkh8TVgcC6P99

The exhibit “sea/sky, blood, earth, you” is to run Monday, Nov. 1, to Thursday, Dec. 9.

The opening reception is Thursday, Nov. 4, at 5 p.m., followed by a 20-minute presentation by Jan Collins, assistant director of Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition. In addition, there will be a 15-minute workshop performance of Larraine Brown’s play “For the Next Guy,” based on the life of Norman Kehling who survived 30 years of incarceration, seven of which were spent in isolation. The evening will close with a community Q&A and conversation with Collins, Kehling, Brown and actor David Troup.

“An Evening with Maine Inside Out” is to be held Monday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Maine Inside Out is a statewide community of system impacted artists and change makers. It creates and shares original art to analyze social problems, to imagine and practice community-led solutions and to advocate for structural change.

Masks are required at all indoor events on UMF’s campus. All visitors to arts center will be screened for COVID symptoms and required to register with name and contact information (either phone number or email address) upon entry. This information will only be used if the university needs to conduct contact tracing in the event of a confirmed exposure to the coronavirus.

For more information, contact April Mulherin, UMF associate director for media relations, at 207-778-7081 or april.mulherin@maine.edu.

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