AIO's 3rd Annual
ArtFeeds, Artists in Action Against Food Insecurity
A partnership with AIO, the community's vibrant artists, Page Gallery, and the Maine State Correctional Facility.
Well-known local artists create their own bowl or work with a wooden bowl carved and donated by residents of the Maine State Correctional Facility’s woodworking program.
An exhibition of participating artist bowls will be on display at Page Gallery in Camden, September 19-28. An online silent auction will run these same dates, with a closing reception on Saturday, September 28.
All funds raised will support AIO's programs.
ArtFeeds Gallery Exhibition: September 19-28, 2024
ArtFeeds Background
AIO has a long tradition of harnessing the talents and innovative ideas of Midcoast Maine’s creative community to make the connection between food and art. ArtFeeds, Artists-in-Action Against Food Insecurity, a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the community’s vibrant artists, Page Gallery and the Maine State Correctional Facility, to highlight AIO’s programs.
In 2022, twenty-eight well-known local artists participated and in 2023 thirty-six artists participated, either creating their own bowl or working with a wooden bowl carved and donated by residents of the Maine State Correctional Facility’s woodworking program.
The collection of finished bowls were part of a one week exhibition at Page Gallery in Camden, culminating with a reception and silent auction. The two silent auctions raised over $56,000 o benefit AIO’s programs.
Filmmaker David Berez and photographer Tara Rice documented artists at work and their process of creating the bowls. You can view the film at the bottom of this page. ArtFeeds was featured in DownEast which can be read here.
We are fortunate to live in a vibrant art community here in Midcoast Maine. This collaboration demonstrates what we can do when we combine the unique talents and compassion of our community members to help fight hunger. ”
2024 ArtFeeds Bowls
Susan Williams
Margaret Rizzio
Nathaniel Meyer
Truth Hawk
Tara Morin
Nancy Glassman
Meghan Brady
Resident of the Maine State Corrections Facility
Alanna Hernandez
Colin Page
Annie Bailey
Avery Reed
Eric Darling
Laura Waller
Eric Hopkins
Janet Horton
Amy Lowry
Ariana Killoran
Leecia Price
Hannah Berta
Caroline Dishop
Hélène Farrar
Ileana Appleton
Ingrid Ellison
Carol Sloane
Beth Bull
Barbara Sullivan
Catherine Steiner-Adair
Tyler Weeks
Amy Files
Doug Smith
Alexis Iammarino
How to bid:
Go to our online bidding platform:
Create a new account (or sign in if you already have a Bidding Owl account)
FAQ
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Bidding begins on Sunday, September 19 and ends at 5:00 PM on Saturday, September 28.
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No, all bidding is online. However, there will be assistance to set up you online bidding account at Page Gallery on Saturday, September 28. The closing reception is from 4:00-5:00pm, with closing bids by 5:00pm.
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Nope…online bidding can be done from anywhere! Just be sure to check in on your items frequently so you are not outbid.
Click on Categories > All
Enter your bid.
Note - you can set notifications in your account settings to be notified when a new bid is received on an item you are bidding on or watching.
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Yes, we have a flat rate of $40 for packaging and shipping. Some items may require additional packaging and insurance which will be added at the time of shipping.
2024 ArtFeeds Participating Artists
Margaret Rizzio
Annie Bailey
Barbara Sullivan
Caroline Dishop
Beth Bull
Colin Page
Carol Sloane
Hannah Berta
Hélène Farrar
Ileana Appleton Foster
Eric Hopkins
Ingrid Ellison
Laura Waller
Leecia Price
Susan Williams
Meghan Brady
Nancy Glassman
Nathaniel Meyer
Tara Morin
Truth Hawk
Alanna Hernandez
Alexis Iammarino
Amy Lowry
Amy Files
Ariana Killoran
Avery Reed
Janet Horton
Catherine Steiner-Adair
Tyler Weeks
Eric Darling
Maine State Prison Handmade Wooden Bowls
Maine Department of Corrections
Commissioner Randal Liberty
“This partnership is personal”, says Maine Department of Corrections Commissioner Randall Liberty. “I grew up food insecure, I grew up with that shame and fear. No one should have to go through that. The impact of this trauma has informed my professional outlook. The Maine Department of Corrections operates within a framework of transforming lives, just like AIO. We believe in rehabilitation, humanism, and reducing stigma. We believe in being of service to the community. Residents bake, grow and harvest thousands of pounds of food specifically for the benefit of those food insecure in the mid coast.
Innovative programs and collaborative efforts, like ArtFeeds, ensure food is accessible to all, reduces stigma, and allows those incarcerated artists and farmers a pathway to personal and community redemption”, says Maine Department of Corrections Commissioner Liberty. “We share in AIO’s vision to have a hunger-free community.”
ArtFeeds bowls were designed and handcrafted specifically for this project at the Maine State Prison in Warren, ME.
Highlights from 2022
“I think we should all do whatever we can to help end food insecurity. ”
— Lese Bécu
“For my bowl collaboration with AIO, I have returned to my Penobscot series where I continue to be inspired by the abundance of life within the Penobscot Bay.”
— Peter Walls
“Participating in ArtFeeds allows me to support an important cause in the community -- where I've lived nearly all my life -- while doing what I love most -- art!
— Caroline Dishop
“I am honored to be part of this project because I truly believe in the work AIO is doing. No one in our community should be without food or heat.”
— Margaret Rizzio
I'm honored to be a part of ArtFeeds and to bring awareness to AIO. I want people to be aware that resources like this exist. Help for people in our community who need food and heating assistance is so important.
— Ileana Appleton Foster
“This collaboration is a complex and layered issue, and I hope the project will lead to important questions and conversations, while directly supporting local families."
— Hannah Wade
The bowl is a vessel to gather around, to collect nourishing food, and to feed our families from. With my painted bowl, I wanted to honor the way AIO serves the same purpose.
— Colin Page
For me, the project had to be a collaboration between the incarcerated individual who made the bowl and myself—a balance between our skill sets. I wanted to work with what is here while simultaneously acknowledging what is not: the ability of some people to fill this bowl with food.
-Susan Williams
— Eric Hopkins
PHOTOS BY TARA RICE PHOTOGRAPHY