Officials with the Wintergreen Arts Center and the University of Maine at Presque Isle are making final preparations for their second annual blank canvas event, the 12×12 Art Auction, which will feature original works by more than 50 artists from throughout Aroostook County, the nation, and Canada. 12×12—a fundraiser that will help officials to establish a Cultural Center in the downtown area—will be held Friday, May 3, from 6-9 p.m. at the Wintergreen Arts Center during the May 2013 First Friday Art Walk. The community is invited to attend this free event. Light refreshments will be served.

The staff of the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s literary journal is celebrating the publication of its latest issue with an official Upcountry Reading and Launch Party at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 25 in the Normal Hall Faculty Lounge.

This very special Spring/Summer 2013 “Town and Gown” issue includes a bountiful selection of written and visual works from both campus and community members, some of them returning contributors and others who are new writers to the journal’s pages.

Live classical music returns to the University of Maine at Presque Isle with some contemporary twists when composer and pianist John Newell performs in the Campus Center on Wednesday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend this free concert by the Lubec-based musician.

Newell’s performance, American Landscapes, will include the works of Samuel Barber, Charles Ives, George Gershwin, Philip Glass, and a new work by University of Maine at Fort Kent faculty member and fellow composer Scott Brickman. Newell, who will also perform one of his own original works, said he chose this particular program to represent the wide range of musical styles in American music during the past 100 years.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Fine Art Gallery will present Revelations by UMPI Art Professor Anderson Giles from April 22 through June 8, 2013. The public is invited to view the exhibition throughout the show’s run and gather for a gallery reception, being held in conjunction with the Presque Isle First Friday Art Walk, on Friday, May 3 from 5-7 p.m. A gallery talk with the artist will take place at 5:30 p.m.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle will host its Annual Career & Job Fair in the Campus Center from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 25. Twenty businesses and governmental agencies from the region and across the state are expected to participate in the event.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle is pleased to present Bunny McBride—the award-winning author of four books, the co-author of the world’s leading cultural anthropology textbook, and President of the Women’s World Summit Foundation based in Geneva—as the next speaker in its 2012-2013 Distinguished Lecturer Series.

McBride will deliver her talk Passages & Portages: Reflections on Writing about Women across Cultures on Thursday, April 18, at 7 p.m., in the Campus Center. Her presentation is free and open to the public.

From mass customized learning and zebrafish to storytelling and jogging for justice, students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle will showcase their academic research, scholarly work and community service on Wednesday, April 10, during University Day. The theme of this year’s event is Linking Generations through Teaching and Learning.

University Day is an event that heightens students’ awareness of the work being done by peers in all of the disciplines represented on campus. The annual campus event allows students to better understand how disciplines interrelate and how the academic work they do applies to the local and global community. It is also an opportunity for students to experience a professional conference format. No regular classes are held during University Day, but in their stead, students are encouraged to attend student-led presentations and talks held during six sessions throughout the day.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle is pleased to present Dr. Richard Keeling, a nationally recognized expert on transformative change for higher education, as the next speaker in its 2012-2013 Distinguished Lecturer Series. Dr. Keeling will deliver his talk The Future of College: Rethinking American Higher Education, which also serves as the keynote for UMPI’s 12th Annual University Day, on Tuesday, April 9 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center. His presentation is free and open to the public.

University of Maine System Chancellor James Page will speak on The University of Maine System: Challenges & Opportunities during the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce’s upcoming business breakfast, to be held from 7:30 to 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 11 in the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Campus Center.

As he completes his first year as Chancellor, Dr. Page will share his perspective on Maine’s seven public universities and how they are working with our state’s businesses to drive economic development. He will also provide an update on several strategic initiatives underway during the past year at the System.