The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Fine Art Gallery will feature the works of several Aroostook County artists as part of JUST LINE, a juried exhibition connected with a statewide drawing initiative. The JUST LINE exhibition will be on display from Feb. 27 to April 2.

JUST LINE is one of many exhibitions that will take place throughout Maine in 2011 as part of Maine’s statewide initiative Where to Draw the Line: The Maine Drawing Project. The Maine Drawing Project was developed through the unique collaboration of Maine arts organizations called the Maine Curators Group. Twenty venues will offer exhibitions that celebrate the medium of drawing throughout the 2011 calendar year and range from drawing directly on gallery walls, to computer algorithms, to sketches of the northern Maine winters. This is the first time a statewide initiative concerned solely with drawing in its many forms and mediums has been undertaken.

While many exhibitions across the state will feature works from the permanent collections of Maine galleries and museums, the exhibition at UMPI’s Reed Gallery is more community-focused. Reed Gallery Director Sandra Huck conceived the idea of a juried exhibition so that the drawings of northern Maine artists could be featured in the gallery as part of the statewide drawing project. The works on display in the JUST LINE exhibition were submitted by Aroostook County artists during a call for submissions sent out last year.

“I thought it was time to feature Aroostook County artists in this highly visible way and let their work serve as the focal point of this region’s participation in the Maine Drawing Project,” Huck said. “We have so much talent here.”

There will be a reception for the exhibition – with several of the local artists attending – on Friday, March 4 from 5 to 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be served and the public is invited to attend. This reception is also part of Presque Isle’s “First Friday Downtown Art Walk.” Art lovers are encouraged to make UMPI the first stop on their tour of exhibiting and performing artists.

The Reed Fine Art Gallery is open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The gallery is closed Sundays and university holidays. For more information about this event, please contact Reed Gallery Director Sandra Huck at 768-9611. To learn more about the Maine Drawing Project, visit http://chitna.asap.um.maine.edu/mainedrawing/.