Calendar of Events

2025 Book Arts Bazaar
2025-04-06 10:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success, 35 Bedford Street, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Sunday, April 6, 2025
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Location: McGoldrick Center for Career and Student Success
35 Bedford St (2nd Floor), Portland, ME

Join us for the 2025 Book Arts Bazaar, a community celebration dedicated to the fine craft of book arts. This unique gathering showcases the talents of regional book artists, papermakers, bookbinders, printmakers, educators, and writers, all coming together to share their passion for contemporary book arts.
Presented by the Kate Cheney Chappell ‘83 Center for Book Arts, this event invites the public to connect with artists and learn about the techniques that keep these cherished traditions alive.

Visitor Information
Visitors have the opportunity to explore a diverse array of handmade books, artisan paper products, and unique prints, while engaging in meaningful conversations about the rich traditions and innovations within the field.

Additionally, Portland Zine Club will be hosting zine making activities throughout the duration of the event. And visit the Husky Brew downstairs for an array of specialty café selections.
This event is FREE and open the public. Open to visitors of all ages!

Featured vendors include:
Purplebean Bindery | Lank Press | Pretend Books | Wingedprints | Bunkhouse Studio | Allison Villani | Wake Robin | Surprise! I Made It | Andy Jones | Gayle Fitzpatrick | PinkLime Creative | Fireball Bookbindery | Tempered East | Small Craft Advisory | Mermaid Bindery | Landless Craft | Pattison Paperworks | Pickwick Independent Press | Talking Heads Fine Art Studio | Dragonfly Studio | Maggie Fiori | Maya Skylark | SICK Magazine | The Kelpie Press | Cyan Pen | A CLEARING | Portmantoad Prints | Shattuck Gallery | Grant Street Editions | Benoni Press | Pencil Magazine | KCC’83CBA Crit Group | Portland Zine Club | Two Imagine Studios

Getting to the Book Arts Bazaar
The METRO Husky Bus and the METRO #4 pickup/drop-off directly in front of the McGoldrick Center for Career and Student Services. An updated bus schedule can be found on the METRO website and bus fair is $2 each way.
Additionally, a flat $8 parking rate is available to Book Arts Bazaar attendees who are interested in parking in our USM Portland Garage One, located directly across the street from the McGoldrick Center for Career and Student Success. In our digital parking interface, navigate to April 6 and find the Book Arts Bazaar event tab. From there enter your auto information and pay accordingly. Street parking is free, although limited.

A St. Jean-Baptiste Day Celebration
2025-06-24 18:00 - 21:00 | ME
The Franco-American Collection at the University of Southern Maine and the Franco Center invite you to a celebration of St. Jean-Baptiste Day!
Join us at the Franco Center, 46 Cedar St. in Lewiston, on June 24, 2025 at 6 p.m. for the event. Ticket prices include dinner. This program is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Champoux Insurance, the Québec Delegation in Boston, and TV5MONDE.
This collaboration between the USM Franco-American Collection and Franco Center promises to be an exciting tribute to St. Jean-Baptiste celebrations of days gone by. St. Jean-Baptiste, the patron saint of Québec, inspired large-scale parades, parties, and special religious masses in Lewiston between the late 19th century and the mid 20th century. According to the Sun Journal in 1940, the St. Jean-Baptiste celebration was so large, they needed two separate parades to include all the floats and participants. Traditionally, a local boy with curly, blond hair would be selected to portray St. Jean-Baptiste in the parade–and don’t worry, we’ll have pictures to prove it! If you are one of these St. Jean-Baptistes, we hope you are able to join us this June 24th to be recognized at the event.
The doors will open at 5 p.m., along with the cash bar and conversation in French and English. At 6 pm, dinner will begin. Music, featuring Robert Sylvain and Steve Muise, will begin at 6:30 p.m. and Don and Cindy Roy will take the stage at 8 p.m. accompanied by Cindy Larock who will lead contra dancing until 9 p.m. The dinner menu will include Franco-American foods, featuring Pâté chinois, pea soup, and sugar pie for dessert. There will also be a vegetarian version of Pâté chinois, and a green salad and rolls. Water, lemonade and coffee drinks are free with your ticket, and sodas and bar drinks available for purchase.
Ticket prices:

Adults: $22
Seniors: $18
Children 12 and under: $12

About the musicians:
Two friends, fiddler Steve Muise and singer Robert Sylvain play music rooted in the traditions of their shared Acadian heritage. Both from musical families, they inherited a treasure trove of catchy maritime fiddle tunes and old French-language folksongs which they bring together with modern sensibilities and original material that speaks to the continuing influence of Franco-American culture in New England. The result is a rhythmically unstoppable, lyrically fantastic blend of musical history and innovation that invites audiences from all backgrounds to revel in authentic Acadian joie de vivre.
Deux amis, le violoneur Steve Muise et le chanteur Robert Sylvain, continuent la musique de leurs ancêtres. Ils représentent une génération d’Acadiens du Maine qui veut honorer nos traditions, le même espoir trouver l’esprit nouveau d’Acadie aux Nouvelle Angleterre. Ils jouent les airs tordus, les complaintes anciennes, et les chansons folklorique et originelles, en Français, Anglais et Franglais. Ils ont joué sur la scène principale du CMA 2014 à Madawaska avec la groupe Boréal Tordu, qui a représenté les Franco-Américains dans le compilation “Des voix s’élèvants” organisé par Zachary Richard pour Le Centre de la francophonie des Amériques.
Don Roy‘s music is deeply rooted in the Franco-American tradition. From an early age, he absorbed the music that was played and enjoyed by his family. Don’s grandparents immigrated to southern Maine during the first half of the twentieth century, as did many other Quebecois families, in order to find work in local industries. Here, they formed a close-knit community that was bound by shared language, experience, faith, and music. Don evinced an interest in music at an early age; his uncle Norman Mathieu began teaching him the guitar at age six, and soon Don was playing along with other musicians at his family’s house parties.
Don met his future wife and musical partner Cindy LaBrecque in 1980; they were married in 1981. Cindy is also a musician who grew up immersed in the melodies and rhythms of Franco-American music; her grandparents came to Maine from Prince Edward Island. She has been a highly skilled stepdancer in the Franco-American tradition since her early years. Although she–like Don–began to play music on the guitar, she quickly turned to piano. Her accompaniment is fluid and rhythmic and provides a perfect foil to Don’s virtuosic fiddling.
In 1988, Don gathered Cindy and other family members and friends to form the Maine French Fiddlers. This band took the distinctive Franco-American sound to a national audience. It was featured in a number of notable venues, including the Maine Festival, the National Folk Festival, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Wolf Trap. The band appeared on “Prairie Home Companion” radio shows that were broadcast from Portland, Maine, and Mansfield, Massachusetts. Don led the Maine French Fiddlers on two successful “French Connections” tours through New England and Louisiana.
Dancing will be called and led by Cindy Larock. Cindy is a Dance instructor/caller, specializing in contras-for-beginners (both New England and French Canadian), Quebecois step dancing, ballroom (waltz, polka, tango), swing (classic East Coast) and Cajun (jitterbug, two-step and waltz). Also serves as an enthusiastic matchmaker for any number of folk music/dance artists and venues.
For more information or to reserve your seat, contact the Franco Center at 207-689-2000 or www.francocenter.org/shows. If you have questions about disability access or need to request disability accommodations, please contact the Franco Center. Requests should be made as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for the accommodation process.

MASH Cookout & Resource Fair
2025-09-17 11:00 - 13:00 | Military-Affiliated Student Hub, 39 Exeter St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
Join us for a cookout and resource fair! Eat a burger and get your questions answered between classes with campus and community resources.
Chat with: Academic Advising, Health Services, Learning Commons, Counseling, Career Hub, Disability Services, Credit for Prior Learning, and Sullivan Gym!
Meet staff from: local Vet Centers, Maine Career Center, Maine Bureau of Veterans Services, VA Maine Healthcare, and Veteran Readiness & Employment!

ArtsFest
2025-10-03 13:00 - 17:00 | Crewe Center for the Arts, 111 Bedford St, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Join us on October 3, 2025, for a day of family-friendly celebrations utilizing our exciting new spaces! Including performances, workshops, and interactive activities across the arts. No RSVP necessary — check out the schedule of activities below and mark your calendar!

All-day activities: 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Pick up a commemorative copy of the book Bob Crewe: Sight and Sound (while supplies last)
Get swag from the University of Southern Maine, Osher School of Music, Maine Public Classical, and WMPG (while supplies last)
Snag a picture with our mascot, Champ
Enjoy the exhibit Janna Ahrndt Does Not Dream of Labor

Get parking details for October 3

Special activities scheduled throughout the afternoon

In the ArtsLab
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Join exhibition artist Janna Ahrndt in conversation with fellow artist and collaborator Christine Bruening on memory’s digital trail, moderated by Gallery Director Kat Zagaria Buckley. Ahrndt and Bruening together consider how technology fosters recollections and encounters obstacles of its own design.
2:15 – 2:45 p.m.
Our dance program participants showcase upcoming work-in-progress selections for the Fall Dance Concert under the direction of Vanessa Beyland and Maria Tzianabos.
3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Ed Reichert leads a rehearsal of the upcoming Curtain Up!, a cabaret-style performance of American Musical Theatre from the golden age to today.
3:45 – 4:15 p.m.
Our Opera Theatre rehearses for the upcoming production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, directed by Malinda Haslett and accompanied by Scott Wheatley.
4:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Composer Dan Sonenberg showcases his use of digital looping technology, digital audio workstations, and acoustic instruments in advance of his faculty recital.

In the Book Arts Studio
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Observe open studio time as Book Arts students work on their pieces.
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. and 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Experience a hands-on workshop of bookbinding and printmaking activities led by the Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts Critique Group.

In the Rehearsal Hall
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Department of Theatre students perform excerpts from:

The New England premiere of A Monster Calls, directed by Rachel Price Cooper
Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind, directed by Sara Valentine

3:30 – 4:00 p.m.
A storybook comes to life as Michele Kaschub reads Linda Williams’ The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything. Participants will collaborate to create a live-performance soundscape to accompany the reading.
4:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Live your full diva fantasy and play dress up with costumes from our Opera Theatre collection. Don’t forget to snap lots of selfies!

In the Performance Hall
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Get an up-close, on-stage look at the Steinway Spirio technology as M. Steinert and Sons’ Vice President Patrick Elisha demonstrates the instrument. Demos will be repeated multiple times throughout this timeslot.
3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Osher School of Music students in Aaron Henry’s Jazz Combo perform.
3:45 – 4:15 p.m.
Enjoy a video of the Crewe Center construction from the groundbreaking to now, with interviews from the USM community. The video plays on a loop throughout this timeslot.
4:15 – 5:00 p.m.
Observe an open rehearsal of our Chamber Choir led by Osher School of Music Director and Head of Choral Activities Kyle Nielsen.

In studio room 153
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Maine Public Classical broadcasts live from the Crewe Center with roaming reporters capturing the day’s events. (Tune in for the pre-show from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.!)

In studio room 155
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
WMPG will be broadcasting on-site; stop by to see DJs and hosts in action!

In classroom 168
1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Native American Waiver and Educational Program Coordinator, John Bear Mitchell, from the University of Maine System office, leads a discussion and demonstration about Wabanaki music.
2:45 – 3:15 p.m.
Music educator Casey Schmidt leads attendees in a free group improvisation. No musical experience is necessary to participate!
4:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Alan Kaschub demonstrates 21st-century practice techniques that utilize technology, including flex beat metronomes and multitracking.

Outside on the Tony Shalhoub '77 Performance Plaza
1:30 – 2:00 p.m.
Casey Schmidt leads our Wind Ensemble on selections from the wind band repertoire.
2:15 – 2:45 p.m.
Our Jazz Ensemble, led by Chris Oberholtzer, performs standards and new pieces from a variety of jazz composers.
4:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Osher School of Music students in RJ Miller’s Jazz Combo perform.

Event parking
Park for free in the University of Southern Maine Parking Garage (88 Bedford St., Portland, ME 04101) by selecting “Crewe Center Ribbon Cutting Day” when you start a parking session.
Get full parking details for October 3

Additionally, the Portland METRO Husky Bus and the METRO #4 pickup/drop-off are about a five-minute walk from the Glickman Family Library. An updated bus schedule can be found on the METRO website, and bus fare is $2 each way.

Book Binding + Printmaking at the KCCCBA
2025-10-03 15:00 - 17:00 | Book Arts Studio — Crewe Center for the Arts, 111 Bedford St, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
We’re celebrating the new Crewe Center for the Arts on the University of Southern Maine Portland campus, and we’re inviting the public to join us in celebration! As part of the festivities, the Kate Cheney Chappell Center for Book Arts is hosting free book binding + printmaking activities in our brand new Book Arts Studio. Bring friends and family to explore the new space during the building-wide ArtsFest involving music, theatre, dance, book arts and more!

What: Book Binding + Printmaking activities as part of University of Southern Maine ArtsFest programmingWhere: Crewe Center for the Arts, 111 Bedford St. Studio 160, Portland, MaineWhen: Friday October 3rd from 3pm-5pmCost: Free!
This event is part of ArtsFest, which celebrates the grand opening of the Crewe Center for the Arts. ArtsFest activities are free and open to the public.

Event parking
Park for free in the University of Southern Maine Parking Garage (88 Bedford St., Portland, ME 04101) by selecting “Crewe Center Ribbon Cutting Day” when you start a parking session.
Get full parking details for October 3

Additionally, the Portland METRO Husky Bus and the METRO #4 pickup/drop-off are about a five-minute walk from the Glickman Family Library. An updated bus schedule can be found on the METRO website, and bus fare is $2 each way.

Octoberfest!
2025-10-04 12:00 - 15:00 | Parking Lot G8 — Russell Hall, 24 University Way, Gorham, ME, 04038, United States
Come enjoy our annual Octoberfest event! Featuring delicious local food trucks, carnival games, music, pumpkin painting, and more! Saturday, October 4th, from 12pm – 3pm, stop by anytime. This event is open to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and families – we hope to see you there!

2026 Annual Book Arts Bazaar
2026-04-11 10:00 - 16:00 | McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success, 35 Bedford Street, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Join us for the 2026 Annual Book Arts Bazaar, a vibrant community celebration dedicated to the fine craft of book arts. This unique gathering showcases the talents of regional book artists, papermakers, bookbinders, printmakers, educators, and writers, all coming together to share their passion for contemporary book arts.

Visitors have the opportunity to explore a diverse array of handmade books, artisan paper products, and unique prints, making it the perfect place to find thoughtful gifts, spark creativity, and engage in meaningful conversations about the rich traditions and innovations within the field. Whether you are a seasoned artist, an aspiring creator, there’s something for everyone at the Bazaar.

Proudly presented by the Kate Cheney Chappell ‘83 Center for Book Arts at the University of Southern Maine, this event invites the public to connect with artists and learn about the techniques that keep these cherished traditions alive. Don’t miss this chance to immerse yourself in the artistry of books and meet the people who make it happen!

What: 2026 Book Arts BazaarWhen: Saturday April 11, 2026 | 10am – 4pmWhere: McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success35 Bedford St. (2nd Floor) Portland, ME 04101Cost: FREE

Event Details
Parking is available in our University of Southern Maine Portland Garages 1 and 2 at a rate of $4.15 per hour. You may reserve your parking ahead of time via the USM Parking Interface. Additionally, the Portland METRO Husky Bus and the METRO #4 pickup/drop-off directly in front of the Crewe Center Deering Avenue entrance. An updated bus schedule can be found on the METRO website and bus fair is $2 each way.
