Museum L-A’s new gallery exhibit “Beau-frog: The Art of Peter Archambault,” is on display through Jan. 5 in the Bates Mill Complex at 35 Canal St.
The exhibit explores the Franco-American experience through a new medium: cartoons, features the artwork and political cartoons of Peter Archambault, a native of Madawaska, according to a news release from the museum.
Archambault’s artwork, featured monthly in a Franco-American publication at the University of Maine at Orono, Le F.A.R.O.G. Forum, provided rich political commentary, an investigation into immigration practices, and an exploration of the Franco-American culture in Maine and New England.
Despite this work being created for the Franco-American students on the Orono campus, the cultural exploration found in Archambault’s cartoon drawings can speak to the experiences of the people in the community of Lewiston-Auburn, a place deeply affected by French Canadian immigration since the 1850s.
While on display in the Museum L-A gallery, his work gives visitors the chance to explore these themes of immigration and cultural identity through the unique medium of cartoons, and allows them to come up with their own interpretations and conclusions about the meaning behind the art.
“Beau-frog: The Art of Peter Archambault” was created in partnership with The Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine and the UMaine Franco American Programs.
“This exhibit comes to our gallery space at a very appropriate time, since Museum L-A is dedicating Fall 2018 to talking about immigration at the local and national level through the Becoming American program,” Museum L-A’s Director of Education and Outreach, Kate Webber said, according to the release.
Becoming American is a public program that features films, discussions, and a wide variety of events across the twin cities in collaboration with more than 20 community partners.
For more information, visit museumla.org.
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