“New Lives/New England,” a traveling exhibition and series of artist presentations, will have its opening night on Thursday, April 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Michael Klahr Center, home of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine (HHRC), on the UMA campus in Augusta. A special performance is in the works for opening night. The exhibit will run through Friday, May 30.

“New Lives/New England,” is an exhibition that explores the role traditional arts play in helping newcomers create a new home in the New England states. Weaving a kilim, applying henna before a wedding, or making a market basket are traditions, and their longtime practitioners serve as touchstones for fellow refugees and new immigrant community members, artfully reminding people of who they are and where they came from.

Central to the exhibit is the idea that continuing to practice familiar artistic traditions, as well as sharing them with new neighbors, is an important part of the acculturation process, especially as people negotiate and shape new roles and identities. “New Lives/New England,” is organized around specific traditional art forms such as Bosnian carpet weaving, Somali Bantu embroidery, Somali Bantu wedding music and dance, Burmese/Karen weaving, Assyrian needlework and Somali storytelling.

Organized by Cultural Resources of Rockport. The exhibit is collaboration with the Vermont Folklife Center and the Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program. It is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, Traditional and Folk Arts Program and the Quimby Family Foundation.

“New Lives/New England,” is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The exhibit will also be open when there are programs at the HHRC and by appointment. For more information, call 207-621-3530 or visit the calendar page at www.hhrc.maine.edu.