When sound artist Dianne Ballon was awarded a Maine Artist Fellowship from the Maine Arts Commission in 2021, in lieu of returning to the Arctic where she has recorded sound, she took the opportunity to focus on her coastal sound series at home on the coast of Maine.  Through the sound work she has recorded and mixed over the past fellowship year, Dianne will introduce listeners to the beauty and the richness of sound. She will share the stories behind the sounds, including the difficulties of field recording, recording bell buoys from the water, and the discovery of a “lost” sound.  

To experience the high fidelity of sound that will be presented: Headphones or good quality speakers are highly recommended. 

Sustainability Series: The Art of Sound – Recordings from the Coast of Maine

GUEST SPEAKER: Dianne Ballon is a sound artist from Portland, Maine. Her sound works have aired on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. She was awarded a Maine Artist Fellowship from the Maine Arts Commission. Her coastal sound work was featured in the 2022 summer issue of Yankee magazine.  

During her Artist-in-Residency at Shenandoah National Park, she created a sound portrait for the park. At the Goethe Institute, she presented her sound installation Musical Instrument Dreams. She produced audio for the national exhibition The Marines and Tet: The Battle That Changed the Vietnam War. For an international radio art competition, she was awarded for her field recording of boats creaking at a dock in Iceland. She produces audio for Tactile Images, a company that creates fine art for museums that is accessible to the blind through touch and sound.  

For over ten years, she was a member of the teaching and production staff at the National Audio Theatre Festivals. At the University of Maine at Augusta, she taught audio production and radio theatre. She taught many workshops and classes to artists, producers and podcasters. This includes the Public Radio Exchange Podcast Garage, Harvard Music Department, and Harvard Sound Education conference. Currently, she teaches audio production through the SALT Institute for Documentary Studies at Maine College of Art & Design.