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Jane Rainwater, curator of MCC on Main in Manchester, put out a call for artists to depict the concept of flight. She got a range of responses.

The theme was familiar to Tim Murphy of West Hartford, who submitted “Beginner,” an oil on canvas of three women flying into a fiery sunset.

“I’ve been painting flying figures for 25 years,” Murphy says. “It’s about awareness. I associate awareness with flying, the realm of out-of-body experiences, inspiration, being in a state of flow. All of it relates to the timeless inner self.”

The painting’s title suggests that one of the women is new at this kind of awareness. “She’s at the beginning of a new creative journey. The two on either side have already experienced that creative journey,” he says. “Creatives help other creatives.”

The creatives on exhibit in the gallery complement each other. “The Flyover Boys,” by Jim Bremer and Ruth Buffington of East Longmeadow, Mass., is a charming Terry Gilliam-esque adventure with two bunnies flying a hot-air balloon. Two photos by Michael Sisko of Wethersfield merely suggest flight, with two models looking up into the sky.

“Beginner,” an oil on canvas by Tim Murphy of West Hartford, is part of the exhibit “Flight” at MCC on Main Gallery in Manchester.

“Autumn’s Descent,” an oil on canvas by Joan Wheeler of Easton, envisions a young girl in an acorn hat, being descended upon by birds. “Pheromonal Tendencies,” a pastel by Marjorie Sopkin of Guilford, is a multicolored depiction of “murmuration,” that phenomenon that occurs when huge flocks of birds fly in random, yet coordinated, formation.

“Icarus” — a hanging sculpture by Marc Burns of Hartford made of twigs, paper, a large stone and a little motorized propeller — sits alone in a back bay, casting shadows on the walls to tell the ancient myth about a man who made his own wings and flew too close to the sun.

Joe Patria of East Hartford uses humor to show sort of an anti-Icarus figure. Patria’s concrete, metal and clay sculpture “Test Flight” depicts a man on a high diving platform, fake wings strapped to his back, ready to jump into a bathtub full of water way down below.

Photographer Niki Kniffin uses irony. In “Wet Wings,” a penguin dives into the water, letting the flightless bird “fly” in another way. Another Kniffin photo is intriguing. “Letting it Fly in Xinping” shows a Chinese fisherman casting his net, with two large birds perched on his boat. What role do the birds play in his daily routine? One can only guess.

Other artists are Kathryn DeMarco, Margaret Gammell, Shannon Gerrity, Charles Hall, Ryan Kelso, Lisa Kim, Karen Kirshner, Elaine Lyman, Adrian Martinez, Naomi Nevo Ben-Ari, David Norori, Joan Shapiro, D.G. Smith, Mary C. Talbot, Michael Toti and Samuel Zeldner. The works were curated by David Borawski, Neil Daigle-Orians and Jane Rainwater, who is the director of the gallery.

FLIGHT is in the Dehn Gallery at MCC on Main, 903 Main St. in Manchester, until Aug. 26. The opening reception is May 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Friday 4 to 7 p.m., Saturday noon to 6 p.m. mcconmain.org.