April - October, 2005 ~~~ Saco, Lille, Bethel

"Barn Again! Celebrating an American Icon is an exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the National Building Museum, with assistance from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "Barn Again!" will be on display at the Saco Museum from April 9 through June 8, at the Musée culturel du Mont-Carmel in Lille from June 15 through August 12, and in the Mason House Exhibit Hall at the Bethel Historical Society from August 19 through October 22, 2005. To strengthen the local impact of the exhibit, each site will sponsor public programs. Exhibit and event details are online at www.mainehumanities.org/programs/barnagain.html.

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April - August, 2005 ~~~ Central Maine

From 1866 to 1965, Dexter photographer Bert Call captured Central Maine and the North Woods in thousands of photographs and prints, most of which have never been exhibited. This summer, the cultural heritage and ecotourism committee of the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council will bring these images before the public eye in a traveling exhibition hosted by a number of Mid-Maine historical societies. To see the exhibition, which travels between April 1 and August 31, Patrick Meyers, Cultural Heritage Director at the Economic Development Council, at (207) 564-8377 and ask for its current location.

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May - October, 2005 ~~~ Hinckley

On May 15, a retrospective exhibit of the life and works of renowned author, illustrator, and field biologist Bernd Heinrich opened at the L.C. Bates Museum. Heinrich has an enduring connection to Maine: he is an alumnus of the Good Will-Hinckley Homes for Boys and Girls, and he currently does much of his research and writing at a farm in the mountains of western Maine. The exhibit includes eight cases of historic documents, photographs, objects, watercolors, text panels, and drawings. In addition, a catalog prepared by the exhibit curator, William Lipke, features an essay written by Heinrich for this project. A children's program on four Wednesdays in July and school visits throughout the year will make the exhibit accessible to all ages. Bernd Heinrich appear at the museum on May 31 and July 8 and 9. The exhibit closes on October 15, 2005. The L.C. Bates Museum is located on Route 201 in Hinckley. For details, please call (207) 238-4250.

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May - October, 2005 ~~~ Lubec

The Association to Promote and Protect the Lubec Environment (APPLE) was formed to help visitors to Washington County interpret the historical, cultural, and ecological highlights of the area. Starting this summer, APPLE will offer guided historical tours of Lubec and Campobello, employing local people as guides. Area historical societies have contributed their resources to the development of these tours, which will run from Memorial Day through Columbus Day. Contact Ruta Jordans, (207) 733-2385 or rutaj@ptc-me.net, to learn how to join a tour.

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June - December, 2005 ~~~ Freeport

The Freeport Historical Society is celebrating 30 years as stewards of Pettengill Farm, a nineteenth-century salt-water farm located on the estuary of the Harraseeket River. The celebration, A Window Through Time: Pettengill Farm & The Soul of New England, includes an exhibit with a catalog, two workshops, and an open house. The exhibit combines contemporary black and white photographs of the farm, taken by fine art photographer John G. Kelley, with historic images and artifacts selected from the Society's collections. It will open on June 15, 2005, with a reception and book-signing at 6 p.m., and remain on display through December. Exhibit hours are Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10-2:30 p.m. and Wednesday 10-7 p.m.

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June - October, 2005 ~~~ Liberty

The Davistown Museum in Liberty celebrates its fifth year with its first special exhibition, "What Needs to be Retrieved: The Marriage of Tools, Art, and History," between June 25 and October 10, 2005. The exhibition juxtaposes contemporary Maine art with historically significant tools, including those collected by museum founder/curator Skip Brack. A catalog containing essays, photographs of the pieces, information on the artists, and the Philip Booth poem from which the title is taken, is available at the museum or via mail order. For details, please visit www.davistownmuseum.org or call (207) 288-5126.

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August - October, 2005 ~~~ Ogunquit

"Memories of World War II: Photographs from the Associated Press Archives," an exhibition of 121 black and white photographs, will be on view at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art from August 29 through October 15, 2005. Among the photographs are the well-known picture of a sailor and a nurse kissing in Times Square on VJ Day and the Pulitzer Prize-winning picture of the Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi. In addition to the photographs, the museum will present special events including education programs, photography workshops, and public lectures. The museum is located at 543 Shore Road in Ogunquit. For details, call 646-4909 or visit www.ogunquitmuseum.org.

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Summer 2005 ~~~ North Haven

North Haven Arts & Enrichment is creating an exhibition of photographs, posters, video recordings, audio recordings, and narratives to celebrate the performing arts on the island of North Haven. The materials document the history of the island's successful drama program, which stages a minimum of two productions each year and made national headlines with its original musical, "Islands." Waterman's Community Center, which houses a 134-seat theater, a preschool, a gallery, and a coffee shop, opened in February 2004 and serves as an ideal venue for an exhibition celebrating the creative potential of this island community. For information, contact Keely Felton, program director for North Haven Arts & Enrichment, at (207) 867-2100.

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August 1 and 8, 2005 ~~~ Montville

The Annual Artists' Lecture Series at the Arts Center at Kingdom Falls brings six distinguished Maine artists to the community for discussions of their creative process and inspiration. The speakers are Warren Selig (June 27), Robert Shetterly (July 11), Abby Shahn (July 18), Emily Brown (July 25), Harold Garde (August 1), and Dennis Pinette (August 8). Each lecture will be videotaped and archived with a written transcript in the Arts Center library for future study by students, artists, and scholars. The series dovetails with the Center's summer program of 40 arts workshops in various media for students of all ages. Lectures begin at 8 p.m. in the New Studio building at 52 Kingdom Road in Montville, and are free to the public with a $5 suggested donation. For further details, please call (207) 589-3025.

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August 2 - 4, 2005 ~~~ Presque Isle

The Historical Pavilion is an annual event at the Northern Maine Fair, bringing items from more than twenty regional historical societies and family collections together for an exhibition of local history. The Pavilion is in the Forum, the largest building on the Northern Maine Fairgrounds in Presque Isle. This year's Fair runs from July 29-August 6; the Historical Pavilion will be open August 2-4. For more information, contact Kevin McCartney at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, (207) 768-9482.

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August 4 - 8, 2005 ~~~ Newcastle

The Watershed Critical Dialogue Symposium is a four-day program intended to promote inquiry, understanding, awareness, and professional development in the field of ceramics. Hosted by the nonprofit Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Newcastle, the symposium will bring art historians, critics, museum administrators and curators, gallery owners, and appraisers together from August 4-8, 2005. Working artists and the public are invited to participate in this examination of analytical and interpretive activity in the creative arts. To learn how to participate, please contact the Watershed Center at (207) 882-6075.

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August 10, 2005 ~~~ Lovell

ASL classes at the Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library in Lovell have stimulated interest in deaf culture among local hearing people. The library will now draw on that interest in its efforts to increase access to humanities programming for deaf people in the region and to promote communication and cultural understanding between deaf and hearing communities. This summer, in addition to its ongoing ASL classes, the library will engage certified ASL interpreters for two public programs: a lecture by David Morine, author of Vacationland: A Half Century Summering in Maine, on July 26; and the second annual Charlotte Hobbs Storytelling Festival on August 10. The storytelling festival organizer, Jo Radner, is a folklorist, storyteller, and oral historian who has studied ASL and is uniquely qualified to work with both hearing and deaf performers for the festival. Please contact Radner at (207) 925-6244 for more information.

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August 25 - October 26, 2005 ~~~ Saco

"Simple Gifts: Alfred Shakers 1787-1931" is a collaborative exhibition of more than 100 artifacts from the Alfred Shaker Community, presented by the Saco Museum and the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Museum. To accompany the exhibition, experts will deliver a series of talks on topics such as Shaker decorative arts, religion, cooking, and the Shakers' role in the American Revolution. The programs will take place on ten consecutive Thursday evenings, beginning on August 25; the exhibition runs from August 11 through October 30, 2005, at the Saco Museum on Main Street in Saco. For more information or a detailed schedule of events, please contact the museum at (207) 283-3861.

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September 28, 2005 ~~~ Portland

In honor of the 250th anniversary of the Tate House, the Tate House Museum and the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Maine will present a symposium in decorative arts on Wednesday, September 28, 2005. The program seeks insight on what influenced decorative arts in the northeast American colonies during the Tates' early years in their Falmouth home, 1755-1776. Three speakers are scheduled to appear: Dr. Draper Hunt, Alexandra Rollins, and Jane Nylander (president of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities). Video footage of the symposium, along with speaker transcripts and a written summary of the proceedings, will be archived at the Tate House for public perusal and use in future educational programs. For more information, contact the museum at (207) 774-6177.

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October 1, 2005 ~~~ Wayne

This summer, the Kennebec Land Trust will offer three Saturday morning painting field trips to trust properties as part of their lyceum and plein-air painting programs. Participants, both beginners and experienced painters, will have the opportunity to work with guest artists in various media. On July 23, Marc Poirier will be at the Vaughan Homestead, overlooking the Kennebec River in Hallowell. On October 1, Lois Strickland will be at the Gott Pasture Preserve, at Wilson Pond in Wayne. The Kennebec Land Trust will hold an art exhibit featuring participants' paintings at Slate's Restaurant in Hallowell in March 2006. For registration and additional information, please contact the Kennebec Land Trust (207) 377-2848 or e-mail kennebeclt@ctel.net.

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October 7 - 9, 2005 ~~~ Belfast

The first annual Belfast Poetry Festival, organized by Festivo, will provide a venue for poets-from nationally recognized poets to regional high school poets-to gather, expand their craft, and share their work. The three-day festival begins on October 7, 2005, at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast; all programs are free and open to the public. Events include readings by Baron Wormser (Maine's Poet Laureate), Charles Simic, Anne Marie Macari, Robert Duffy, Gary Lawless, Elizabeth Tibbetts, and Alicia Ostriker; a workshop with Annie Finch; the presentation of the first Festivo Prize for Poetry; and an evening of live jazz and open microphone readings. For a full schedule, please visit www.festivo.org or call festival organizer Troy Michael Casa at (207) 974-9333.

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