Jerry Cardone of Houlton, Maine, is one of the artists represented in “Off the Grid: Maine Vernacular Environments.” This exhibit runs from September 11 through November 11 at the art galleries on both the Portland and Gorham campuses of the University of Southern Maine. To learn more, please visit www.usm.maine.edu/gallery. [credit: Tonee Harbert]

$1,000 to the University of Southern Maine, Portland, for Off the Grid: Maine Vernacular Environments
Two simultaneous art exhibits, video and oral documentation, and related programming at both Portland and Gorham campus art galleries will conclude a seven-year period of research constituting the only survey of contemporary self-taught art in Maine.

$1,000 to The Stage, Portland, for Welcome to the Classics: Wild About Wilde
The Stage’s pre-show program, Welcome to the Classics: Wild about Wilde, will introduce audiences to Oscar Wilde, Victorian theatre, and the workings of verbal comedy in an original script written and performed by Equity actor Harlan Baker. This is an introduction to The Stage’s performance of Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.

$1,000 to the Farnsworth Library and Art Museum, Rockland, for Maine Gardens: Nature and Design
This 4-day symposium offers participants the opportunity to explore the history and beauty of Maine's varied landscapes, learn about writers and artists who created the concepts, and hear from current landscape experts and designers.

$940 to Lubec Landmarks, Lubec, for Interpreting Life and Work at the Last Herring Smokehouse in the U.S.
A display of photographs and artifacts showing how herring were salted, smoked, and distributed from Lubec as far as the Caribbean.

$500 to the Center for Ethics in Action, Portland, for Cuba: Hearts and Minds, Past and Present
A two-day educational program which will examine historic Maine connections with Cuba; the role of women, arts, and culture in Cuba; and what the future portends after Castro. The program will include films and seminars featuring scholars and experts on the subject.

$499 to the River Coalition, Old Town, for Musical Exchange
A cultural exchange between a Middle Eastern drummer and Native American drummers.

Notes from an Open Book welcomes feedback from its readers. Please contact Diane Magras by email at diane@mainehumanities.org or by phone at (207)773-5051 ext. 208 (toll-free 1-866-637-3233, ext. 208) to respond.