September 4 - October 9 and October 30, 2008 ~~~ Lewiston
To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, the Lewiston Public Library will host a reading and discussion series on the book Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5 Billion-Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin. Dr. Ronald E. Barry, Jr., visiting professor of biology at Bates College, will facilitate the series, which runs for five consecutive Thursday evenings beginning September 4. On October 9, Neil Shubin will present a noontime lecture. A public screening of the film “Flock of Dodos: the Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus” on October 30 will conclude this series on the history of and controversy around evolutionary science. For more details, contact the library at (207) 513-3119.
Back to the TopSeptember 11, October 9, and November 13, 2008 ~~~ Bethel
The Bethel Historical Society’s 2008 Lecture Series continues on September 11 with Earle Shettleworth, Jr. addressing “Historic Maine Presidential and Senatorial Election Campaigns, As Recalled by the Political Memorabilia of the Time.” Ben B. Conant, curator for the Paris Cape Historical Society, will continue the series with a lecture on “Marketing Maine Apples” on October 9. Finally, Barry Mower of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection will address “Androscoggin River Water Quality: Past, Present, and Future” on November 13. For details, please call (207) 824-2910 or visit www.bethelhistorical.org.
Back to the TopSeptember 18, 2008 ~~~ South Portland
The South Portland Historical Society's Evening Chats are oral history events, live at City Hall, but also aired on South Portland Community Television and archived in DVD format. Each Chat has a topic pertaining to South Portland around the time of World War II. The 2008 series will focus on wartime housing complexes: in August, Long Creek, and in September, Red Bank. Look for the date and topic for a third Chat in the Historical Society's weekly column in the South Portland Sentry, or call (207) 767-3268.
Back to the TopSeptember 18, 2008 ~~~ South Portland
The South Portland Historical Society’s Evening Chats are oral history events, live at City Hall, but also aired on South Portland Community Television and archived in DVD format. Each Chat has a topic pertaining to South Portland around the time of World War II. The 2008 series will focus on wartime housing complexes; in September, the topic is Red Bank. Look for the date and topic for the last Chat in the Historical Society’s weekly column in the South Portland Sentry, or call (207) 767-3268.
Back to the TopSeptember 18, 2008 ~~~ Orono
The second annual Senator George Mitchell Lecture on the Environment features Mary Evelyn Tucker, co-founder and co-director of the Forum on Religion and Ecology and Senior Lecturer at Yale University. Professor Tucker is often called one of the world’s most articulate and passionate scholars focused on the role of religious movements in confronting the growing environmental crisis. She will speak on “The Environmental Crisis as a Moral & Spiritual Challenge.” Following her lecture, Senator Mitchell will offer a political and policy perspective. This event is the kick-off to a fall seminar series at the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental & Watershed Research at the University of Maine that will focus on the role of the humanities in environmental stewardship. To learn more, please call (207) 581-3244.
Back to the TopSeptember 28, 2008 ~~~ Winslow
Poet Martin Steingesser has reworked the diary and letters of Etty Hillesum, a Jewish woman from Amsterdam who was killed at Auschwitz, into a poetic performance for two voices and cello. Steingesser joins Judy Tierney and cellist Robin Jellis to present this work, entitled The Thinking Heart, at the Living Water Spiritual Center in Winslow. To contextualize the performance, Professor Raffael Scheck of Colby College will offer a synopsis of religious and political strife in modern Europe and lead a discussion. A chapbook of Steingesser’s poems, with background about their source and inspiration, will be available to those who attend. For more information, please call Living Water at (207) 872-2370.
Back to the TopSeptember 28, 2008 ~~~ Lewiston
A symposium on Maine Folk Art, bringing nationally known scholars to engage the public in an exploration of the place of folk art in Maine history and culture, will serve as the culminating event in the statewide Maine Folk Art Trail project. Speakers will cover such topics as scrimshaw, quilts, redware, and hooked rugs. The symposium takes place at Bates College; proceedings will be captured on video for future reference. For more information on the Maine Folk Art Trail and its participating institutions, please visit www.mainefolkarttrail.org.
Back to the TopThrough October, 2008 ~~~ Hinckley
“Some Homes,” a new exhibit at the L.C. Bates Museum in Hinckley, Maine, will stimulate thinking about the meaning of Home through contemporary art and historical context. The project goal is to promote discussion, knowledge, and interpretation that focuses on the experience of Home, specifically Maine homes and the related philosophy of home at Good Will-Hinckley. The exhibit runs from May through October. Accompanying events include a lecture by Earle Shettleworth on domestic architecture in Maine, a panel with artists and representatives from Waterville Main Street and the Margaret Chase Smith Library, and a film screening at Railroad Square Cinema. For details on these events, please call the museum at (207) 238-4250.
Back to the TopThrough October, 2008 ~~~ Peaks Island
The artifacts on display in Found Treasures, the 2008 exhibit at the Fifth Maine Regiment Museum (located at 45 Seashore Avenue), were “rescued” from the island transfer station or unearthed from basements and attics. They include diaries, documents from island businesses, and an 1879 bible full of mementoes from the life of its owner. Each grouping of artifacts will be connected by provenance or theme, and accompanied by interpretive text. The exhibit is on view from June through October, 2008. To learn more, contact the museum at (207) 766-5514 or fifthmaine@juno.com, or visit www.fifthmainemuseum.org.
Back to the TopNovember 1, 2008 ~~~ Portland
The Victoria Mansion’s half-day symposium on the architecture of the 1850s will close a year-long celebration of the 150th anniversary of Henry Austin’s famous building, originally known as the Morse-Libby House. Four scholars will address the national and local architectural scene in the 1850s, the mid-century architecture of New Orleans hotels where Morse made his fortune, and the development of the Italian villa style, of which the Mansion is an outstanding example. The symposium was designed in consultation with James O’Gorman, author of the forthcoming Henry Austin: In Every Variety of Architectural Style. The symposium takes place at the Portland Club; admission is $25 (free to students), with AIA Continuing Education Learning Units available. To register, call (207) 772-4841.
Back to the TopNovember 16, 2008 ~~~ Portland
André Kertész was a leading photographer of the 20th century. “On Reading,” the exhibition of his work that appears at the Portland Museum of Art this fall (August 30 through November 16, 2008), explores the subject of reading as a basic human endeavor. A full slate of educational programs, including a teacher workshop on September 17 and the October launch of a blog about reading, will complement the exhibit and coincide with National Book Month. For dates and locations, please visit www.portlandmuseum.org/events/ or call (207) 775-6148.
Back to the TopNovember 13, 2008 - January 11, 2009 ~~~ Portland
In conjunction with the exhibition “Textiles/Translations,” featuring the work of Alice Spencer, the University of New England’s Gallery of Art will hold a series of five educational programs. Each program will approach textiles from a different perspective: their cultures of origin, their common themes and symbols, the role of women in their creation, and their ability to inspire artists like Spencer. In addition to the general public, students from the Maine College of Art and local high schools will be encouraged to attend the exhibition and related programming. For more information, please call (207) 221-4499 or visit www.une.edu/artgallery/.
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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.