Events at Member Institutions

NEW Exhibit - Northern Nightmares; Monsters in Inuit Art

Northern Nightmares celebrates artworks by Inuit artists from Alaska, Canada, and Greenland in stone, antler, ivory, and on paper. Like people all over the world, Inuit tell many stories of monsters and artists draw on this rich mythology for inspiration. Some of the monsters they depict will be familiar: giants roam northern lands as they do all over the world. Many, such as Palraiyuk, with its lizard-like body and multiple stomachs to hold the various body parts of its human prey, are unique to the North. Tupilak carvings from Greenland have a gruesome story to tell, but also illustrate the complex relationship between Inuit artists and the contemporary art market. Completing the exhibit are a series of works by artists who draw on their imaginations to create new monsters, nightmarish, fantastical creatures of all shapes and sizes.

“The pieces in this exhibit are certainly scary,” reports curator Genevieve LeMoine, “but many are also very beautiful, and some are humorous, too. It has been very interesting to learn more about the stories, and to see the different approaches of the artists.”

The exhibit opened on Tuesday, May 7, and will remain up until Spring 2025.

The museum is located in the John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies, 10 Polar Loop. Regular museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 AM- 5 PM and Sunday 1-5 PM, closed Mondays and national holidays. For more information visit our website at Bowdoin.edu/arctic-museum or call 207-725-3416.

Dr. Lydia Moland, Colby College professor, will talk about her new book, Lydia Maria Child: A Radical American Life, on Tuesday, April 9th at 6 pm at the Margaret Chase Smith Library, 56 Norridgewock Ave, Skowhegan. 

The program takes place in person and on Zoom.

To register for the Zoom link, visit: www.msad54.maineadulted.org

A prominent abolitionist, Lydia Maria Child’s philosophical thinking and moral courage made her one of the most important voices among white Americans fighting to end slavery. Lydia Maria Child (1802-1880) was also a women’s rights activist, Native American rights activist, novelist, and journalist. Despite her activism, she may be most remembered for her poem “Over the River and Through the Wood”.

Dr. Moland’s biography was published by the University of Chicago Press in fall 2022. The book has been reviewed in the New York Review of Books, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Wall Street Journal, The Nation, and other venues. You can find some of Moland’s writing and speaking about Child in the Wall Street Journal, The Paris Review, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, The American Scholar, Aeon, and on National Public Radio, on her webpage here: https://web.colby.edu/lmoland/198-2/media/

Dr. Moland is the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Philosophy at Colby College where she teaches courses on moral philosophy, aesthetics, and the history of modern philosophy. She has written on nineteenth-century German philosophy, including two books on G.W.F. Hegel and an edited volume on the philosophy of humor in the nineteenth century.

Books will be available for sale.

To attend this program via Zoom, please register in advance at www.msad54.maineadulted.org 

Sponsored by the Skowhegan History House Museum & Research Center

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Stuart Kestenbaum,  Maine’s poet laureate from 2016-2021, will present a series of poems and talk about the process of making his work. He will also delve into the comparisons to other creative processes he uses. This 30 minute presentation will be followed by a 30 minute Q&A session. 

A Zoom link to the lecture will be sent the Monday prior to the lecture. 

Tickets are free with a suggested donation. Get your tickets here. 

Polly Forcier will present a virtual lecture on Historic Stencils from  1790-1840+. Beginning with “Border Wall Stencils” from c.1790-c.1820, she will then discuss all-over wall stencils in imitation of wallpaper. She will go on to discuss the stencils used in the Rufus Porter School of Wall Stencil Murals. She will end with a brief "how to" on stenciling. Tickets are free with a suggested donation. Get your tickets here!

Poland Maine - The Poland Spring Preservation Society will hold the annual "Maine Day" Open House on Saturday May 25th from 9-3pm at the Maine State Building, 37 Preservation Way, Poland Maine. 

Join us as we open the doors for the 129th anniversary of the Maine State Building at Poland Spring! See the new exhibits, play games related to the World's Fair, learn about the heritage of the Maine State Building and the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and visit the gift shop with local Maine made crafts and more. "Maine Day", May 24th, 1893 at the World's Fair served as the official dedication of the Maine State Building in Chicago, Illinois. A reception was held in the rotunda led by Governor Henry B. Cleaves and other prominent Mainers. At noon, an address was made detailing the work of the board and its efforts to showcase the materials, work and design of Maine craftsmanship. The building was then declared open to the public. At the end of the fair, the building was purchased by the Ricker family of Poland Spring, dismantled and rebuilt at Poland Spring Resort for use as a library and art gallery. It is 1 of just 5 buildings that remain from the 1893 World's Fair, and the only state building that remains. Admission is free, and all are welcome to attend! 

FMI https://www.facebook.com/events/433483299142769/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A%5B%5D%7D or call 207-998-4142

CANTON, Maine—The Canton Historical Society will hold a Chili and Chowder Cook-off on
Saturday, April 6, 12-2 p.m., at their historic grange building, 25 Turner St., Canton

Local chefs will prepare their favorite chili or chowder for the contest. The public will sample and vote for the best in each category. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12. The admission fee includes bread, beverages, and dessert as well as all the chili and chowder samples you can eat! 

The museum and gift shop will be open to the public during this event. Housed in the back of the recently restored 1897 Grange building, the museum exhibits furniture, artifacts, photographs and documents related to the history of Canton and the region.

See you there and bring your appetite!

Saturday, September 7: Hidden Legacies: A Walking Tour of Castine’s African American History, 10:00 a.m. Join Georgia Zildjian and Lisa Lutts for an hour-long walking tour on Castine’s African American history. Reservations required and limited to 15 people. Rain date September 8.

https://www.castinehistoricalsociety.org/events/hidden-legacies-a-walking-tour-of-castines-african-american-history-2/

Thursday, August 8: The 15^th Annual Deborah Pulliam Memorial Lecture, 7:00 p.m. Hans D. Strauch, Boston architect, will give a talk entitled "Rising from the Ashes: Building on Restituted Family Property in Post-Nazi Berlin, Germany.”  Delano Auditorium, Leavitt Hall, Maine Maritime Academy, Castine. No reservations for in-person. Reservations required to receive YouTube link.

https://www.castinehistoricalsociety.org/events/pulliam-lecture-with-hans-strauch/

Join us on Thursday, July 18th at 7:00 p.m. for an illustrated talk by Castine Historical Society Executive Director, Lisa Simpson Lutts entitled, “A History of Castine in 40 Objects.” The talk will be held in-person in the Mitchell Room of the Castine Historical Society, 17 School St., Castine, as well as livestreamed on the CHS YouTube channel. Due to limited seating, reservations are required for the in-person lecture.

Lutts’ talk will explore objects in the Castine Historical Society’s permanent collection that tell unexpected and compelling stories about the town’s 400-year history. Based on research conducted for the Historical Society’s current exhibit, also titled “A History of Castine in 40 Objects,” Lutts will highlight some of the exciting discoveries made by the staff and exhibits committee while researching the CHS permanent collection.

Visit castinehistoricalsociety.org to register or to find the YouTube link.

“Art of Penobscot Bay—A Sampler,”  Saturday, June 29, 4:00 p.m. An illustrated talk by Carl Little on paintings of the Penobscot Bay area through time followed by a book signing for his new book, Art of Penobscot Bay. Co-sponsored with Compass Rose Books. Mitchell Room, Castine Historical Society. Reservations required due to limited seating.  https://www.castinehistoricalsociety.org/events/art-of-penobscot-bay-a-sampler/