Events at Member Institutions

Thursday, May 4: “The Place Justice Initiative: A Statewide Truth-seeking and Historical Recovery Initiative of the Permanent Commission”, 7:00 p.m. A talk via Zoom by Meadow Dibble and Erika Arthur of Maine’s Place Justice Project. Preregistration is required at castinehistoricalsociety.org.

Who gets memorialized through place names, statues, and historical markers is a strong indicator of a society’s values and its dominant sense of collective identity. The Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations has launched a Place Justice Project that seeks to engage Wabanaki and Maine communities in examining a wide range of commemorative practices to better understand and respond to the ways in which racialized and Indigenous populations are represented in or absent from the narratives inscribed on our natural and built environment. Whose memory is visible and celebrated, and whose has been erased or misrepresented? How do the politics and practices of public remembrance and forgetting continue to impact our communities today?

Date: Thursday, April 20, 2023

Time: 7:00 pm

Preregistration  is required for this event at castinehistoricalsociety.org.

A talk via Zoom on three centuries of Maine’s Black history by historian and journalist Bob Greene.

Did you know that Maine’s Black history goes back to at least 12 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock? The history of the Pine Tree State includes many Black builders, farmers, fishermen, ship captains, educators, and more whose lives have often been forgotten or ignored. In fact, the first doctor in Maine may have been a Black man, and the nation’s first Black lawyer practiced in Portland after passing the bar. The Castine Historical Society will host historian Bob Greene, who will explore and celebrate this often hidden side of Maine’s history.

Julia will do a reading of new and published poetry followed by a Q&A session. Free with a suggested donation of $10.00

Julia Bouwsma, Maine poet Laureate, will do a reading of new and published poems, followed by a Q&A session. Julia lives off-the-grid in the mountains of western Maine, where she is a poet, homesteader, editor, teacher, small-town librarian, and Maine’s current Poet Laureate. Bouwsma is the author of two poetry collections, Midden (Fordham University Press, 2018) and Work by Bloodlight (Cider Press Review, 2017), both of which received Maine Literary Awards for Poetry Book. Other honors include the Poet’s Out Loud Prize (2016-17), the Cider Press Review Book Award (2015), and residency fellowships from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Vermont Studio Center, Monson Arts (Monson, ME), Annex Arts (Castine, ME), and Storyknife (Homer, AK). She currently serves as the Library Director for Webster Library in Kingfield, ME and teaches in the Creative Writing department at the University of Maine at Farmington.  Tickets are free with a suggested donation of $10.00. 

Register https://www.rufusportermuseum.org/event-details/readings-and-q-a-with-maine-poet-laureate-julia-bouwsmaHERE

Welcome to Painted Floorcloths. Using designs inspired by Moses Eaton and other 19th Century stencil artists, this class is suitable for beginners or those who have limited experience with stenciling. For more information about Moses Eaton: https://www.mbhistoricdecor.com/uploads/1/0/1/6/101615892/moseseatonstencils.pdf

Participants will be creating a 2' x 3' floorcloth to take home. All materials will be provided to complete the project. The Instructor  will share a bit of history on the use of floorcloths and decorative stenciling in a brief presentation.

Cost = $80.00

Date = Saturday April 29th

Time = 10 AM to 4 PM

Location = Stevens Brook Elementary School Art Room (Frances Bell Drive, Bridgton)

Maximum per Class = 8

• Please bring a hair dryer (if you have one) to expedite drying time!
• Bring a bagged lunch to eat
• If class is full, please email staff@rufusportermuseum.org so that we can start a wait list for a second class.
• Instructor: Peg Puza
• When you arrive, park in the back of the building and walk to the front and come to the Art Room door, marked A4. There will be signs to show you where to go.

Register HERE

Would you like to learn the art of North American rug hooking?

June 11, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Bridgton, The Rufus Porter Museum or Art and Ingenuity 121 Main St, Bridgton, ME 04009, USA

Would you like to learn the art of North American rug hooking in an easy going, relaxed environment that encourages modern interpretations? 

Join us for a one session hooking class to get started on our 6" x 6" mug rug pattern using your choice of available patterns! 

Session will include: Introduction to hooking including some history of the craft, an overview of styles, how to choose hooking wools and other materials, tools, rules (there are very few), tips, and tricks, and getting started on our projects. Finishing instructions will also be demonstrated! 

Materials included in the price of the course are: hook, 12" hoop, 6" x 6" pattern hand drawn on linen rug foundation, all wool needed to complete the pattern (you choose your own colors!), printed instructions, ongoing access to the instructor for questions after class, new friends, and a new craft!

Lunch included. $95.00

 I hope you will join us for this fun class!

Register HERE

Have you ever wanted to go to the Arctic? Dr. Paul Andrew Mayewski, an internationally acclaimed glaciologist, climate scientist, and polar explorer, has led over 60 expeditions throughout the remotest polar and high elevation reaches of our planet and lived in the Arctic for nearly two years.

On Monday, February 13 (6 pm), Dr. Mayewski will share insights from his award-winning research and extensive experiences in the Arctic focusing on the significant impact this apparently isolated part of the globe has on the rest of the world, especially as it is warming two to three times faster than the rest of the planet.

This presentation is free of charge and can be attended in-person or virtually. If attending virtually, please register in advance of the program via the registration link on the Wilson Museum’s calendar of events: https://www.wilsonmuseum.org/events/the-role-of-the-arctic-in-a-warming-world.

The program is part of the Arctic: Changes in a Northern Climate segment of the Wilson Museum’s Connecting to Collections program series made possible through the generous support of Bangor Savings Bank.

National History Day in Maine is currently looking for volunteers to judge middle and high school aged historical research projects at their regional and state contests!

For the first time in three years, the contests will be in-person for the 2023 season. The 2023 contest schedule is as follows:

Southern Lewiston Contest: March 3, 2023

Northern Bangor Contest: March 25, 2023

University of Maine State Contest: April 29, 2023

You may be asking, “who can judge?” We are looking for teachers, professors, historians, museum professionals, or anyone with a substantial interest in history to serve as judges. Anyone interested is welcome to serve as a judge, no prior experience is necessary. Please pass this along and encourage your colleagues to participate this year too! 

Registration is easy and you can participate in multiple contests. Click the link(s) (below) for the contest you want to judge, go to “create an account” at the top right, choose “judge” in the dropdown menu, and follow the instructions. It’s that easy. For further instruction or to sign up for multiple contests using one account please reference our  2023 Virtual Judging Guide.

As you register, consider which categories you might be interested in judging. You may request a specific category (exhibit, website, paper, performance, or documentary) that aligns with your profession or interests. If you do not choose a specific category we will assign one for you.

Before the contest (Roughly 3 weeks prior) you will receive your judging assignment from me, this will include names and contact information of your fellow judges within your team and further instructions and information on the category you will be judging.

Here are the links. Please take note of when judge registration closes.

Southern Lewiston Contest Judging: Registration Closes February 10, 2023

Northern Bangor Contest Judging: Registration Closes March 3, 2023

University of Maine State Contest Judging: Registration Closes April 7, 2023

As a notification, there are a few changes or carryovers from the virtual contests that will now be part of the fun. They include the following:

• From now on it will be expected that you bring an electronic device (i.e. a computer, tablet, etc.) with you on contest day in order to fill out the online evaluation forms.  Please understand that a smartphone is NOT compatible with the online system and therefore should NOT be the device you choose to rely upon. If you cannot provide one for yourself please contact Coordinator John Taylor john.m.taylor@maine.edu to work out other arrangements.

• Students will be required to upload process papers and annotated bibliographies prior to contest day. This means you will be able to access them before the contest and read them at your own leisure through our contest portal. Be sure to remember your username and password when you register to judge.

• Lunch will NOT be provided at the regional contests. You will be offered heavy snacks and beverages throughout the contest, but most judging will end by 1:00PM. Lunch will still be provided at the state contest.

• • For better understanding of the contest schedules, please click here (schedules are subject to change).

Thank you for your consideration. Please contact the State Coordinator John Taylor at john.m.taylor@maine.edu if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Sat, Feb 25

Stevens Brook Elementary School

Create a 19th-Century Style Floorcloth

Welcome to Painted Floorcloths

Time & Location

Feb 25, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Stevens Brook Elementary School, 14 Frances Bell Dr, Bridgton, ME 04009, USA

About the Event

Welcome to Painted Floorcloths. Using designs inspired by Moses Eaton and other 19th Century stencil artists, this class is suitable for beginners or those who have limited experience with stenciling. For more information about Moses Eaton: https://www.mbhistoricdecor.com/uploads/1/0/1/6/101615892/moseseatonstencils.pdf

Participants will be creating a 2' x 3' floorcloth to take home. All materials will be provided to complete the project. The Instructor  will share a bit of history on the use of floorcloths and decorative stenciling in a brief presentation. All materials are provided. Bring a lunch and a hair dryer (if you have one). 

Cost = $80.00

Registration Required. Register here: https://www.rufusportermuseum.org/event-details/create-a-19th-century-style-floorcloth

Portland--- The Tate House Museum is hosting a Colonial Christmas Open House on Saturday, December 17 from 12 to 4 PM with Christmas-themed tours of Tate House from 12-3 PM. This event will feature docents sharing stories of colonial life around the holidays in the time of the Tate family.

This year the open house will encompass all of the rooms of the Tate House where docents clothed in 18 th century attire will tell visitors about life in colonial times in a merchant class British colonial household. They will talk about some of the customs and traditions of the time around the holidays and how these customs may have differed from their Puritan neighbors. The special foods made for Christmas, New Years, and Twelfth Night celebrations will also be described.

Following your tour of the Tate House cross the street to the Means House for some wassail, cookies, and music. This is also your opportunity to shop for unique holiday gifts in the gift shop with a 10% discount off your entire purchase.

Please join us on Saturday, December 17 from 12 to 4 PM for the sights, sounds, and tastes of a Colonial Christmas at the only pre-Revolutionary home in Greater Portland open to the public.

Admission in the Means House is $15 adult non-member, $12 adult member, $10 child 5-12 years non-member, $8 child member, under 5 free. Family rate (up to 4 people) non-member $30, member $25. Advance tickets are available on our website tatehouse.org or at the door.

FMI:

Holly Hurd, Executive Director

Tate House Museum

1267 Westbrook Street

Portland ME 04102

hkhurd@tatehouse.org

Eventbrite Link:

on Wednesday, November 16, Holly K. Hurd, Executive Director, and Laura F. Sprague, Consulting Curator, Tate House Museum, will present an illustrated Zoom program at 5:30 pm. The lecture will be moderated by Aimee Keithan, PhD,  Research Associate, University of York. They will highlight new research about colonial Portland & perspectives on Indigenous and Enslaved people that will expand the interpretation of historic Tate House. Recent interpretations shared with visitors to the historic site in Portland's Stroudwaterneighborhood have focused primarily on the lives of George and Mary Tate, of a wealthy merchant class family, who built the house in 1755 and lived there until 1794. With the support of a Maine Humanities Council grant, Tate House Museum has been working to expand its narrative to understand the lives and work of enslaved people in the neighborhood and perspectives and representations of Indigenous people who also lived in the region. The lecture will include research about Colonel Thomas Westbrook and Samuel Waldo and describe how their actions affected Native people as well as what is known and not known about enslaved people and domestic servants in Stroudwater. Tate House Museum’s objective is to engage in important community conversations about Maine’s colonial history to make its educational offerings more inclusive and to tell a more complete story.

Registration for the lecture is free and open to the public. Information about ticketing is available at www.tatehouse.org. Please direct questions to Holly Hurd at hkhurd@tatehouse.org.