January - February, 2006 ~~~ Lewiston
Beginning in mid-January 2006, the Franco-American Heritage Center in Lewiston will host Spirit of Evangeline, a traveling exhibit curated by Françoise Paradis, Ed.D., of Buxton. The exhibit uses mixed media to pay tribute to the Acadians forcibly deported from Canada’s Maritime Provinces in 1755. Its title refers to the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that first brought Evangeline into the popular imagination. The exhibit will be open Monday through Friday until mid-February; for details, please visit www.francoamericanheritage.org.
Back to the TopJanuary - May, 2006 ~~~ Hinckley
Between January and May 2006, the Central Kennebec Heritage Council sponsor three hands-on workshops for its member museums along the Kennebec-Chaudière Heritage Corridor. The three programs have been designed to address diverse aspects of exhibit preparation, from label writing to acid-free materials to affordable mounts and displays. Although the workshops are intended mainly for an audience of museum staff and volunteers, they will be open to the public. If you are interested in attending, please contact Deborah Staber at the L.C. Bates Museum in Hinckley, (207) 238-4250 or lcbates@gwh.org.
Back to the TopFebruary 5, 2006 ~~~ Presque Isle
The Reed Art Gallery at the University of Maine at Presque Isle will screen the documentary film “Maine Women — Living on the Land” on February 5, 2006 at 2 p.m. Following the screening, filmmaker Lauren Shaw will appear on a panel with four of the women whose lives she profiled in the film. (All three of the Aroostook County women will be there, along with a fourth woman from Rockland.) On February 6, Ms. Shaw will participate in a “Lunch & Learn” Seminar with the University’s social work department. She will also visit students in photography and other arts classes. The University will host the photography exhibit that accompanies “Maine Women — Living on the Land” until March 17, 2006. For gallery hours and other details, please contact Sandra Huck at (207) 768-9611.
Back to the TopFebruary 11 and 24, 2006 ~~~ Camden
The Camden Conference is a year-long forum for the exchange of ideas on key global issues, focused each February on a three-day event at the Camden Opera House. This year’s conference topic is “China on the World Stage.” The Camden Conference has committed to filling 20% of the seats for the event, which begins on February 24, 2006, with students and teachers. It will also offer students free tickets to a related Symposium on February 11, 2006. The Symposium topic is “China and the Global Competition for Energy." For more information, please call (207) 236-1034 or visit www.camdenconference.org.
Back to the TopFebruary 15, 2006 ~~~ Winter Harbor
In partnership with the Union of Maine Visual Artists, Schoodic Arts for All is bringing the Maine Masters Project, a series of films about contemporary Maine artists, to Hammond Hall in Winter Harbor. The series will include seven of the nine documentary films that have already completed in this ongoing project. Some of the artists profiled will be present for discussions following the films. Screenings and discussions will begin at 7 p.m. on February 15; March 1, 15, and 29; and April 5. For further details, please contact Mary Laury, Executive Director of Schoodic Arts for All, at (207) 963-2569.
Back to the TopFebruary 16, 2006 ~~~ Orono
The Orono Historical Society will host a monthly public lecture series as part of the bicentennial celebration of the town. The lectures will take place on the third Thursday of every month for the rest of the year. January’s speakers, David Sanger and Harold Borns, addressed the prehistory of the Orono area. On February 16, Roxanne Soucier of the Bangor Daily News will talk about early family life. All lectures are free and open to the public in the Town’s Council Chambers. For other lecture topics and details, please contact the Orono Historical Society at (207) 866-4270.
Back to the TopFebruary 27, 2006 ~~~ South Paris
On February 27, 2006, the Oxford Hills region will launch its second "One Book: One Community" program featuring Suburban Safari by Maine author Hannah Holmes. Like last year’s program, which focused on Ernie’s Ark by Monica Wood, local librarians and volunteers will work together on a series of events and discussions to promote reading and dialogue in the community. The theme of this year’s book lends itself to discussions about the natural resources of the area and the importance of stewardship. As such, the program is expected to draw the interest of the many outdoor and conservation groups in the area, including the Oxford Hills Nature Club and the Western Maine Citizens for Clean Air and Water. At the kick-off event, which will take place at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, Holmes will appear and books will be distributed. Programs and presentations around the book will run until the wrap-up event on April 3. For more information, visit www.oxfordhillsreads.org.
Back to the TopMarch 2006 ~~~ Otisfield
In March 2006, students from a children’s literature course at St. Joseph's College in Standish will expose K-6 students from the Otisfield Community School, as well as local librarians, to the work of two renowned children's book creators — Kevin Hawkes of Gorham and Lea Wait of Edgecomb. The college students will arrange a program with Kevin Hawkes at the Otisfield Community School, and will return to the school for a follow-up visit involving art and literature activities. They will also bring students, teachers, and parents from the school to the St. Joseph’s campus to meet Lea Wait. For more information, please contact Dr. Cynthia Mowles, Assistant Professor of Education at St. Joseph's, at cmowles@sjcme.edu.
Back to the TopApril 12, 2006 ~~~ Newport
The annual Bullying Prevention Conference at Newport/Plymouth Elementary School will be expanded this year to address issues of culture and ethnicity. Sherry Mitchell, a member of the Civil Rights Training Team, will arrange presentations on Native American culture, storytelling, history, and crafts. Allen Sockabasin, author of Thanks to the Animals, a new picture book about a Passamaquoddy family, has also been invited to participate. This year's conference, entitled “Picnic of the World,” takes place on April 12, 2006. For details, please contact Assistant Principal Barbara Brown at (207) 368-4470.
Back to the TopApril 13, 2006 ~~~ Saco
Author Gerry Boyle will give a free public reading of his work at 5:30 on Thursday, April 13. He appears courtesy of the Literacy Volunteers of Greater Saco-Biddeford, who will be hosting a raffle, refreshments, and a sale of Boyle’s novels (in partnership with Nonesuch Books) during the evening. Boyle, who lives in Maine, will read at the Crown & Anchor Inn on North Street in Saco. For more information, please call the Literacy Volunteers at 283-2954.
Back to the TopJune 11, 2006 ~~~ Peaks Island
Sacred At Any Cost, an exhibit focusing on the contributions and sacrifices made by the men and women of the Fifth Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, will be on view at the Fifth Maine Regiment Museum (located at 45 Seashore Avenue on Peaks Island) from June through November, 2006. The centerpiece of the exhibit is the Regiment’s battle flag, which survived the Regiment’s three-year term of service without being captured and became a point of pride among the veterans. The grand opening of the exhibit will take place on June 11, when the flag (currently being treated by a professional textile conservateur) is returned to the museum. For information and exhibit hours, please contact the museum at (207) 766-5514 or fifthmaine@juno.com.
Back to the Top
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.