Maine Humanities Council
Home of the Harriet P. Henry Center for the Book

November 8, 2007 ~~~ Bethel

The Bethel Historical Society’s 2007 Summer Lecture Series, Maine Character and “Characters,” got underway on May 10 with a lecture on Maine-Hawaii connections by Paul Burlin of the University of New England. On June 14, Earle Shettleworth spoke on “A Painter’s Progress: The Life, Work, and Travels of Harrison Bird Brown of Portland.” Vandall T. King of Rochester, NY, explored Oxford County mines and miners on August 10. On September 13, William B. Krohn of the Maine Fish and Wildlife Research Unit addressed “Joshua Gross Rich: Western Maine Pioneer and Wildlife Writer. David Fuller of Farmington will lecture on the spruce gum industry in Maine on October 11. Finally, Bethel Historical Society Director Stanley Russell Howe will present on the life and times of Elizabeth Mason Carter, one of Bethel’s most famous “characters,” on November 8. For details, please call (207) 824-2910 or visit www.bethelhistorical.org.

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Through November 11, 2007 ~~~ Portland and Gorham

Seven years of research have gone into the first and only survey of contemporary self-taught art in Maine: “Off the Grid: Maine Vernacular Environments.” The project’s findings will be presented to the public this fall through two simultaneous art exhibits, a catalog, video and oral documentation, and related programming. The exhibits will run from September 11 through November 11 at the art galleries on both the Portland and Gorham campuses of the University of Southern Maine. A symposium on November 4, free and open to the public, will serve as a critical forum for examining the issues raised in the exhibits: what are the commonly-held beliefs abour Maine’s vernacular? how are these beliefs portrayed in self-taight art environments arising from that vernacular? how are cultural notions of authenticity assimilated in the display of such art? To learn more, please visit www.usm.maine.edu/gallery.

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Through November 18, 2007 ~~~ Portland

In celebration of the bicentennial of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s birth, the Portland Stage Company presents Longfellow: A Life in Words, a new play by Daniel Noel. The script for the play uses only primary source material-correspondence and memoir as well as poetry-to bring the poet to life. The play runs for four weeks, starting October 24, at the Company’s studio theatre. For ticket information, please call (207) 774-1043 or visit www.portlandstage.com.

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November 19, 2007 ~~~ North Berwick

Michael Sullivan is a librarian and literacy specialist in Portsmouth, NH. His work centers on motivating children—especially boys—to become enthusiastic readers and library patrons. He has authored two books for children and a handbook called Connecting Boys With Books. As the keynote speaker for the annual MSAD 60 Fall Forum, Sullivan will address over 600 staff members from the three communities in the district. He speaks at Noble High School on November 19 at 11:15 a.m. For more information, please contact Claudia Updike at (207) 698-4465.

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Through November 25, 2007 ~~~ South Portland

The Portland Harbor Museum’s 2007 exhibit is entitled Picturing Portland: A Century of Change. This exhibit will employ the concept of “rephotography” (pairing old photographs with current ones) to explore the many aspects of Portland Harbor that have changed or remained the same. Many of the old photographs will come from the museum’s Angell Collection of glass plate negatives from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The contemporary images will be taken by members of the Bakery Photographic Collective. The exhibit opened April 27 and runs through November 25, 2007. An accompanying series of lectures, events, and activities will include photography workshops and a scavenger hunt for children. For event listings and museum information, please visit www.portlandharbormuseum.org or call (207) 799-6337.

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October 29 - December 3, 2007 ~~~ Blue Hill

This fall, the Blue Hill Consolidated School and the Downeast Educational Partnership will join forces with Primary Source to offer “Stories Told in Many Ways: Teaching African Culture Through the Arts.” This five-part seminar for K-12 educators in Hancock County will explore African culture through literature, art, and music. The program combines scholarly lectures with artists’ workshops and presentations by members of Maine’s African community. To enroll or find out more about the seminar, visit www.primarysource.org or call (207) 942-7146.

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December 9, 2007 ~~~ Portland

Victoria Mansion will celebrate Christmas with a special event this year: on December 9, from 3-5 pm, historian Sibyl McCormac Groff will deliver an illustrated lecture on Father Christmas in the Carriage House. For details, please call the Victoria Mansion at (207) 772-4841 or visit www.victoriamansion.org.

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April 16, 2008 ~~~ Farmington

The Wilton Free Public Library’s Hands On PAH! initiative is intended to make the library more accessible to the local and larger deaf community through collection development, technical services, and programming. In April 2008, nationally renowned deaf storyteller Peter Cook will visit Maine with his interpreter, Keith Wann. Cook will give a workshop on American Sign Language (ASL) storytelling and visual communication in the Nordica Auditorium at the University of Maine in Farmington from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 16. At 7:30 p.m., in the same location, he will give a storytelling performance. For further details, call the library at (207) 645-4831.

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