Expand Your Horizons (and have a lot of fun!)
at the Museum's Special Programs for 2010,
including... Tuesday Night at the Museum!

In the 35 years since his death, Fairfield Porter (1907-1975) has gained stature as a major American painter. We have learned a great deal about his life through his letters and Justin Spring's biography. Click here to read more about Fairfield Porter.

In his slide talk, author and art critic Carl Little will review Porter’s achievements, with a special focus on the art inspired by Great Spruce Head Island. He will weave in readings from the diaries and poetry of James Schuyler, who lived with the Porter family for more than a decade.

Carl Little has published a number of art books, including Edward Hopper’s New England, Paintings of Maine, and Beverly Hallam: An Odyssey in Art. He contributed an essay to the catalogue for the retrospective exhibition “Bernard Langlais: Independent Spirit” at the Portland Museum of Art in 2002. His reviews and articles appear in a range of regional and national publications, from Maine Home + Design and Art New England to Ornament and Art in America. He recently received the Maine Crafts Association’s first award for scholarly contributions to the field of craft in Maine.

Colleene Fesko is a Boston-based independent consultant and broker specializing in 19th- and 20th-century American and European fine art. Her experience includes more than two decades with Skinner Auctioneers & Appraisers, Boston, and as an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow since its inaugural season. In addition, she has appeared on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, teaches Art History at Mt. Ida College in Boston, and lectures widely on art and the art market. Ms. Fesko knew and collaborated with Selma Koss Holtz for a number of years. Click here to read more about Colleene Fesko.

Sculptor John Bisbee will talk about his work on exhibit in OMAA’s Sculpture Gallery. Chad McDermid writes, “John’s sculptures stem from a single event which occurred in 1988. Overturning a five-gallon bucket of rusty nails, the artist discovered that years of oxidation had fused the nails together and they emerged as a single mass. This cylindrical chunk, molded by the bucket’s inside, became the impetus for all of Bisbee’s works to follow.” The 12-inch spikes used in all of his one-ton sculptures are welded into molds or repeated in patterns creating forms, which are both naturalistic and geometric. Bisbee teaches at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine. Click here to read more about sculptor John Bisbee.

Program Sponsor: Carole Aaron
Photo Credit: Margot D. Miller, The Bowdoin Orient

At the time of his inauguration as New Hampshire Poet Laureate, Walter E. Butts said, “I really believe that poetry in many many ways is the form that is closest to expressing the human condition and the human spirit.” Click here to read more about Walter E. Butts.

W.E. is joined by his wife, S. Stephanie, as well as current and previous Portsmouth Poet Laureates Mark DeCarteret and Mimi White in reading their luminous poetry. With many volumes of poetry to their credit this group of four will bring a wide breadth of style and emotion to their readings. Poet, painter and musician Chris Volpe will set the scene with selections on his acoustic guitar.

Moderated by OMAA Director Ron Crusan, a panel of artists including George Burk, Dewitt Hardy, Pat Hardy, Evelyne Neill, Isabel Lewando and model Joan White will talk about life within the Ogunquit Art Colony. With memories of Edward Betts, Robert Laurent, Henry Strater and other artists working in the area from the time that the art colony flourished and the early decades after the Museum was established. This event includes a book signing for Ogunquit Then & Now by Susan D. Meffert, Cathryn M. Severson and Marie D. Natoli.

Photo courtesy Portland Press Herald

Maine architect Carole A. Wilson, whose stunning homes in Cape Porpoise and other areas of the state have won numerous awards, has studied the work of Rem Koolhaas and will lead a discussion about the movie with members of the audience. Click here to read more about Carole A. Wilson.

Note: The OMAA now features a new sound system especially for the viewing of films!

The Ogunquit art colonies were in the forefront of American Modernism. The movement flourished and grew as artists returned from their sojourns abroad in the late 19th and early 20th century. They brought the influence of European colleagues but defined their work with a uniquely American style.

Using works from the collection as illustration, OMAA Director Ron Crusan will talk about the influence of modernism on painters who created in the local art colonies under Hamilton Easter Field and Charles Woodbury.

Bring your lunch and join in the discussion!

Nominated for two Academy Awards and receiving 5 French César Awards, this film about the life of 19th-century sculptress Camille Claudel is based on a book by Reine-Marie Paris. Isabelle Adjani stars as Camille and Gerard Depardieu as August Rodin in this 1989 production, which is considered to be one of the most authentic depictions of mental illness in the history of film. Click here to watch a trailer for this movie. Click here to read more about this movie. Running time is 2 hours 15 minutes.

Note: The OMAA now features a new sound system especially for the viewing of films!

The Maine Arts Commission is a state agency that receives tax monies appropriated by the State Legislature. Its mission includes encouraging and stimulating public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and cultural programs in the state. This is your opportunity to learn about the state of the arts in Maine, the future of the arts and the work of the Maine Arts Commission. Donna McNeil, Director of the Maine Arts Commission, will lead discussion and answer questions. Feedback on your perception of the Commission and the effectiveness of their programs will be appreciated.

Founded by Julliard graduates, Shawn Wyckoff (flute) and Maria Millar (violin), Silver Roots performs customized programs that draw from a mix of classical and world music, improvisation and original works. They have performed all over the northeastern U.S. from Lincoln Center and the United Nations in New York City to the Japan Foundation in Toronto. The duo has received numerous accolades for their presentations that encourage audiences to participate in their concerts through storytelling, improvisation and musical requests. Click here to read more about Silver Roots.

Entrance fee for this performance will be $15 for guests (includes entrance to the museum) and $8 for members. Reservations will be taken the day of the event starting at 10 am.

Program Sponsor: Priscilla Schwartz

The renowned artist and children’s book author and illustrator Dahlov Ipcar began painting animals as a child in New York City. Today, at age 92, she continues to draw on a passion for all creatures great and small, painting caribou and cats, leopards and lions. Click here to read more about Dahlov Ipcar.

To mark the publication of his new book, The Art of Dahlov Ipcar, Carl Little will offer a mini-retrospective in slides of a remarkable life’s work that encompasses both farmyard and African jungle creatures. A book signing will follow the talk.

Carl Little has published a number of art books, including Edward Hopper’s New England, Paintings of Maine, and Beverly Hallam: An Odyssey in Art. He contributed an essay to the catalogue for the retrospective exhibition “Bernard Langlais: Independent Spirit” at the Portland Museum of Art in 2002. His reviews and articles appear in a range of regional and national publications, from Maine Home + Design and Art New England to Ornament and Art in America. He recently received the Maine Crafts Association’s first award for scholarly contributions to the field of craft in Maine.

Sandy (son of the late Peggy Bacon) and his wife Kelly are writing a biography of Peggy Bacon, which will include Peggy’s famous husband Alexander Brook, her father Charles Rosewell Bacon, her mother, Elizabeth Chase Bacon, as well as many of the artists of the Ash Can School in Manhattan, Woodstock and Maine in the 1920s and 1930s. We will hear first hand about their research and discoveries related to this stellar artist and writer whose work is represented in the Museum’s collections.