Maine Senior College Network news & updates | |
|
Welcome to the June 2024 issue of the MSCN newsletter.
Welcome, at last, to lovely summer days in Maine. While many senior colleges enjoy a well-deserved break, some excellent classes and talks are still available across the state.
I have some inspiration for adventurous readers for day trips in Maine. You can visit Sunrise Senior College in Machias to hear a talk with Susie Bock, the Coordinator of USM's Special Collections. Susie's talk is titled "Saving Your History - How to Review and Organize Your “Stuff.” This is an in-person presentation with a hybrid option. South Coast Senior College is partnering with the Old York Historical Society to run walking tours in York. While this is an in-person event, it might make a great road trip (which could include a visit to the original Stonewall Kitchen store.) And, another idea for a road trip comes from Coastal Senior College. Read their report of their spring walk exploration of Beech Hill in Rockport.
There is more to discover in this month's newsletter, read on and enjoy!
Anne Cardale
Program Director
Maine Senior College Network
Wikimedia Image:
Maine Harbor Scene
George Ames Aldrich
| |
PVSC & UMASC To The Rescue! | |
|
The Maine Senior College Network was booked to hold a table at the Maine Association of Retirees (MAR) Annual Meeting at the Augusta Civic Center in May but could not attend due to the University of Southern Maine's travel budget freeze.
Fran Day (in pink above) from Penobscot Valley SC and Louis Fontaine (in orange), Chair of UMaine at Augusta SC, volunteered to run the MSCN table at very short notice and talk about the network's colleges to MAR members!
The photograph was taken by Terry Sandusky, who serves on the board of SAGE in Presque Isle.
Many thanks to MAR, Fran, Louis, and Terry!
| |
|
Sunrise Senior College
presents:
Saving Your History - How to Review and Organize Your “Stuff” to Meet Legal and Personal Needs
with Susie Bock
June 14th
| |
 | |
Humans create and collect an enormous amount of material culture (documents, objects) over the course of their lives. Some of this clutter is just stuff, but some can be important to you, your family, or even future generations. Establishing control over your material culture can be daunting, but important so you can put your hands on what you need when you need it. This informative workshop will:
The principles and procedures presented by Susie Bock can be used by individuals or groups (such as community organizations) with whom you may be involved.
Instructor: Susie R. Bock, Coordinator of USM's Special Collections and Director of the Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine, has almost 30 years of experience managing primary materials. She has developed collections preserving the history of Maine's African American, Jewish, and LGBT communities and managed the University’s manuscripts, rare books, and Archives. She has presented this workshop to historical societies, senior colleges, and community groups.
Class Information: This is a hybrid class, held in person at the University of Maine at Machias, room SCI 102, and via Zoom.
Visit Sunrise SC to see more hybrid Summer offerings!
Wikimedia Images
Interior of cluttered room,
with Augusta Crofton Dillon
| |
|
South Coast Senior College
Invitation
Walking Tour: The History of Slavery in York County, Maine
This is a South Coast Senior College Collaboration with the Old York Historical Society
June 26th at 1 pm
Fee $5
|  | |
Our History of Slavery in York County, Maine Walking Tour brings to light the stories of enslaved people in York County, from Colonial times to the Emancipation Proclamation. Through local records, we learn the names of the enslaved of York and hear a bit about the circumstances of their lives in New England. The first mention of slavery in York appears in the 1630s when Thomas Gorges writes to England saying he could use slaves for work but was unsure they could endure the cold. The prevalence of slavery in the northern colonies during this time period is not commonly discussed, but it is clear that enslaved Africans left an indelible mark on the region’s history.
The creation of Maine as a state is inextricably tied to our nation’s history of slavery. We will briefly discuss the confluence of events brought about Maine statehood in 1820, and look at how those complex issues played out locally.
The tour lasts approximately an hour and covers a three-block area along York Street. The terrain is uneven, and comfortable shoes are recommended.
For more information and registration.
Please visit the South Coast SC catalog page
Read about South Coast SC's Walking Tour:
The Story of Colonial York on June 5th.
South Coast Senior College
| |
Coastal Senior College
(Newsletter article published in May, 2024)
Beech Hill Spring Walk
Jayne Gordon
| |
|
Beech Hill Spring Walk Participants in the Coastal Senior College walking group enjoyed a picture-perfect day atop Beech Hill in Rockport on Monday, May 13. An easy ascent through blueberry barrens led to stunning prospects of Penobscot Bay and the Camden Hills.
At the summit is Beech Nut, a stone structure designed by landscape architect Hans Heisted in 1914 to resemble a Norwegian “hytte” or hut — sod roof and all! Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was built as a tea house and sheltered picnic spot for the Gribbel family, who owned a summer “cottage” in Rockport. Docent Betsy Terrell from the Coastal Mountains Land Trust, which manages the 200-acre preserve, opened the building and shared documents relating to its history and preservation.
The group investigated maps and used binoculars, compasses, and guidebooks to identify inlets, islands, peaks, ponds, and other prominent features such as lighthouses, roads, towers, farm fields, rivers, and harbors. It was one of the highlights of the day!
In the two years since the Senior College walks began, volunteers have led ambles through villages and natural areas in more than a dozen places — from the tips of peninsulas to beautiful inland locations. Previous excursions in Lincoln and Knox Counties have explored Pemaquid Harbor, Darling Marine Center, Clarks Cove (Walpole), Head Tide, East Boothbay, South Bristol, Southport Island, Wiscasset town center, Sheepscot Village, Hidden Valley (Jefferson), Owls Head, Boothbay Harbor, and Union. The view from Beech Hill served as a review of all the places the group has roamed throughout this viewshed, with a preview of how many more local landscapes lie waiting to be explored.
The free spring and fall walks are one of the many benefits of membership in Coastal Maine Senior College. To see the full range of courses and activities, visit the Coastal SC website
Wikimedia Images
Photos by Magicpiano
View of Penobscot Bay from the house.
and
Beech Nut (detail)
| |
|
Summer Classes & Activities
around the Network
| |
|
Congratulations to Lewiston Auburn SC artists!
Congratulations to Nancy Kleckner and Anita Poulin, two Lewiston Auburn SC artists and Art Lovers Club members who have been recognized for their fine work.
| |
|
Top image: Nancy’s beaded “Frog and Toad Teapot” has been accepted for a show titled “Noveltea” at Caravan Beads in Portland.
The image on the left shows Anita’s slate painting, titled “Milking Time”, was selected by the Maine Arts Commission to be exhibited at the Deering Building.
Lewiston Auburn Senior College
| |
|
The Gold LEAF Institute Book Group
The online book group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
| |
 | |
The Gold LEAF Institute Book Group
The Book Discussion Group continues a long Gold LEAF tradition and will meet four times during the Summer Term to discuss works of fiction and nonfiction. Our sessions are open and casual but also stimulating and informative—we learn from each other. This term, each book has been chosen and will be facilitated by a member of the group.
The group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. For more information and to sign up click here!
- July 9: Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
- August 13: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
- September 10: The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II by Candance Fleming
- October 8: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Each of the facilitators has previously participated in this book group. Newcomers and past participants are encouraged to join us this Summer Term.
The Gold LEAF Institute
Wikimedia Image
Heiligenkreuz Abbey Library, Austria
Photo by Jorge Royan
| |
|
Art of Penobscot Bay by Carl Little and David Little
Published by Islandport Press 2024
Pages 141 Price $34.00
Reviewed by Pat Davidson Reef
|  | |
Carl Little, a well-known art writer, and his brother David, an artist who attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, have included both men and women artists across all historical periods in their new book exploring the "Art of Penobscot Bay."
The authors obviously love Maine and its artists. Their family has a history of living here, which goes back to their uncle William Keinbusch, who painted in Maine in the 1940s and 1950s and became nationally known as a leader in creating abstract art.
In their search for creative works around Penobscot Bay, the authors travel throughout the Bay area with its many islands, exploring its creativity, both past and present. "Our Journey began at the outer edge of Penobscot Bay and the island that guards it, Mantinicus, which has the distinction of being the farthest inhabited territory off the coast of the United States." One of the strengths of this new book is that the authors reveal many new artists who are creating today in the 21st century in this beautiful and isolated geographic area in the state.
Over 100 photographs of art in beautiful color by the artists associated with Penobscot Bay make this book a must to explore in the summer of 2024. They include artists from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Some artists from the 19th century include Fitz Henry Lane (1804-1865), Waldo Pierce (1884-1970), George Bellow (1882-1925), Frank Weston Benton (1862-1951), Charles Dana Gibson (1867-1944), Sarah Baker (1899-19830) and Beatrice Whitney Van Ness (1888-1981).
Artists selected from the 20th century include Leon Kroll, William Zorach, John Marin, Marsden Hartly, N. C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, Emily Muir, William Muir, Fairfield Porter Eliot Porter, Bernard Langlois, and Waldo Pierce, to name only a few.
For me, the most exciting group of artists that the book focuses on are the contemporary artists of the 21st century found in the Penobscot Bay area. They included works by Sam Cady, Loretta Kruppinski, Robert Eric Moore, Pheobe Bly, Jamie Wyeth, Lois Dodd, Sam Minot, Diane Crossman, Linda Norton, Colin Page, Alex Katz, Brita Holmquest, and Amy Peters Wood, whose work" Coming Home" created in 2021, is on the cover of the book and gives an aerial view of Penobscot Bay.
The book's inclusion of many women artists who painted in the Penobscot Bay area, historically and today, adds to its strengths. In the 19th century, women were traditionally considered decorative artists, a secondary evaluation compared to men, who were deemed monumental artists. This stigma against women artists has been carried through over the years, but in the 21st century, women artists are breaking that stereotype. This book recognizes women and men artists equally.
The general public may be familiar with many of the featured artists, but including many NEW and exciting works is uplifting and refreshing. Therefore, I highly recommend adding this book to your collection of books on Maine artists, especially regarding the present group of artists now associated with the Penobscot Bay area. In fact, this new book is a must-have in your home and library for lovers of art and books about Maine artists.
| |
The Maine Senior College Network is a program of the | | | | |
