Maine is awash in great art, theater, music and writing. Recent trips to the Portland Museum of Art and the new Emery Community Arts Center at the University of Maine at Farmington reminded us of this. And we’ll soon be making another visit to Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield, the best place to listen to music in the state. Last Friday night we enjoyed Red, winner of the 2010 Tony Award for Best Play, at the Public Theater in Lewiston. Portland hosts the Maine Festival of the Book on Saturday. And we’re pouring through Janet Mendelsohn’s very informative book, “Maine’s Museums: Art Oddities & Artifacts,” making a list of places to visit this summer. Join us!

Linda
A trip to the Portland Museum of Art always lifts my spirits and usually opens my eyes to something new. Our last visit was no different. I fell in love with the McLellan House section.

Major Hugh McLellan was a prominent citizen of Portland, and his house (built in 1801) was restored in 2002 to become a part of this museum. One step in and you will feel transported back in time. Its Federal-era design and details have remained intact over the years.

The woodwork here is fascinating. Everywhere I looked, shapes like shells and other ornamental designs were imbedded in moldings and railings. It sure is different than the plain molding found in houses today.

There are many rooms to wander through — all filled with beautiful furniture. My favorite features were the “Flying Staircase” and the interactive Child’s Play Room. Please bring a child you know to visit this room. You both will learn a lot and have fun!

And bring your iPhone for QR (Quick Response Code) access to much more information.

Dahlov Ipcar
Browsing through the children’s section of books in the museum’s gift shop, I happened upon a whole section of one of my favorite Maine authors, Dahlov Ipcar. She is well known for the highly patterned, intricate designs in her artwork, and often writes in rhyming text. Children love her books!

She might not be as easily recognized as other distinctive artists like Eric Carle, Jan Brett or Mo Wilems, but she should be.

Islandport Press in Yarmouth has republished her books (written in the mid-’60s and ’70s), and they were kind enough to send some to us to review. “The Calico Jungle” is a wonderful story of a little boy’s discovery of all kinds of things on the quilt his mother made for him. Children will enjoy looking at this book again and again, and it might even spark their interest in drawing.

“Hardscrabble Harvest” was written about a decade later. It’s a fun story written in verse about a farmer’s battle with all the animals that get into his garden. (I think I love this one because I relate so well to the story line.) 

There have been two alphabet board books published over the last two years — one of farmyard animals, and the other of wild animals. Both feature illustrations from some of her 30 children’s books.
She’s a Maine author, so I hope you introduce your child or grandchild to her books.

George
In February, we made our first visit to the spectacular 15,000-square-foot Emery Community Arts Center at the University of Maine at Farmington to see an amazing video featuring folks in a Farmington home for seniors created by our friend and neighbor, Dona Seegars. Exhibits rotate, and the center also has a special 100-seat performance space, so we’ll have plenty of reasons to become regular visitors from now on. This is a wonderful space with exceptional exhibits.

Seegars’ video, a tribute to her mother who lived at this Farmington home for a few years until her death last year, was astonishing — at times funny, at times sad, always visually compelling. During our February visit, the gallery also featured beautiful quilts, including some by another friend and neighbor, Julie Weaver.

A few weeks later, wandering through Portland’s Museum of Art, I saw a direct line from artists of the past to the talented artists now working in our midst, and also a connection to my life in Maine today.
Standing before Frederic Church’s last major studio painting, “Mount Katahdin from Millinocket Lake,” painted in 1895, I saw the same stunning colors we enjoy every summer from our camp in the northwest corner of Baxter Park. Glorious!

Winslow Homer’s “Wild Geese in Flight” features a hunting scene with both live and dead geese, something that pleased this sportsman. And I loved N.C. Wyeth’s “Lobstering off Black Spruce Ledge” and the paintings of Matinicus by George Bellows.

I was impressed with Waldo Pierce’s huge painting, done for the Westbrook Post Office in 1937 during the Depression, “Woodsmen in the Woods of Maine.” The display includes the door and front walls of the post office.

But my favorite on this visit was William Pope’s “Sardine Cans,” an artistic display of — yes, you guessed it — sardine cans and items from the sardine canning industry. A quote from a sardine canner hit home with me: “Oh well, it’s better than cutting fish.” My sardine-canning grandmother probably would have agreed.

Many of these works of art are in the museum’s permanent collection, and until May 28, you can also see a visiting collection of art by Edgar Degas and his contemporaries.
   
Conclusion
Artistry is all around us. This weekend at the State of Maine Sportsman’s Show at the Augusta Civic Center, a wonderful Maine photographer, Mark Picard, is the artist in residence. You’ve got to see his outdoor photographs: absolutely stunning.

You also have a great reason to travel to Portland for the Maine Festival of the Book, — Thursday, March 29 through Sunday, April 1 — a spectacular event featuring 75 authors, artists and performers, with programs for all ages.

Forget the NCAA basketball games. Grab some art!

Visit George’s website: www.george
smithmaine.com for travel tips, book reviews, outdoor news and more.

The Travelin Maine(rs), George and Linda Smith of Mount Vernon, have spent their lifetimes enjoying all that Maine has to offer. Now they’ll tell you all about it — their favorite inns, restaurants, trips, activities, experiences, and travel books and websites — in their own personal style. They’ll be offering anecdotes, tips and all the details you need. So join them in exploring, experiencing and enjoying the great state of Maine.