Summers in Maine seem to go by too quickly. I don’t know how it got to be mid- September when I feel like summer just started. I have wanted to tell you about two great exhibits that I saw this summer at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, but there never seemed to be enough time in my day to get to this blog post. Luckily, the exhibits are still there, though one will be gone after this weekend. And another stroke of good luck is that Saturday is calling for some rain…so it’s a perfect day to head to Brunswick to view these two exhibits.
The first exhibit, Hello Nature, is by William Wegman. I am not very knowledgeable about art, but I had heard of William Wegman , mostly familiar with his photographs of his Weimaraners dogs. They are always whimsical and fun, and I am a sucker for a photo of a dog in human clothes. So, I thought I would definitely enjoy his exhibit.
When I got there, I was pleased to see the dogs—sitting in a canoe, hiding in some leaves, and yes…some were in human clothes. But, I was even more enamored with art he created based on old Maine postcards. He would attach the postcard or postcards to a canvas and paint around it to extend the scene that was printed on the postcard. They were amazing—and really well done! I thought it was a really cool idea and one that would be a fun art project for kids and others—to give them a postcard and have them imagine what was beyond the four edges of the photo. I may have to suggest that idea to the arts and crafts director at the camp I used to work at.
While I went specifically to see Wegman’s exhibit, I was pleasantly surprised to find an exhibit of black and white photographs of the Androscoggin River.
The exhibit, A River Lost & Found: The Androscoggin in Time and Place, leaves after this weekend, so I encourage you to make plans to see it before it’s too late. They even have a booth that you can enter to record your own stories and memories of the Androscoggin River. As someone who grew up near the river, and as someone who has worked for nearly 17 years at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, a group that has worked to clean up and restore Maine’s rivers, including the Androscoggin, I was interested in hearing stories and looking at photographs in this exhibit. I wish I had taken the time to record my memories of the Androscoggin, and who knows…maybe you will see me there doing just that this weekend.
Both exhibits are related to Maine’s natural world—the beauty of our environment is captured in Hello Nature and we are reminded through the Androscoggin River exhibit how important it is to protect our waterways.
I am not someone who hopes for a rainy weekend, but living in Maine, I always plan for rainy day activities in case they are needed. Rain or shine, I urge you to protect a couple of hours of your weekend this weekend to head to Bowdoin College’s Museum of Art for two exhibits that showcase Maine’s outdoors.
By Beth Comeau, NRCM Communications Manager
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