Flock to the Gilley for a fun and informative few hours with Seth Benz, the bird ecology director at Schoodic Institute. Seth will delve into research and share current sightings and insights. Bring your own questions and curiosity, a favorite bird-related reading, or your latest observations. Depending on weather, the group might go for a bird-sighting walk outside. The goal for this last Bird Chatter of the spring is to spend as much as possible of it outdoors.

Cyanotype, also called sun-printing, is an early photographic process that produces blue and white prints. It is usually done in bright sunlight, but can also produce beautiful images on overcast days, and can be done indoors with a specialized UV light. You’ll have a chance to try both sunlight and artificial light.

In this 2-hour workshop, we will work with 5x7 watercolor paper and will use a variety of objects, including feathers, dried ferns, evergreen branches, paper snowflakes, and chandelier prisms to make winter woodland-inspired scenes.

Jennifer Booher is an artist and photographer from Bar Harbor. She has been a Resident Artist with Acadia National Park since 2015, and artist-in-residence with the MDI Historical Society since 2018.

A California native, Jennifer has taught at the University of Maine-Orono since 2000 where she has served as Director of Creative Writing, co-advisor to The Open Field, and Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies.  She is an award-winning poet and author of seven books of poetry, a book of essays, and a memoir. Her work has been included in two Norton Anthologies and in The Best American Poetry 2002. In 2005 she was granted the Lynda Hull Poetry Award from Denver Quarterly, and in 2015 her book The Open Secret was awarded the Poetry Society of America’s William Carlos Williams award and was a finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. For this PNA, she will be discussing her book For the Good of All, Do Not Destroy the Birds, a blend of literary criticism and memoir that recounts a life spent in the company of birds and poems, intimately attuned to the mysteries of singing.

This will be an in-person event with special host Carl Little, but can also be attended online. We will send a Zoom link to those who choose the online option when reserving space. There will be an artist reception at 6pm.

People-Nature-Art is a monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach to nature.

Join Kathie Pratt and work in clay to create a nature-themed bas relief that you’ll be able to complete and take home that day.

Artists create a bas-relief by sculpting onto a 2-D plane to create and accentuate figures and objects, producing a 3-D appearance. We’ll be using polymer clay and baking it off, then painting it. Then, students will be shaping them around glass jars to make a decorative container.

Class size is limited.

Marc's art depicts mostly maritime or mountain themes, as this is where he spends most of his time enjoying the outdoors. An artist for most of his life, he holds bachelor's and master's degrees in fine art. Marc spends much of the year traveling, sometimes doing weekend art festivals, and exhibiting through select galleries. Traveling overseas enhances his artist's perspectives of the world. Marc also produces The Bar Harbor Fine Arts Festivals.

This will be an in-person event, but can also be attended online. We will send a Zoom link to those who choose the online option when reserving space. There will be an artist reception at 6pm.

People-Nature-Art is a monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach to nature.

Participants will be guided step by step through creating a watercolor of textured bubbles.

Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages provided.

Students will be guided step by step to create a painting of whimsical mushrooms with watercolors and ink.

Sip on wine, tea or seltzer as part of this adults-only class, which is suitable for artists of all levels who are at least 21 years old. All materials and beverages provided.

Cyanotype, also called sun-printing, is an early photographic process that produces blue and white prints. It is usually done in bright sunlight, but can also produce beautiful images on overcast days, and can be done indoors with a specialized UV light. You’ll have a chance to try both sunlight and artificial light.

In this 2-hour workshop, we will work with 5x7 watercolor paper and will use a variety of objects, including feathers, dried ferns, evergreen branches, paper snowflakes, and chandelier prisms to make woodland-inspired scenes.  This class is suitable for all ages and fun for the whole family.

Jennifer Booher is an artist and photographer from Bar Harbor. She has been a Resident Artist with Acadia National Park since 2015, and artist-in-residence with the MDI Historical Society since 2018.

Students will be guided step by step through painting robins in watercolor.

Students will take a break for stretching with the instructor, who is a certified yoga teacher. This class will be held outside if possible.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

A multiple-time winner of the Maine Duck Stamp contest, Rick was born and raised on Little Cranberry Island, where he lives today lobstering, fishing and scalloping when he’s not painting. The majority of his work is of seabirds and wildlife. In his realistic style, Rick captures the mood of the sea in a way only a man who has grown up on the water can do. His pictures depict the Maine coast with astounding accuracy. His paintings have been selected for the Wildlife Art Show, Governor’s Gallery, at the Maine State House in Augusta.

This will be an in-person event, but can also be attended online. We will send a Zoom link to those who choose the online option when reserving space. There will be an artist reception at 6pm.

People-Nature-Art is a monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach to nature.

Students will be guided step by step through painting a snail & mushrooms in watercolor.

Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages provided.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Author Kay Liss in conversation with guest host Carl Little about her new book, “Coming Home,” at the Wendell Gilley Museum on Friday, June 28 at 5:30pm with a book signing afterward.

 Quote from the author: I believe there’s nothing more important at this time in our history than our relationship to the natural world. I want to bring this urgent message to the world through my novels.

Kay Tobler Liss

About the Book:

Four generations of a family return to cherished places in nature from their youth and uncover buried secrets about themselves. From the coast of North Carolina to New York, from Savannah, Georgia to Switzerland, the special places include a meadow, a pine grove, a river, and mountain valley. Their journeys begin after a Christmas dinner and end a year later when they share their stories with each other and start to heal as a family. They finally face a pivotal event–the death of a sibling and son. The most valuable lesson they learn is that nature can not only be a source of beauty and solace but of personal transformation and expanding compassion for all life.

About the Author

Kay Tobler Liss’s greatest passion is for the natural world. She began writing poetry while out in the woods where she grew up on Long Island, New York. She won a prize for her poetry at 17, and went on to study literature at Bard College and Environmental Studies at Southampton College. Kay Tobler Liss wrote for newspapers and magazines for many years, and also taught literature on the high school and college level but had always wanted to write a novel. Her first novel, “The Last Resort,” published in July 2020, combined both her passion for nature and for social justice for oppressed people. Her new novel, “Coming Home,” deals with how nature can not only save us as individuals but help us find common ground with other people and all living things.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Students will be guided step by step through painting a night sky with the Milky Way over Echo Lake.

Sip on wine, tea or seltzer as part of this adults-only class, which is suitable for artists of all levels who are at least 21 years old. All materials and beverages provided.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Students will be guided step by step to create a watercolor of ferns and mini foliage.

Students will take a break for stretching with Erika, who is a certified yoga teacher. This class will be held outside if possible.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Students will be guided step by step through painting a tree strewn landscape.

Sip on wine, tea or seltzer as part of this adults-only class, which is suitable for artists of all levels who are at least 21 years old. All materials and beverages provided.

Students will be guided step by step through painting a watercolor & ink dragonfly.

Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages provided.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Cyanotype, also called sun-printing, is an early photographic process that produces blue and white prints. It is usually done in bright sunlight, but can also produce beautiful images on overcast days, and can be done indoors with a specialized UV light. You’ll have a chance to try both sunlight and artificial light.

In this 2-hour workshop, we will work with 5x7 watercolor paper and will use a variety of objects, including feathers, dried ferns, evergreen branches, paper snowflakes, and chandelier prisms to make woodland-inspired scenes.  This class is suitable for all ages and fun for the whole family.

Jennifer Booher is an artist and photographer from Bar Harbor. She has been a Resident Artist with Acadia National Park since 2015, and artist-in-residence with the MDI Historical Society since 2018.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Gina lives and paints on a farm in Maine, specializing in translating bird flight to a two-dimensional canvas. Painting large bird groups allows her to explore both formal aspects of representation in the modernist tradition and express her concerns for ecological continuity. She aims to capture the abstract patterns created by birds in a moment of flight, while keeping them in a real and distant space.

This will be an in-person event, but can also be attended online. We will send a Zoom link to those who choose the online option when reserving space. There will be an artist reception at 6pm.

People-Nature-Art is a monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach to nature.

Students will create a painting of rocks near Thunder Hole in Acadia National Park.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Cyanotype, also called sun-printing, is an early photographic process that produces blue and white prints. It is usually done in bright sunlight, but can also produce beautiful images on overcast days, and can be done indoors with a specialized UV light. You’ll have a chance to try both sunlight and artificial light.

In this 2-hour workshop, we will work with 5x7 watercolor paper and will use a variety of objects, including feathers, dried ferns, evergreen branches, paper snowflakes, and chandelier prisms to make woodland-inspired scenes.  

Sip on wine, tea or seltzer as part of this adults-only class, which is suitable for artists of all levels who are at least 21 years old. All materials and beverages provided.

Jennifer Booher is an artist and photographer from Bar Harbor. She has been a Resident Artist with Acadia National Park since 2015, and artist-in-residence with the MDI Historical Society since 2018.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Students will be guided step by step through creating a watercolor landscape painting of Somes Sound in blues and greens.

Sip on wine, tea or seltzer as part of this adults-only class, which is suitable for artists of all levels who are at least 21 years old. All materials and beverages provided.

Cyanotype, also called sun-printing, is an early photographic process that produces blue and white prints. It is usually done in bright sunlight, but can also produce beautiful images on overcast days, and can be done indoors with a specialized UV light. You’ll have a chance to try both sunlight and artificial light.

In this 2-hour workshop, we will work with 5x7 watercolor paper and will use a variety of objects, including feathers, dried ferns, evergreen branches, paper snowflakes, and chandelier prisms to make woodland-inspired scenes.  This class is suitable for all ages and fun for the whole family.

Jennifer Booher is an artist and photographer from Bar Harbor. She has been a Resident Artist with Acadia National Park since 2015, and artist-in-residence with the MDI Historical Society since 2018.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Students will be guided step by step through creating a watercolor of relaxing tree paths.

Students will take a break for stretching with Erika, who is a certified yoga teacher. This class will be held outside if possible.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Matt is one of the world’s leading wildlife filmmakers and an Emmy-nominated and award-winning wildlife cinematographer. He has spent his professional life working in our planet’s most remote and wild places. His current project is Birds of America, a feature film with an ambitious conservation agenda that seeks to fundamentally change the way we look at and engage with the natural world in the face of climate change and habitat loss.

This will be an in-person event, but can also be attended online. We will send a Zoom link to those who choose the online option when reserving space. There will be an artist reception at 6pm.

People-Nature-Art is a monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach to nature.

Students will be guided step by step through creating a watercolor inspired by Mrs. Rumphius.

Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages provided. 

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Students will be guided through a plein air painting at the Charlotte Rhoades Butterfly Garden.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Students will be guided step by step to create a painting depicting a whale and a boat.

Sip on wine, tea or seltzer as part of this adults-only class, which is suitable for artists of all levels who are at least 21 years old. All materials and beverages provided.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Come get your feet wet and step into the magical world of watercolor with local artist Erika Rosso.  Erika will be guiding students to create a watercolor portrait of a colorful Maine puffin.  Class is suitable for all levels and ages, families and individuals welcome. 

All materials supplied as well as tea and non alcoholic beverages.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Students will be guided step by step to create a painting of northern lights and mountain silhouettes.

Sip on wine, tea or seltzer as part of this adults-only class, which is suitable for artists of all levels who are at least 21 years old. All materials and beverages provided.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Josh carves highly sought-after bird carvings by hand with traditional tools, using oil paint to finish his pieces which are primarily made from Atlantic white cedar. His work is in collections throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Japan. He was commissioned by Salisbury University to create original carvings for Nobel Peace Prize Laureates including Polish President Lech Walesa and South African President F.W. de Klerk.                              

This will be an in-person event, but can also be attended online. We will send a Zoom link to those who choose the online option when reserving space. There will be an artist reception at 6pm.

People-Nature-Art is a monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach to nature.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Cyanotype, also called sun-printing, is an early photographic process that produces blue and white prints. It is usually done in bright sunlight, but can also produce beautiful images on overcast days, and can be done indoors with a specialized UV light. You’ll have a chance to try both sunlight and artificial light.

In this 2-hour workshop, we will work with 5x7 watercolor paper and will use a variety of objects, including feathers, dried ferns, evergreen branches, paper snowflakes, and chandelier prisms to make woodland-inspired scenes.  This class is suitable for all ages and fun for the whole family.

Jennifer Booher is an artist and photographer from Bar Harbor. She has been a Resident Artist with Acadia National Park since 2015, and artist-in-residence with the MDI Historical Society since 2018.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Students will create a painting of the Kelley Farm and Marsh in Bernard.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn the basics of bird carving at the Gilley! This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. You'll have fun and leave with something you create.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Bonnie Chase’s passion is combining nature, science, and local plant and found materials to create forms of art, inspired by the life that grows around her. Her creativity comes from her connection with the natural world. To create her art, Chase harvests the plants she grows in her garden and ones that grow in the wild around her home. She makes everything she uses, from dye to woven baskets, all from locally grown plant matter. She has always encouraged her students to explore the natural world through a creative lens, throughout her careers in teaching, as executive director of the Cora Hartshorn Arboretum and Nature Center, as Master Naturalist, and leading natural history tours in Central and South America.

This will be an in-person event, but can also be attended online. We will send a Zoom link to those who choose the online option when reserving space. There will be an artist reception at 6pm.

People-Nature-Art is a monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach to nature.

The title for Lucy Kalian's current body of work, ‘Witnesses’ (on exhibit at the Gallery at Somes Sound in Somesville) refers not only to the thoughtful observer, but also to woodlands, trees, and their remains that have a deeper history than most of us walking the land today. They’ve witnessed humans’ yearning and urgency regarding the turmoil currently present throughout the world. The woods bear witness to a changing ecosystem and changing ‘human system’. She always was compelled to draw, sketch and paint but did not become a professional artist until midlife.

This will be an in-person event, but can also be attended online. We will send a Zoom link to those who choose the online option when reserving space. There will be an artist reception at 6pm.

People-Nature-Art is a monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach to nature.

Nell Parker lives with her family in a rambling 200-year-old farmhouse in rural Maine. She loves to engage with the surrounding landscape through growing her own food, celebrating the wheel of the year, and closely observing the surrounding world in the process of art-making. Her work has been shown in galleries throughout Maine and Oregon.

This will be an in-person event, but can also be attended online. We will send a Zoom link to those who choose the online option when reserving space. There will be an artist reception at 6pm.

People-Nature-Art is a monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach to nature.

Rebekah Raye is surrounded by nature in her Maine home, and it inspires the artwork she does every day. "It doesn’t seem to matter where I am," she says, "the sight of an animal, near or far calls my attention. They are consistently in my dreams and daily thoughts. It is a celebration of their lives with us that I wish to interpret and share. I am compelled to paint them, sculpt them and love them." 

We are excited and honored to have her with us as the first People-Nature-Art speaker of 2023. Join us in person or online for a wide-ranging conversation with Rebekah Raye, a painter and sculptor who also writes and illustrates children's books including "The Very Best Bed" and "The Secret Pool."

        This monthly series brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach nature. All 12 programs in this year’s series are proudly sponsored by our friends at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. 

    “At Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, we take great pride in partnering with area nonprofits doing important work to keep the community engaged. Wendell Gilley Museum is a wonderful example of this. We are excited to support this special artist series and look forward to the positive impact throughout the region,” says Lisa Parsons, Senior Vice President Regional Marketing .

Get started with bird carving in this workshop from master carver Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this skill with students at the museum for 37 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create.

Class size limited to 4. Students must be at least 12 years old.

In this class, conducted online via Zoom, students will be carving a preening pintail duck in basswood under the guidance of carver-in-residence Steve Valleau. Cornell’s All About Birds describes northern pintails as elegant ducks, with males that are intricately patterned. Seen in Maine during migration, they head to the prairie pothole region of the Great Plains, as well as Canada and Alaska to nest as soon as the ice breaks up. Large groups congregate in wetlands, lakes, bays, and even waddle through agricultural fields eating grains during the winter.  

Students will receive blanks that have been roughed out, and all the materials needed for this carving will be provided.

Fee for the class is: $90 for members or $110 for non-members, plus a $30 materials fee for everyone. For students whose materials must be mailed, there will be an additional $18 fee for shipping. Local students may pick up their materials at the museum.

This class is offered on Saturday afternoons from 1 to 4pm via Zoom, from Feb. 4, 2023 to March 25, 2023. 

Saturday, March 11

This workshop is designed to help you unlock your creativity and leave with some works in progress—and to have some fun along the way. Get inspired by pieces from the museum's permanent collection and current exhibitions with writer and artist Annaliese Jakimides. Her prose and poetry have been published in magazines, journals, and anthologies; broadcast on NPR and Maine Public; and included in art venues such as ArtWord at the Portland Museum of Art. She will provide some background about this type of writing — ekphrastic writing — plus techniques, and prompts to get you going. But ultimately you choose your path.  

Help kick off the Great Backyard Bird Count with Seth Benz of the Schoodic Institute and the Wendell Gilley Museum on Friday, Feb. 17 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the museum at 4 Herrick Rd. in Southwest Harbor. We’ll cover how to participate in this global event; watch observations roll in from around the world; and we’ll contribute our own observations from Southwest Harbor. This event will combine indoor and outdoor components. No fee, but registration is required at www.wendellgilleymuseum.org/events/

Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds, and to display results in near real time. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations. Birds Canada joined the project in 2009 In 2013, participants began entering data into eBird, the world’s largest biodiversity-related citizen science project.

Get started with bird carving in this workshop from master carver Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this skill with students at the museum for 37 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create.

Class size limited to 4. Students must be at least 12 years old.

Did you know that there has been an international treasure hunt happening since 1854?  Nowadays thousands of people around the world participate in the global joy that is letterboxing!

Letterboxing is one part mystery, one part treasure hunt, one part art project, and many parts fun for all ages.  Join Matt from Camp Beech Cliff:

-Learn about what Letterboxing is

-How to participate

-Make a personal logbook

-Learn about stamp carving

-Look at many types of stamps

-Find a Couple of special stamps to start your own letterboxing journey

All supplies will be provided, and this will begin indoors and then make its way outside.

Australian artist Kate Gorringe-Smith works in contemporary and traditional print media in 2D and 3D form and installation. Her art investigates our relationship with the environment: the threats we create vs our connectedness with it. Kate’s work often references migratory shorebirds to illustrate the environmental connections that link us individually and globally. For her "Overwintering Project" she has asked artists to find, visit, and forge a connection with their local migratory shorebird habitat, then create art prints in response to those visits. Join us for a fascinating talk from Down Under.

This monthly series brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach nature. All 12 programs in this year’s series are proudly sponsored by our friends at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. 

“At Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, we take great pride in partnering with area nonprofits doing important work to keep the community engaged. Wendell Gilley Museum is a wonderful example of this. We are excited to support this special artist series and look forward to the positive impact throughout the region,” says Lisa Parsons, Senior Vice President Regional Marketing Manager.

Tuesday, Feb. 28 @ 5:30pm ONLINE 

Join the Southwest Harbor Public Library and the Gilley for the first event of Reading with Wings, a pilot program to jointly host author events. We’ll be joined by Steve Burrows, a journalist and birder who combined those two skillsets to write the Bird Murder Mysteries.  The first book in that series, “A Siege of Bitterns,” won the Crime Writers of Canada award for Best First Novel, and was selected as one of the Globe & Mail’s top 100 books of the year. The seventh Birder Murder mystery, “A Foreboding of Petrels,” was published in September 2022. He will join us online for a conversation with the directors of the library and the museum on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 5:30. This program is free but registration is required. To learn more the author and his books, visit www.steveburrows.org

Flock to the Gilley for a fun and informative few hours with Seth Benz, the bird ecology director at Schoodic Institute. Seth will delve into research and share current sightings and insights. Bring your own questions and curiosity, a favorite bird-related reading, or your latest observations. Depending on weather, the group might go for an optional bird walk outside.

There is no fee for this program, but a museum entrance fee is required. For museum members, museum entry is free. For non-members, the entrance fee is $10 per visit but a one-time Winter Pass is available for $25 and is good through April 30. If you would like to buy a winter pass, you can do so at the museum the day of the program.

RESCHEDULED FOR MARCH 10

Join us for a celebration of Ashley Bryan's Beautiful Blackbird, an adaptation of a tale from the Ila-speaking people of Zambia about appreciating one's own heritage and discovering the beauty within. This program is in cooperation with our friends at Island Readers & Writers. After reading the story together, we will make our own artistic interpretations of the story with cut paper and other materials. For ages 5 and older. This event has been rescheduled due to the Feb. 23-24 storm.

Friday, March 10, 130-3:30pm

Learn simple watercolor techniques to bring your paintings to life.  Led by Erika Rosso, students will be playing with the unpredictability of watercolor and using salt, wet washes, and dry brushing to achieve different effects.  Students will also go over the process for more planned works, learning how to draft and prepare for a more detailed watercolor painting.  Students are encouraged to bring a photo of a bird they would like to paint, however we will also have pictures available for you to look through.

Saturday, March 11

This workshop is designed to help you unlock your creativity and leave with some works in progress—and to have some fun along the way. Get inspired by pieces from the museum's permanent collection and current exhibitions with writer and artist Annaliese Jakimides. Her prose and poetry have been published in magazines, journals, and anthologies; broadcast on NPR and Maine Public; and included in art venues such as ArtWord at the Portland Museum of Art. She will provide some background about this type of writing — ekphrastic writing — plus techniques, and prompts to get you going. But ultimately you choose your path.  

RESCHEDULED for Saturday, March11, 10:30am-Noon IN PERSON

Family Fun! Work together to make a painting filled with rainbow birch trees and black-capped chickadees with local artist Erika Rosso. You'll learn a playful approach to watercolor, using salt for special effects and a palette knife for texture. Sip on hot chocolate and cider while creating your art. Suitable for ages 6 and older. Fee: $25 for a family of up to 3 people & $5 for each additional person in the group.

This class was originally planned for March 4 but was rescheduled due to weather.

Get started with bird carving in this workshop from master carver Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this skill with students at the museum for 37 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create.

Class size limited to 4. Students must be at least 12 years old.

Flock to the Gilley for a fun and informative few hours with Seth Benz, the bird ecology director at Schoodic Institute. Seth will delve into research and share current sightings and insights. Bring your own questions and curiosity, a favorite bird-related reading, or your latest observations. Depending on weather, the group might go for an optional bird walk outside.

There is no fee for this program, but a museum entrance fee is required. For museum members, museum entry is free. For non-members, the entrance fee is $10 per visit but a one-time Winter Pass is available for $25 and is good through April 30. If you would like to buy a winter pass, you can do so at the museum the day of the program.

Take some time to truly engage your senses with Camp Beech Cliff's Matt Cornish as he leads participants on a short Sensory Walk to be active, connect with familiar surroundings in new ways, and see what can be discovered in nature. Our five senses can enhance our experiences of the natural world if we take the time to let them.  We’ll gather at the Gilley at 10:30am on Saturday, March 18, and head to the Causeway and back again, stopping along the way to give each of our senses a chance to shine. 

Join the Southwest Harbor Public Library and the Gilley for the second event of Reading with Wings, a pilot program to jointly host author events. We’ll be joined by David George Haskell an award-winning biologist whose most recent book, “Sounds Wild and Broken: Sonic Marvels, Evolution’s Creativity, and The Crisis Of Sensory Extinction,” was longlisted for the PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award and was an editor’s choice in the New York Times Book Review. He will join us online for a conversation with the directors of the library and the museum on Tuesday, March 21, at 5:30 p.m. This program is free but registration is required. For more information about this author, visit dghaskell.com

Create a painting of mountains in the moonlight with local artist and teacher Erika Rosso in this step-by-step class. You’ll learn how to apply masking fluid, how to use salt for special effects, and how to make a watercolor wash. Suitable for all levels. In-person only at the Gilley. Sip on wine, tea or seltzer. Fee: $25 for members and $30 for non-members.

Bob Duchesne will bring his unique perspective as a birder, birding guide, and journalist to the Gilley for this in-person People-Nature-Art event. He writes widely about birding in Maine, including a weekly birding column for the Bangor Daily News. He served six terms in the Maine House of Representatives, chairing the Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Committee. Currently he serves on Maine Board of Environmental Protection.

This event includes an in-person reception at 5:30pm at the Gilley followed by an in-person presentation, which will also be livecast via Zoom. There is no charge, but reservations are required. When you sign up, please indicate whether you will attend remotely or in person.

This monthly series brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach nature. All 12 programs in this year’s series are proudly sponsored by our friends at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. 

“At Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, we take great pride in partnering with area nonprofits doing important work to keep the community engaged. Wendell Gilley Museum is a wonderful example of this. We are excited to support this special artist series and look forward to the positive impact throughout the region,” says Lisa Parsons, Senior Vice President Regional Marketing Manager.

Join Miss Chrissy from the Southwest Harbor Public Library at the Wendell Gilley Museum for a special story time at 2:30pm. Join us for nature stories and some art fun too! She'll be sharing "Birds" by Kevin Henkes & "Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt" by Kate Messner. Then we’ll do some art of our own. Free and open to all.

Dive into the whimsical world of artist Starla Michelle to create a beautiful peacock painting with Erika Rosso on canvas with acrylics. Erika will lead you through a step-by-step process and you’ll leave with a canvas painting of your own. This class uses acrylic paint, so wear old clothes or bring a smock. Suitable for ages 7+.  Fee: $20, members & $25 non-members.

Paint a simple landscape with mountains, a sunset and islands with Erika Rosso in this step-by-step class. Each step will be demonstrated and explained, making for a fun and approachable class for beginning painters. Suitable for all levels. Sip on wine, tea or seltzer. Fee: $25 for members and $30 for non-members.

Get started with bird carving in this workshop from master carver Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this skill with students at the museum for 37 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create.

Class size limited to 4. Students must be at least 12 years old.

Flock to the Gilley for a fun and informative few hours with Seth Benz, the bird ecology director at Schoodic Institute. Seth will delve into research and share current sightings and insights. Bring your own questions and curiosity, a favorite bird-related reading, or your latest observations. Depending on weather, the group might go for an optional bird walk outside.

There is no fee for this program, but a museum entrance fee is required. For museum members, museum entry is free. For non-members, the entrance fee is $10 per visit but a one-time Winter Pass is available for $25 and is good through April 30. If you would like to buy a winter pass, you can do so at the museum the day of the program.

Join Miss Chrissy from the Southwest Harbor Public Library at the Wendell Gilley Museum for a special story time at 2:30pm. Join us for nature stories and some art fun too!Then we’ll do some art of our own. Free and open to all.

For National Poetry Month, this former Maine Poet Laureate joins us for an afternoon of his verse and an exploration of its connections with nature. This will be followed by a book signing and reception. This event happens in-person at the Gilley, but will be live-streamed as well. Please note: Recordings of live-streamed events are available only to Museum members. Free but registration required. Free.

A California native who continually studied and refined her art skills while making a career of teaching English around the world, Leslie Moore is a full-time poet and printmaker who takes her inspiration from the natural world. Her book, What Rough Beasts, features both art forms. At the Gilley she’ll explore the alchemy that helps her poetry and prints spring from her connection to nature. This event will be livecast via Zoom. Please note: recordings are available only to museum members. We will begin at 5:30 with a reception and book signing, followed by the program at 7pm. Please indicate which you will be attending when you sign up. There is no charge to attend.

This monthly series brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach nature. All 12 programs in this year’s series are proudly sponsored by our friends at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. 

“At Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, we take great pride in partnering with area nonprofits doing important work to keep the community engaged. Wendell Gilley Museum is a wonderful example of this. We are excited to support this special artist series and look forward to the positive impact throughout the region,” says Lisa Parsons, Senior Vice President Regional Marketing Manager.

Build a bee house for non-stinging Mason bees and leaf-cutter bees in this special workshop. In these bee houses, the cavities are 5-inch-deep drilled holes — deep enough, we hope, to be safe from a woodpecker tongue. This is a great family project. All materials provided. Participants must be at least 7. This is an in-person program.

Flock to the Gilley for a fun and informative few hours with Seth Benz, the bird ecology director at Schoodic Institute. Seth will delve into research and share current sightings and insights. Bring your own questions and curiosity, a favorite bird-related reading, or your latest observations. Depending on weather, the group might go for an optional bird walk outside.

There is no fee for this program, but a museum entrance fee is required. For museum members, museum entry is free. For non-members, the entrance fee is $10 per visit but a one-time Winter Pass is available for $25 and is good through April 30. If you would like to buy a winter pass, you can do so at the museum the day of the program.

Get started with nature journaling in this workshop at the Gilley on Saturday, April 29, from 10:30am to noon. Scientists, artists, and outdoor enthusiasts all utilize nature journaling, a skill that is accessible to anyone. Using real scientific practices and artistic abandon, participants will walk away with a small nature journal of their own. All materials will be provided. This workshop will be taught by Camp Beech Cliff's Matt Cornish.

“Nature journaling is a wonderful way to engage observational skills, curiosity, and creative thinking,” he says “Regardless of age, people need nature. People also need the time and space to slow down, notice the world around them, and hopefully experience wonder.”

The class meets in person at the Museum. Cost is $10 for museum members and $15 for non-members. Registration required.  

Learn from this award-winning and internationally renown wildlife artist, in a class with an emphasis on color and using washes. This class happens online, but with a twist. Barry will be on the big screen at the Gilley and you can choose to paint in person at the museum, or take the class online from home.

Fee: $30 for members and $40 for non-members.

Painter Mary Brooking celebrates what she sees in nature and aims to create spaces that interact with human senses on a primitive level and test the balance between reality and abstraction. She employs reduction rather than embellishment, distilling elemental truths about the places she paints through interactive color, texture and form.

Brooking will be online with the Wendell Gilley Museum on Tuesday, May 16, as the museum’s People-Nature-Art presenter in an online-only program that begins at 7 p.m. There is no fee to attend, but registration is required.  

Most, but not all, of her work is inspired by Maine landscapes and she works exclusively in acrylics. “I use many layers of paint," she says, "often obliterating elements as the painting progresses, challenging myself always to distill and reduce the image to its exact essence and nothing more.”

She will discuss her process, inspiration, evolution as an artist, and connection to the Maine landscape in a conversation with museum director Sean Charette. A mid-career artist who lives and works in Westbrook, her paintings are in ollections in the United States, Canada, France and New Zealand. She has exhibited widely in Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Ohio and New Mexico, and exhibits regularly at Casco Bay Artisans in Portland, Maine and Art 3 Gallery in Manchester, New Hampshire. 

This monthly series brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach nature. Each session for 2023 is sponsored by our friends at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Artist Erika Rosso leads a Misty Mountains Paint ‘n’ Sip on Thursday, June 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. Participants will create a painting inspired by Japanese artist Higashiyama Shinkichi that weaves together layers of mountains fading into the mist. Sip on wine, tea or seltzer as part of this adults-only evening class, which is suitable for artists of all levels who are at least 21 years old.

All materials and beverages will be provided. Each step will be demonstrated and explained, making for a fun and approachable class. The cost is $25 for museum members and $30 for non-members. Spaces are limited.

The Wendell Gilley Museum and YWCA of MDI are proud to host American Voice in Poetry and Song III, an exploration of the expressive range of African American composers including Margaret Bonds and John. W. Work III, and poets including Langston Hughes, in a free concert at St. John Episcopal Church in Southwest Harbor. There will be a reception with the performers at the Gilley Museum afterward. This event is free and open to all, but registration is required.

Boston-based Convergence Ensemble will perform this music and poetry through a historic lens along with a discussion of societal issues surrounding social justice and representation in the world of classical music  The performers are singer Davron S. Monroe, poet and literary performer Regie Gibson, and pianist Rachel Gibson.

Convergence Ensemble is a nonprofit organization that presents unusual chamber music programming by supporting a diverse group of musicians. It was founded on the belief that the arts are interdisciplinary—that art, poetry, dance, literature, and music inform one another. The organization prides itself on working not only with musicians but also poets, writers, and literary performers.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Artist Erika Rosso leads a Magical Whales & Sailboat Paint ‘n’ Sip on Friday, June 16 beginning at 10:30 a.m. This workshop is suitable for painters age 7 and older. Students will paint wet on wet, work with salt, and learn to use masking fluid to create a watercolor of a humpback whale and sailboat, all while sipping on tea, coffee, seltzer or hot cocoa. Families and individuals welcome.

All materials and beverages will be provided. Each step will be demonstrated and explained, making for a fun and approachable class Spaces are limited.

A modern master of bird carving, Mark McNair, shares his art at the Gilley as part of the our free monthly series, People-Nature-Art. On June 20, he and his two carver sons will share stories, visuals and their inspirations in a presentation that begins at 7p.m. at the Gilley. This will be followed by a public reception with the artists. There is no charge to attend either event, but registration is required. The presentation will also be livestreamed; please indicate whether you will attend in person or virtually when you sign up.

The following day, June 21 from 1 to 3 p.m., they will give an in-person carving demonstration at the Gilley. No fee and no registraton required for this.

Mark McNair specializes in waterfowl and shorebird decoys, weathervanes, and related folk art. His work is held in numerous prominent decoy collections both public and private, including the Shelburne Museum in Vermont, the deWitt Cottage in Virginia Beach, and The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art in Salisbury, Maryland.

Sons Ian and Colin are also active carvers: Ian in Exmore, Virginia, where he is a partner in High ‘N Dry, a company specializing in industrial grade chest waders;  and Colin in Boston where he also works for Copley Fine Art Auctions

These special events, like all the museum's People-Nature-Art offerings in 2023, are sponsored by our friends at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust.

A modern master of bird carving, Mark McNair, and his son Ian McNair who is also a professional carver, will share insights and observations at the Gilley during a live demonstration of their art on Wednesday, June 21, from 1 to 3 p.m. This is a rare opportunity in Maine to connect with top U.S. carvers. No fee and no registration required.

Mark McNair specializes in waterfowl and shorebird decoys, weathervanes, and related folk art. His work is held in numerous prominent decoy collections both public and private, including the Shelburne Museum in Vermont, the deWitt Cottage in Virginia Beach, and The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art in Salisbury, Maryland.

He has been carving and making decoys for more than half a century. After leaving his alma mater, Rhode Island School of Design, in the 1970s, he worked with antiques and carved wooden signs in his native Connecticut. During this time he was introduced to antique decoys by the Voorhees family and quickly took to the craft. He and his wife, Martha, now live and carve on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, between the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean.

Of their three children, sons Ian and Colin are also active carvers. Ian carves in Exmore, Virginia and is a partner in High ‘N Dry, a company specializing in industrial grade chest waders. Colin also works for Copley Fine Art Auctions, in Boston.

This special event is part of the McNairs' visit to the Gilley as part of the free monthly People-Nature-Art series in 2023 sponsored by our friends at Bar Harbor Bank and Trust.

Join watercolor artist Erika Rosso for a three-hour plein air painting workshop at Lopaus Point in Bernard on Friday, June 23, from 9am to noon. Erika has a unique style of teaching that encourages watercolor students to play and experiment with their art. Participants should bring their own plein air set-up, including an easel or small pop-up table and chair. Driving directions and a list of needed class materials will be sent when you sign up. Sets of painting materials will be available with advance request.

This is an in-person class and registration is required at www.wendellgilleymuseum.org/calendar. The fee is $35 for Museum members and $42 for non-members. Class size is limited.

Rosso’s work has been exhibited at Blum Gallery in Bar Harbor, Radiant Light Gallery in Portland and at the Cornerstone Gallery in Southwest Harbor. She lives on Mount Desert Island with her family of four, 12 chickens, a dog named Patten and one pet mouse. 

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Paint your favorite animal, or even a pet, in a watercolor painting class with local instructor Erika Rosso at the Gilley.

Experiment with the techniques of dry brushing and applying washes in select areas to bring your painting to life. Students should bring a photo to work from that is large enough to show detail and to inform their painting. Painters of all levels can attend, although some past painting or drawing experience may be helpful. Materials will be provided.

This is an in-person class and registration is required. Class size is limited.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Come play with watercolors in this daytime paint ‘n’ sip and create your own nighttime mountain landscape. Local artist Erika Rosso will guide students through painting a beautiful landscape under the night sky with mountains and a tree silhouette. Learn how to do a watercolor wash, use salt for stars, and apply masking fluid. Suitable for participants of all skill levels age 7 and older.  Families and individuals welcome. Cocoa, tea and seltzer for sipping will be provided, along with all art materials. Registration is required and class size is limited.

All materials and beverages will be provided. Each step will be demonstrated and explained, making for a fun and approachable class.  

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Author and naturalist Susan Hand Shetterly will delve into what she calls “the landscape of home” on Tuesday, July 11 at at 7pm at the Gilley as the museum’s People-Nature-Art presenter for July. There will be a book signing immediately afterward. The presentation happens live at the museum and will be simultaneously livestreamed. As always, People-Nature-Art presentations are free and open to all, but registration is required.

People-Nature-Art is a monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach nature. Each session for 2023 is sponsored by our friends at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust.

In her newest book, “Notes on the Landscape of Home,” Shetterly explores in a series essays what it is to live in a Down East coastal town and to pay attention, over time, to what it offers of land, water, wildlife, and neighbors, taking her cue from Henry David Thoreau and Wendell Berry, who advocate for the virtues of staying in one place, believing that as we delve deeper into the landscape of home, we learn to read the world. 

A resident of Surry, Shetterly has lived on the coast of Maine for most of her life. She writes about wildlife and wild lands, has worked as a wild bird rehabilitator. She is an award-winning writer of books and articles for magazines and newspapers. Among the many things she has written about are the reestablishment of the bald eagle population in Maine, the reintroduction of the American turkey, the turkey vulture’s northward trend, shorebird migrations, the bluefin tuna and the humpback and right whales in the Gulf of Maine, counting alewives along a stream in her town in the spring, seaweed cultivation in a bay and the rebirth of a forest.

This interactive program will use demonstrations, slides, children’s books and field guides, hand lenses and other activities to get a better understanding and appreciation of birds.

On Wednesdays, Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel leads hands-on Wednesday Wonder Nature Workshops including Awesome Owls, Fabulous Feathers, and Survival of the Fittest. They’re fun for kids and adults, and you’re bound to learn something you didn’t know before.

This interactive program will use demonstrations, slides, children’s books and field guides, hand lenses and other activities to get a better understanding and appreciation of birds.

On Wednesdays, Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel leads hands-on Wednesday Wonder Nature Workshops including Awesome Owls, Fabulous Feathers, and Survival of the Fittest. They’re fun for kids and adults, and you’re bound to learn something you didn’t know before.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

On Thursdays, Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel offers drop-in nature activities including – Origami Bird Making, Loon Magic, and Fill the Bill. No fee and no registration necessary. Just drop by between 10:30-11:30am and 12:30 to 1:30pm.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Experience nature with all of your senses, guided by Maine Master Naturalist Karen Zimmerman, author of “Nightwalk: Using all your senses to explore the natural world.” You’ll take a walk through woods tothe beach, stopping along the way to savor and explore with each of your senses. Family friendly.

Karen is a Maine Master Naturalist and teaches classes and workshops about natural history and nature drawing.

Learn how to apply watercolor washes in small sections, and how and where to use dry brush technique in this class at the museum with local watercolor artist Erika Rosso.

This workshop is suitable for anyone with a little watercolor experience who is looking to dive into more detailed work. Bring your own picture of a flower or look through materials at the museum to find your subject. Rosso will guide you step by step through the process of painting your own botanical illustration. All materials are provided, although you are welcome to bring your own.

Registration is required and class size is limited.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

On Wednesdays, Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel leads hands-on Wednesday Wonder Nature Workshops including Awesome Owls, Fabulous Feathers, and Survival of the Fittest. They’re fun for kids and adults, and you’re bound to learn something you didn’t know before.

On Wednesdays, Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel leads hands-on Wednesday Wonder Nature Workshops including Awesome Owls, Fabulous Feathers, and Survival of the Fittest. They’re fun for kids and adults, and you’re bound to learn something you didn’t know before.

On Thursdays, Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel offers drop-in nature activities including – Origami Bird Making, Loon Magic, and Fill the Bill. No fee and no registration necessary. Just drop by between 10:30-11:30am and 12:30 to 1:30pm.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Fields, trees and the sea! Join watercolor artist Erika Rosso for a three-hour plein air painting workshop at Cable Crossing on Friday, July 21, from 9am to noon. Erika has a unique style of teaching and encourages watercolor students to play and experiment with their art and to let go of expectations so that they can explore boundaries within their paintings.

Participants will need an easel or small pop-up table and chair plus paints. Driving directions and a list of needed class materials will be sent when you sign up. Sets of painting materials will be available with advance request. Please email us at mel@wendellgilleymuseum.org.

This is an in-person class and registration is required. The fee is $35 for Museum members and $42 for non-members. Class size is limited.

Rosso’s work has been exhibited at Blum Gallery in Bar Harbor, Radiant Light Gallery in Portland and at the Cornerstone Gallery in Southwest Harbor. She lives on Mount Desert Island with her family of four, 12 chickens, a dog named Patten and one pet mouse. 

Join us at the Gilley for a celebration of Avian Artistry: Treasures from Maine Collections, a special show comprising more than 100 pieces from 50 donors.

The show’s guest curator, Carl Little, will be on hand to answer questions and offer insights.

He says: “In selecting the work for this exhibition, I sought to present a wide array of bird species and an equally broad range of formats: ceramics, paintings, sculpture, a wood relief, prints, carvings, fabric, photography—even a handmade book. You’ll find geese made from tamarack twigs by Cree artists, an eagle’s-eye view of Edo, Japan, by Ando Hiroshige (1797–1858), and a pair of Eurasian jays made from majolica.

In addition to a bounty of historical work, the exhibition showcases the work of a stellar sampling of contemporary Maine artists, from Ashley Bryan, David Driskell, Father Paul Plante, and Bernard Langlais to Carol Shutt, Susan Amons, Siri Beckman, and Amy Pollien.

  As you view the avian artistry in this show, please take time to study the many ways the artists represent feathers, talons, beaks, and bodies, from the real to the imagined. I guarantee you will be amazed.”

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

If you feel overwhelmed by color and options when you start to think about painting, then this class is for you. Artist Erika Rosso will help students simplify their palette and offer them ways to refine their work by using limitations.  This is a great class for any level of painter, although having some experience in watercolor is helpful.  All materials will be provided, but artists are welcome to bring their own.

This is an in-person class at the Wendell Gilley Museum, and registration is required. The fee is $25 for Museum members and $35 for non-members. Class size is limited.

Rosso’s work has been exhibited at Blum Gallery in Bar Harbor, Radiant Light Gallery in Portland and at the Cornerstone Gallery in Southwest Harbor. She lives on Mount Desert Island with her family of four, 12 chickens, a dog named Patten and one pet mouse. 

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Everything you need to know about feathers! How they are built, what they do, and what different types of feathers birds have. We will finish by making feather prints. Fun for kids and adults!

Everything you need to know about feathers! How they are built, what they do, and what different types of feathers birds have. We will finish by making feather prints. Fun for kids and adults!

On Thursdays, Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel offers drop-in nature activities including – Origami Bird Making, Loon Magic, and Fill the Bill. No fee and no registration necessary. Just drop by between 10:30-11:30am and 12:30 to 1:30pm.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

This interactive program will use demonstrations, slides, children’s books and field guides, hand lenses and other activities to get a better understanding and appreciation of birds.

On Wednesdays, Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel leads hands-on Wednesday Wonder Nature Workshops including Awesome Owls, Fabulous Feathers, and Survival of the Fittest. They’re fun for kids and adults, and you’re bound to learn something you didn’t know before.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

This interactive program will use demonstrations, slides, children’s books and field guides, hand lenses and other activities to get a better understanding and appreciation of birds.

On Wednesdays, Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel leads hands-on Wednesday Wonder Nature Workshops including Awesome Owls, Fabulous Feathers, and Survival of the Fittest. They’re fun for kids and adults, and you’re bound to learn something you didn’t know before.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Come get your feet wet and step into the magical world of watercolor with local artist Erika Rosso.  Erika will be guiding students to create a watercolor portrait of a colorful Maine puffin.  Class is suitable for all levels and ages, families and individuals welcome. 

All materials supplied as well as tea and non alcoholic beverages.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Award-winning science writer and New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ackerman visits the Wendell Gilley Museum on Tuesday, August 8, as the museum’s People-Nature-Art presenter for August at 7pm. There will be a book signing and reception beforehand at the museum beginning at 5:30pm. The presentation happens live and will be simultaneously livestreamed. As always, People-Nature-Art presentations are free and open to all, but registration is required.

Ackerman’s new book, “What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds,” was released June 13. She is also the author of “The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think,” “The Genius of Birds,” “Birds by the Shore,” and “Chance in the House of Fate: A Natural History of Heredity.”

People-Nature-Art is a monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach nature. Each session for 2023 is sponsored by our friends at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust.

Experiment with acrylic paint in the style of Starla Michelle to create a fun and playful portrait of a Peacock.  Each participant will receive a canvas to paint on and take home.  All painting materials will be provided and class will be held outside, weather permitted.  Class is suitable for ages 5 and up. Class size is limited and will be taught by Erika Rosso.

On Wednesdays, Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel leads hands-on Wednesday Wonder Nature Workshops including Awesome Owls, Fabulous Feathers, and Survival of the Fittest. They’re fun for kids and adults, and you’re bound to learn something you didn’t know before.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

On Wednesdays, Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel leads hands-on Wednesday Wonder Nature Workshops including Awesome Owls, Fabulous Feathers, and Survival of the Fittest. They’re fun for kids and adults, and you’re bound to learn something you didn’t know before.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Paint a Japanese-style watercolor with local watercolor artist Erika Rosso.  Erika will walk you through your watercolor painting, offering demos throughout class.  Each step will be demonstrated. Class is suitable for all levels of painter, but is restricted to adults only. All materials are supplied, as well as wine and spritzers.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Everything you need to know about feathers! How they are built, what they do, and what different types of feathers birds have. We will finish by making feather prints. Fun for kids and adults!

Everything you need to know about feathers! How they are built, what they do, and what different types of feathers birds have. We will finish by making feather prints. Fun for kids and adults!

Carol Shutt will give a demonstration of her painting process outside under the orange wing at the Wendell Gilley Museum on Friday, Aug. 18, from 11am to 1pm. She looks forward to answering questions and having conversations as she works. 

Don't miss this opportunity to interact with this artist who is a painter, mixed-media artist and writer living and working on Mount Desert Island. Her art practice is tied to her love of the natural world and has been influenced by my many years of observations and experiences in Maine. Her art and ideas have grown through travel and art retreats in other countries. She also draws inspiration from the children she taught art to for almost 30 years in a K-8 classroom where creativity abounds. From her young students she has learned that art is exploration and discovery, and the best part of being an artist is the process itself. Now retired, she has a full-time studio practice that includes painting, drawing, collage, altering books and creative writing using the Exquisite Corpse process. She is an artist of ideas and is always most excited when exploring new concepts and materials.

Free and open to all.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

This interactive program will use demonstrations, slides, children’s books and field guides, hand lenses and other activities to get a better understanding and appreciation of birds.

On Wednesdays, Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel leads hands-on Wednesday Wonder Nature Workshops including Awesome Owls, Fabulous Feathers, and Survival of the Fittest. They’re fun for kids and adults, and you’re bound to learn something you didn’t know before.

This interactive program will use demonstrations, slides, children’s books and field guides, hand lenses and other activities to get a better understanding and appreciation of birds.

On Wednesdays, Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel leads hands-on Wednesday Wonder Nature Workshops including Awesome Owls, Fabulous Feathers, and Survival of the Fittest. They’re fun for kids and adults, and you’re bound to learn something you didn’t know before.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

CANCELED FOR WEATHER

NEXT PLEIN AIR CLASS IS SEPT 6 at SEAWALL

Come paint in the fresh air on the quiet side of the island.  Local artist Erika Rosso will be teaching a three- hour plein air workshop near the shore at Seal Cove. Erika's teaching style encourages a playful approach to watercolor painting that all levels will find enjoyable. Bring your own painting materials or request a set from the museum. You may also want to bring a chair and easel, water, sunhat, and sunscreen.

Celebrate "People, Nature and Art" – the guiding words of the Wendell Gilley Museum – with the noted sibling musicians Thomas and Sarah Cooper in an eclectic concert at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Southwest Harbor on Saturday, Aug. 26 beginning at 2 p.m. The concert is free and open to all, but registration is requested.  A public reception will follow the concert at the Wendell Gilley Museum. 

They will perform works in this one-hour concert including "On Mighty Wings the Eagle Proudly Soars Aloft" from Franz Joseph Haydn's "The Creation," George Gershwin's "Summertime," violin sonatas by Debussy and J.S. Bach, and more.

Thomas Cooper, a violinist, is a three-time winner of New England Conservatory’s Entrepreneurial Musicianship award and has been hailed as a "stop in your tracks stunner" as a violinist whose playing is "delightfully spirited [with a] rich tone.” He is co-founder of Fermata Chamber Soloists, and as an orchestral player he is concertmaster of the Du Bois Orchestra of Harvard, a group dedicated to performing works by historically marginalized composers. Additionally, he performs with the Boston Philharmonic, Portland’s Palaver Strings, and the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra. As a soloist, he ha­­s appeared with American orchestras including the Colorado College Festival Orchestra, the Coeur D'Alene Symphony Orchestra, the Credo Baroque Orchestra, the Du Bois Orchestra of Harvard, and the Middlesex Chamber Orchestra among others. 

His sister, soprano Sarah Joyce Cooper, recently made her debut at Carnegie Hall and will perform with the Boston Lyric Opera the day before her performance for the Wendell Gilley Museum. Last month she performed the role of Adina in Donizetti’s comedy, L’elisir d’amore, appearing alongside Metropolitan Opera basso Valerian Ruminski, baritone Brian Keith Johnson, and tenor Michael Anderson.

She has been hailed for her “meltingly beautiful” soprano by Opera News. Based in Boston, she performs throughout the United States including with Syracuse Opera as Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola and with Tri-Cities Opera as Sally in the new opera Stone Soup, by Joe Illick. She appeared with Opera Ithaca as Anna in a film version of Verdi’s Nabucco and as the Little Zegner daughter in Missy Mazzoli’s Proving Up, and performed with the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra in a performance of Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Learn carving with the Gilley’s master carver, Steve Valleau, who has been sharing this art with students at the museum for 38 years. This 1.5-hour class, suitable for beginners, comes with a kit that includes a bird blank and paints. Tools are available to borrow. Learn the basics of this classic American art form, and leave with something you create in our outdoor classroom.

Students must be at least 11 years old; those 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost: $35 for non-members or $28 for members (a 20% discount off the regular price). To become a member, visit our membership page HERE.

Class size limited to 4.

Create your own watercolor painting of ducks, with a bright and experimental background in this fun Paint 'n' Sip with local artist Erika Rosso. Students will have the opportunity to learn how to use masking fluid, apply a wash, and use salt to create texture. Erika will demonstrate each step for students. The class is suitable for all levels of painters, ages 21 and older.

Wine and non-alcoholic beverages will be served.

Paint by the sea with local artist Erika Rosso. Students will learn how to paint rocks, water and trees to create their own watercolor landscape. Students must be able to walk a short distance over rocks and carry their supplies and a chair/towel for sitting on.  Materials available from the upon request. 

Join us at the Museum to meet multidisciplinary artist Richard Huck on Friday, Sept. 8 from 5 to 7pm. Rick is the creator of Huck’s Ducks, a battalion of duck-defending battleships now floating serenely in the Museum’s decoy pool.

Hors d’ oeuvres and beer and wine will be served. There is not charge to attend but registration is requested.