Archive for May, 2021

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Moving Forward: Opening a Path to Truth, Healing and Change

May 21, 2021

Interactive Workshop by Wabanaki REACH

Maine-Wabanaki REACH is a cross cultural organization working in support of decolonization and Wabanaki self-determination. REACH focuses on truth, healing, and change. Our work with Wabanaki people is flexible, responding to activities in the communities themselves. It includes wellness and history learning, healing circles, support for growing food and medicines, and emergency financial support. This work takes place in Wabanaki communities, Maine communities, and in the Maine State Correction System. Our work with non-Native people around Maine and beyond includes learning about the history and ongoing relationships of Native and non-Native people, understanding colonization, and the work of decolonization.

This program is an interactive experience in which we engage in a story of particular events in the history of 400-years of colonization of Wabanaki people by Europeans in this territory now called the State of Maine. This highly engaging experience requires our full participation in order to genuinely increase our understanding of colonization and what it means for current descendants and future generations; to reflect on what story we are writing for our grandchildren.

The two-hour interactive workshop will be offered on three different occasions. To maximize the impact of the experience, a cap of 50 participants per workshop will be applied.  This means space is limited. We will be accepting registrations on a first come-first served basis. A certification of completion will be provided to attendees that can be used toward Maine educator endorsements.

  • Monday, May 24, 2021 from 7:00pm-9:00pm
  • Monday, June 7, 2021 from 7:00pm-9:00pm

This workshop is sponsored by the Maine DOE’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team.

REGISTRATION

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Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts

May 20, 2021

Summer workshop offering for K-12 Art Educators

July 19 – 23 – $15 per session

Join teaching artists Martha Grover, Reeder Fahnestock, Liz Proffetty and Malley Weber in Watershed’s new studio for a week of learning and exploring with clay. Each day-long workshop will provide Maine art educators with an opportunity to develop and refine clay-based skills that can be used in the classroom. Workshops will cover surface decoration, Raku firing, slip casting, mold-making, and altering forms. Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts is located in Newcastle, Maine.

Sign up for one workshop or join for all four!

Session I: Open Studio

Monday, July 19, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Enjoy a day of guided independent practice in Watershed’s new state-of-the-art studio! Teaching artists Liz Proffetty and Malley Weber will demonstrate surface decoration techniques to explore in your work and Studio Manager Reeder Fahnestock will provide a tour of the facility. You’ll have the option to work on the wheel and/or experiment with hand building. Clay and glaze materials will be provided.

Session II: Techniques for Altering Forms

Tuesday, July 20, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Discover the idiosyncrasies of working with porcelain on and off the wheel as guest instructor Martha Grover demonstrates how to make her signature undulating functional forms.  Working with a variety of bottomless wheel-thrown forms and slabs in both the soft and leather-hard stages, Martha will demonstrate various altering techniques and additions of slabs, handles, and spouts to create an assortment of functional forms. Forms will include cups, bowls, vases, pitchers, lidded forms, and baskets.  The session will include demonstrations and hands-on studio time with support from Martha. Clay will be provided.

Session III: Raku Firing #1

Wednesday, July 21, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Join Watershed Studio Manager Reeder Fahnestock to experience the drama of Raku. The small group of six participants will fire Watershed’s new commercial propane-fired kiln and learn about the steps needed for a successful Raku firing. 

During the workshop, Watershed staff will be available to talk about options for bringing students to Watershed for a Raku experience during the 2021-2022 school year.

Please bring 6 -10 small to medium sized bisque pieces of work to fire.  Watershed will provide glazes.

Participants are encouraged to view Watershed’s new Raku video and review the guidelines for Raku firing at Watershed. 

This session is limited to six participants. We want to offer the opportunity to participate in a Raku firing for as many  as possible. If you already registered for the Friday Raku firing, please do not sign up for this one as well.

Session IV: Plaster Molds & Slip Casting

Thursday, July 22, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Learn to make one-piece plaster and bisque molds to be used for decorating and embellishing ceramic objects, or simply as objects themselves. Session leader and Watershed Studio Manager Reeder Fahnestock will discuss how to select or make objects from which multiples can be reproduced in clay; how to prepare objects to be molded; how to prepare clay for use as mold material; how to mix and pour plaster for mold making; as well as how to make, and then use, the molds.

Participants should bring one or two small items from which they think they might want to make a mold. Reed will discuss the suitability of the objects with participants. Objects will also be on hand from which participants may make molds. This should be considered a hands-on workshop and participants may anticipate taking several molds home with them.

Session V: Raku Firing #2

Friday, July 23, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Join Watershed Studio Manager Reeder Fahnestock to experience the drama of Raku. The small group of six participants will fire Watershed’s new commercial propane-fired kiln and learn about the steps needed for a successful Raku firing. 

During the workshop, Watershed staff will be available to talk about options for bringing students to Watershed for a Raku experience during the 2021-2022 school year.

Please bring 6 -10 small to medium sized bisque pieces of work to fire.  Watershed will provide glazes.

Participants are encouraged to view Watershed’s new Raku video and review the guidelines for Raku firing at Watershed. 

This session is limited to six participants. We want to offer the opportunity to participate in a Raku firing for as many as possible. If you already registered for the Wednesday Raku firing, please do not sign up for this one as well.

REGISTRATION

Workshop Details (for all sessions) 

  • Payment for workshops is due online with registration. Watershed can provide you with a receipt to submit for reimbursement.
  • Watershed will offer a light breakfast and lunch during the workshops. Food will be individually served outside under tents.
  • Dinners and overnight accommodations on campus will not be available.  Participants will be responsible for dinners and arranging their own overnight accommodations.
  • See our FAQs for a list of area lodging options.
  • Watershed will provide proof of contact hours for participants.

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Teaching Artists Opportunities

May 19, 2021

Learning with others

  • May 20-21: Workshop Series: The Entrepreneurial Teaching Artist

NYC Arts in Education Roundtable has opened their virtual workshops to all.  Take advantage of these trainings focussed on business, messaging, and self-care. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!  

  • May 25: Discussion: Teaching Artists Think Tank   

ITAC, International Teaching Artist Collective, offers many networking opps, and this is a monthly gathering where Teaching Artists can share their best practices and ideas. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!

  • July 22-24: Art as Activism

The Teaching Artist Project, TAP, a social-justice-based network of teaching artists based in NYC offers their Summer Institute virtually this year.  During this three day intensive, teaching artists across the country will work with Teaching Artist Project staff to develop skills, lessons, and activities that will help support their students and bring activism through art into the classroom. More info here and here.

Teaching Artist Brian Evans-Jones

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Maine Youth Action Network

May 18, 2021

Arts well represented

I am sure that many of you are familiar with the youth leadership group that the Maine Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE) supports. If not, below is a letter written by one of ABC’s (Arts are Basic Coalition) Student Leadership Group who recently experienced the 2021 Maine Youth Action Network (MYAN) conference. The work of MYAN and the leadership group are closely related. Thank you MAAE and students for participating! And a great big thanks to Delia for sharing her story.

Hi Everyone. My name is Delia Harms and I’m one of the members of ABC’s Student Leadership Group. I, along with Michaela Carrow, another Student Leadership Group member, and Madison Westrich, a leader of one of our recently formed Arts Advocacy Teams, facilitated a workshop at the 2021 Maine Youth Action Network (MYAN) conference in April. MYAN’s mission is to build healthier communities for young people, and this year’s virtual conference was specifically centered around building connections among young people after a year of such tragic loss and disconnect. 

As students involved with ABC, we saw that our experience with and passion for the arts fit perfectly into MYAN’s goals for this year’s conference. A strong presence of arts programs in schools is essential to building those healthier communities for young people. The arts in schools create emotionally safe environments for students to express themselves and grow together. This is the message we hoped to deliver throughout our workshop. This is why we focused our activities around creating space for meaningful conversations, all while building that inclusive, connected environment that we see the arts fostering in our schools.

Delia Harms

I got to watch the group of students participating in the workshop get to know each other in small groups and engage in exciting conversations about advocacy efforts in their schools and what they are passionate about, which was wonderful for me to see as a facilitator. We are hopeful that we can continue to foster these safe spaces for conversations, often using the arts as a catalyst, at more events in the future and in our own schools in collaboration with all of our arts advocacy teams across the state!

Michaela Carrow
Madison Westrich

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Maine’s Poet Laureate

May 17, 2021

Stuart Kestenbaum finishes five-year term

The Maine Arts Commission requests applications to select a new state poet laureate for a five-year term. Stuart Kestenbaum will turn over the reigns. He is no stranger to visual arts teachers who have attended the state art education conference at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. “We are so grateful to Stu for his wonderful work at Poet Laureate,” said Arts Commission Executive Director, David Greenham. Greenham will facilitate the process for selecting Maine’s next poet laureate. “We see this as a wonderful opportunity to recognize another member of Maine’s thriving community of poets,” he added.

Maine’s Poet Laureate position is an appointment designed to promote poetry throughout the state while honoring a Maine poet whose work can inspire an understanding and appreciation of the craft of poetry for the people of our state. 

Current Poet Laureate Stuart Kestenbaum completes his five-year term in 2021. Kestenbaum, a resident of Deer Isle, has used his position to share poetry in many different mediums, including his Poems from Here collaboration with Maine Public, which features a new Maine poem each week. Kestenbaum is the author of five collections of poems, most recently How to Start Over (Deerbrook Editions, 2019). He is also the author of the essay collection The View from Here (Brynmorgen Press, 2012).

The poet laureate position was established by Maine statute in 1995. The specific duties are minimal to ensure incumbents have maximum freedom to work on their own projects during their tenure. While the position does not include a stipend, all expenses are paid for

appearances and programs, which include, an annual lecture and reading of his or her poetry; participation in the Maine Arts Commission’s administration of the national Poetry Out Loud project; as well as appearances and events to broaden appreciation and understanding of, and participation in, poetry in Maine communities. Each poet laureate brings a different emphasis to the position.

To be considered for this appointment, poets must be full-time Maine residents and have a distinguished body of poetic work. Applicants must submit up to five poems, totaling no more than 10 pages, as well as a one-page statement outlining your vision for your public role as poet laureate and a copy of your resume no later than June 1, 2021.

APPLY TO BE THE NEXT MAINE POET LAUREATE

Maine Poet Laureate review committee

Janet Mills, Governor (and poet)

Samaa Abdurraqib, Maine Humanities Council

Susan Minot, Author and Poet

Gibson Fay-LeBlanc, Maine Writers and Publishers

James Ritter, Maine State Library

Stuart Kestenbaum

To learn the history of Maine’s Poet Laureate CLICK HERE. If you have questions, please contact David Greenham, Executive Director of the Maine Arts Commission at david.greenham@maine.gov.

Maine’s Poet Laureates

Kate Barnes (1996-1999)

Baron Wormser (2000-2005)

Betsy Sholl (2006-2011)

Wesley McNair (2011 – 2016)

Stuart Kestenbaum (2016 – 2021)

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Bob Ross

May 16, 2021

The story of

I was never crazy about Bob Ross but how interesting to hear this story, his story. The paintings he did and how they live, along with other items representing him, long after his death on July 4, 1995.

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Maine Art Ed Association

May 15, 2021

Updates

Maine Art Education Association is on the move continuing to provide excellent art education learning opportunities. The latest two on the horizon are listed below. If you’re not a member of Maine’s professional visual art education association consider being a member today and click this link to learn about the different membership options.

MAEA 2021 Summer Retreat at Pilgrim Lodge, Cobbosseecontee Lake: August 02nd-05th, 2021

Allie Rimkunas, Summer Retreat Coordinator, will advise us of the details of this wonderful opportunity to wind down and simply create our personal artworks on the shores of Cobbosseecontee!  Details to follow in an email Newsflash!

MAEA re-stArt 2021 Fall Satellite Conference:  

September 17th and 18th, 2021

As our MAEA Fall Haystack Conference will return in 2022, 

Anthony Lufkin and Brooke Holland, Haystack Conference Coordinators, will advise us of the 2021 program and the multiple satellite locations throughout Maine that will be available for studio opportunities!  There may be virtual opportunities as well.  

Details to follow in an email Newsflash.

JOIN LINKS

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YAHOOO for Arts Educators!

May 14, 2021

Congratulations art teacher Sarah Doremus

Sedgwick Elementary School art teacher Sarah Doremus has been named Hancock County’s Teacher of the Year.

Sarah Doremus

I’m sure you’ll join me in congratulating Sarah for representing her school and arts education in her role as Hancock County Teacher of the Year. Sarah will be considered for the Maine Teacher of the Year for 2022. Sarah has been teaching for 9 years, grades PreK-8 and was nominated by her principal Carla Magoon who said:

Sarah is one of the most energetic and enthusiastic teachers I have had the honor to work with. She is excited about learning and helps her students to become excited right along with her. She spends incredible amounts of her own time and money to plan activities where the students will be engaged and have fun while they are learning. She works with all the other teachers in the school to create integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) lessons that are aligned to their curriculum and the standards that the students are working on. She is always ready to help with any special ideas like Maine Day, or Screen-Free Week, and she finds community resources, such as local artists and places where students can get first-hand knowledge. Sarah also partners with community organizations such as Haystack and Blue Hill Heritage Trust to bring opportunities that otherwise our students would not have, such as using a laser cutter, or screen printing. She always goes above and beyond and her love for learning and for her students is always at the forefront of everything she does.

As part of the Maine Teacher of the Year Program, hundreds of teachers across Maine are nominated by a member of their school community. Through a rigorous application process, one teacher from each county is selected as the county Teacher of the Year by a panel of teachers, principals and business community members within the county.

Below is the YouTube video of the county teacher of the year announcement. During the ceremony, held earlier this week, Emily Paruk, Maine’s 2021 Poetry Out Loud champ recited an original poem appreciating teachers. You’ll find this at the 20 minute mark.

The Teacher of the Year program is organized by Educate Maine. Learn more about the program at THIS LINK.

Read the article in The Ellsworth American about Sarah.

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Mayers Film is a Winner

May 13, 2021

Natasha Mayers: an Un-Still Life

Vermont PBS Award for Best Documentary Film Natasha Mayers: an Un-Still Life. “This film is a delight. Mayers is a compelling character, lively, intelligent, and interesting. But what makes it award-worthy is its intelligent and playful stylistic approach, its story arc and pacing, and its avoidance of some of the foibles of bio-pics. Overall an excellent, fun, and relevant documentary.” Congratulations to Maine filmmakers Geoffrey Leighton and Anita Clearfield for their creative work on the film. Thank you Natasha for sharing your story!

See more about the film and how you can view it online at https://natashamayers.org/

Filmmakers Anita Clearfield and Geoffrey Leighton are thrilled to share the news that Natasha Mayers: an Un-Still Life has won the Vermont PBS Award for Best Documentary at the 2021 Made Here Film Festival, New England’s only competitive festival devoted entirely to films made by filmmakers of the Northern New England states and Québec. The film elicited glowing accolades from the festival judges! A live conversation with the winning filmmakers, moderated by Eric Ford, Director of Programming at Vermont PBS, will take place virtually on May 16 at 7pm. Registration is required for this free virtual event.
Congratulations to Natasha, Anita, and Geoff for this well-earned award!

Posted in Community, Creativity, Curriculum and Instruction, Food for thought, YAHOO | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Music at Camden Hills Regional High School

May 12, 2021

Upcoming Performance

On May 14, 6:00PM a cast of 19 students at Camden Hills Regional High School will perform their first live production since the pandemic began. The performance will take place outside and run for 1 hour, 20 minutes without an intermission.

“To sing again means so much. These voices are beautiful, and it’s been a hard year not being able to sing in school, and we’re just getting back into it. It feels very hopeful,” said Kimberly Murphy, who is directing the production.

The school is producing ‘The Theory of Relativity,’ a new musical by Neil Bartram and Brian Hill.

“I just love making music with other people. It’s one of my favorite things to do,” senior Julianna Day.

LEARN MORE ON WABI5 NEWS

Cast of The Theory of Relativity Photo by Marti Stone

PRESS RELEASE

Camden Hills Regional HS presents a Spring Musical – May 7, 8, 14, 15

Mark your calendars for a live show! Spring is here, and we are moving the singing to an outdoor stage. Known for its large musical productions in the fall of each year, Camden Hills Regional HS is taking advantage of the chance to sing outside and put on a show before this year’s seniors graduate. The school is producing The Theory of Relativity, a new musical by Neil Bartram and Brian Hill. This contemporary musical explores the many aspects of human relationships and love, through solos, ensemble singing, and small vignettes. The show runs for approximately one hour and 20 min. without an intermission. The genre of the show is more like a musical revue than a traditional musical with changing scenes and costumes; therefore, it seemed the perfect fit for a musical that could be presented to an outdoor audience during COVID times.

Directed by Kimberly Murphy, with accompaniment by joani mitchell, technical direction by Tom Heath and choreography by Gretchen Henderson; a full cast of performers and tech crew are pulling together to create a unique theatrical experience.

The cast of 19 performers features nine seniors: Cynthia Allen, Kevin Bergelin, Julianna Day, Isaiah Doble, Ruben Feldman, Andi Hammond, Wesley Henderson, Nathaniel Stanley, Kate Upham. The ensemble cast is completed by George Bickham, Caleb Butler, Nora Finck, Isabella Kinney, Joshua Kohlstrom, Audrey Leavitt, Alice Moskovitz, Malaya Moores, Millie Pearse and Sam Skovran.

Oliver Worner, as the student producer, is taking on many roles including helping with plans to keep audience members socially distant, setting up an Eventbrite page for tickets, and being the coordinator of cast and tech needs. Additional techies include Elias Porter (sound), Jasper Berryman-Moore, Declan Buchanan, Katelynn Colbry, Emily Frank, and Brian Bland.

Tickets must be purchased in advance. There will be no “at-the-door” ticket sales. The show dates for the outdoor event are May 7 and 8 at 6:00 PM (with a rain date of May 9th at 2:00 PM), and May 14 and 15 at 6:00 PM (with a rain date of May 16th at 2:00 PM). Audience members will be asked to remain masked for the entire show, and keep a social distance of 6 ft. Due to COVID restrictions, seating charts with assigned spaces will be created in advance. There are also limited drive-in style tickets that will allow audience members to watch the show from the comfort of their car, and hear the music broadcast over an AM radio signal.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Monday, April 26th. If you have ticketing questions, contact Oliver Worner at oliver.worner22@fivetowns.net
The link for the Eventbrite page is: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chrhs-theory-of-relativity-tickets-148649142587

The theme of the show is about human relationships – funny, serious, loving, sad, or poignant. Parents of young children should be advised that there are mature themes and content in some of the songs. If you have specific questions about the show, please contact Kim Murphy at kim.murphy@fivetowns.net.

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