Maine Maven: Shop the Best of Maine: Cultural Venues

Cultural Venues Sunday, October 7, 2007

Farnsworth Art Museum

Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't deny the Wyeths' role in American art history. And you certainly can't deny their role in Rockland's cultural transformation. The Farnsworth Art Museum has a gallery and study center dedicated to the works of N.C., Andrew and James Wyeth that lures art lovers and scholars from around the world. In addition, new gallery space showcases some of the best contemporary art in Maine. It's truly a destination for art lovers.

www.farnsworthmuseum.org
16 Museum St
Rockland, ME
(207) 596-5789

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Cultural Venues

Center for Maine Contemporary Art

If you want to know what's going on in the Maine arts scene right now, visit CMCA. For decades, this Rockport institution has nurtured contemporary Maine artists. It is a haven for risk-takers, a place for edgy, often noncommercial work. Though it is relatively small (you won't find football field-size galleries like you would at MassMOCA), there are plenty of big ideas here. Every visit feels like a revelation.

www.cmcanow.org
162 Russell Avenue
Rockport, ME
(207) 236-2875

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Cultural Venues

Colby College Art Museum

Thanks to generous donors, Maine's colleges and universities have an embarrassment of riches in their permanent collections. But none is more impressive than Colby's. Thanks to the vision of its directors, most notably Hugh Gourley, this museum is home to a Who's Who of American and European art.

www.colby.edu/academics_cs/museum
5600 Mayflower
Waterville, ME
(207) 859-5600‎

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Cultural Venues

East Sangerville Grange

This wintertime coffeehouse, which draws acoustic acts of some renown to this quiet village west of Dover-Foxcroft, is one of Maine's best-kept secrets. The monthly performances take place in a beautifully maintained Grange hall, and the locals pitch in with gourmet desserts, mulled cider and some of the best coffee north of Portland. Though the experience feels like a step back in time, a new generation of musicians and others who moved away and returned to raise their families will ensure that this tradition will live on.

eastsangervillegrange.com

Cultural Venues

Stonington Opera House

How do you ensure that the arts thrive year-round on an isolated Maine island? Ask Linda Nelson and Judith Jerome, who bring world-class performing artists to Stonington for shows and residencies in which the community plays a starring role. Locals and summer residents aren't just in the audience. Often, as was the case for "Quarryography" they're involved in the creation and execution of site-specific works. As a result, the whole island feels a sense of ownership in the arts, and if that isn't sustainable, we don't know what is.

www.operahousearts.org
1 Opera House Lane
Stonington, ME
(207) 367-2788

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Cultural Venues

The Tides Institute

We're so close to Canada, and yet, so many Mainers turn south for inspiration, culture and soul. Hugh French of the Tides Institute and Museum of Art in Eastport, turns north. The resulting collaborations between artists and institutions in Maine and New Brunswick enrich communities on both sides of the border and underscore the region's heritage.

www.tidesinstitute.org
43 Water St
Eastport, ME
(207) 853-4047

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