CHANGE IN DATE -- Due to a storm expected Dec. 2, this program has been moved to Wednesday, Dec. 3 with a 6pm reception in person, and a 7pm program both in person and online.

Mattie Rose Templeton is inspired by the natural world, and through art she explores our connection to nature, including the undeniable fragility that is found there. Her goal is to produce art that moves the viewer beyond the piece itself, and into a place of storytelling. “Art has always been a way to record history through visual storytelling,” she says.

Using an “old-fashioned” ink well, with variously sized nibs, Mattie Rose works with texture and line, often avoiding the use of color, because she finds the contrast of black and white more dramatic. She adds a conceptual quality to her art with geometric shapes and patterns layered into an otherwise realistic piece.

Mattie Rose will be at the Wendell Gilley Museum in person to share her storytelling as the museum’s People-Nature-Art presenter for December on Tuesday, Dec. 2. There will be a 6 p.m. artist’s reception followed by her presentation at 7 p.m. which will happen in person and simultaneously livecast. Both in-person and online attendance is free, but registration is required at www.wendellgilleymuseum.org/calendar.

The People-Nature-Art presentation with Mattie Rose Templeton has been moved from Tuesday, Dec. 2 to Wednesday, Dec. due to the impending storm. Please join us Wednesday at 6pm for an artist’s reception in person, followed by her presentation at 7pm both online and in person.

Both are free, but registration is required. Sign up at www.wendellgilleymuseum.org/calendar.

Western Maine artist Mattie Rose Templeton is inspired by the natural world, and through art she explores our connection to nature, including the undeniable fragility that is found there. Her goal is to produce art that moves the viewer beyond the piece itself, and into a place of storytelling. “Art has always been a way to record history through visual storytelling,” she says. She works primarily in pen-and-ink and watercolor.

Please contact Director of Engagement Melinda Rice-Schoon with any questions at mel@wendellgilleymuseum.org.

Mattie Rose Templeton — the Gilley's People-Nature-Art presenter in December — will teach a two-hour pen-and-ink drawing workshop on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at the Gilley beginning at 10:30 a.m. Participants will draw loons, and have the opportunity to finish them in watercolor. The cost is $31 per person for Museum members and $38 for non-members. All materials will be provided. Space is limited and registration is required at www.wendellgilleymuseum.org/calendar.

Mattie Rose is inspired by the natural world, and through art she explores our connection to nature, including the undeniable fragility that is found there. Her goal is to produce art that moves the viewer beyond the piece itself, and into a place of storytelling.

Gather as a community and enjoy the creative spirit of MDI at the Wendell Gilley Museum for the Museum's annual Community Open House & Art Show on Sunday, Dec. 14, from 1 to 4pm. 

Admission is free and light refreshments will be served.

We will have a special one-day-only exhibit of art created at the Gilley in 2024, everything from bird drawings by third-graders to bird carvings by long-time carvers.

Free and open to all. No registration required; just drop by!