Celebrate Nature, Art and Creativity in Maine.
Wendell Gilley delighted in helping others find connections with nature and creativity. Our Museum sustains his legacy through vibrant art exhibitions and a wide range of hands-on creative and educational programs for all ages.
Watch a video about Wendell Gilley.
Share your creations!
A lot of art has been created by visitors to the Gilley this year. And while we cannot host our usual Community Art Show, we're still featuring the creations that people have made with us this year. We invite anyone who's created something -- a print, bee house, painting or drawing, a pinwheel, or a carving to be part of the show. We're hosting an in-person show and an online one. So bring or send your creation to us by Nov. 17; if you can't send the artwork itself, send us a photo for the online gallery. Send photos to mel@wendellgilleymuseum.org The show itself kicks off Saturday, Nov. 21, the first of three Saturdays we'll be open in November and December. The show continues during our open hour, every Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to 4pm, as well as on Saturday, Dec. 5 and Saturday, Dec. 19.
Visit our online Activity Library
Visit our Learn & Do page for lots of fun and inspiring online art projects, created by local artists. You'll find videos about using clay, collage and collotype printmaking to create your own birds, as well as a download-able project to make mythological bird gods and goddesses. And there's a video by Ashley Bryan featuring his book "Beautiful Blackbird." We'll be adding more videos and projects during the fall and winter, so check back often.
Gilley launches Digital Scrapbook
The Gilley is excited to announce the creation of a Digital Scrapbook in honor of our artist-in-residence, Steve Valleau. Steve has been with the museum for more than 35 years, and a lot of people have taken classes with him over the years. Were you one of them? Did you take a class with him? Carve a bird you still have? Gained an insight or had some fun? We want to know about it, and we've created a special page on our website just for that purpose. Submit you memories, observations, or photos to the new page on our website HERE.
Exhibit highlights endangered birds
A fascinating exhibit at the Wendell Gilley Museum highlights endangered, threatened and extinct bird species from Maine, using carvings by Wendell Gilley, Harold Haertel and Edwin Hawkes, along with full-size prints from John James Audubon’s "Birds of America.”
Handpicked by Tammy Packie, the museum’s longtime visitor services manager, the display combines art with thoughtfully researched text to show the effect of human-avian interaction in Maine.
