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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.
 

People-Nature-Art with Karen Zimmermann, Master Naturalist & Artist

Maine Master Naturalist Karen O. Zimmermann is the People-Nature-Art presenter at the Gilley for March. As a naturalist and artist, Karen creates not just for her own pleasure, but to share stories. By presenting small details in watercolor she invites viewers to look at all nature has to offer more deeply, taking home new insights that they may not otherwise have noticed, and to perhaps look differently at what is right under their feet and in their own backyard.

Inspired by naturalists including Maine botanist and illustrator Kate Furbush, Karen spends most days hiking, observing, learning about plants, and painting. She combines natural history notes with sketches from field observations, capturing the spirit of a living entity and its sense of place. For her, merging visual and verbal is a way to gain an understanding of the plant or animal in front of her, and its place in the world around us.

On March 26 at the Gilley, she will share how drawing is a way to deepen one’s understanding of nature, and to see details often overlooked. In addition to being a Maine Master Naturalist, Karen is a Registered Maine Guide, watercolorist, and nature journal instructor.

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Winter Survival Adaptations

Join Camp Beech Cliff’s Molly Stewart at the Gilley on Saturday, March 16 to learn about the ways animal adapt to survive in the winter. This will include an outdoor portion to explore and spot some of these adaptations for ourselves. Camp Beech Cliff will be with us at the Gilley the third Saturday of each month through April. Fee is $14 for non-members and $10 for members. Registration required.

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Wingspan Game Day at the Gilley

Wingspan is one of the bestselling board games in the world, and the Gilley is hosting our own Wingspan Game Day on every third Saturday of our Winter Session, which runs from January through April. This is a favorite with families.

You don't have to know anything about birds to have fun playing Wingspan, but you'll probably learn some fun facts as you play. In the game, players work to attract the best birds to their wildlife preserve habitats – forest, field or wetland – with food, nesting opportunities and other actions. No fee, but registration is required.

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Amphibians in Acadia: Citizen Science Project

Join researcher Marisa Monroe at the Wendell Gilley Museum at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 22, to learn about her work mapping and predicting when and where amphibians cross roads in Acadia National Park – and how you can help in order to prevent amphibian mortality. Learn about the different species of amphibians in the Park, how their migrations might differ, get examples from around the world on how to mitigate mortality, and review existing data for Acadia.

Spring migration is just around the corner, and while the spectacle of that is captivating, amphibian movements during the rest of the year are largely ignored by citizen science groups. In order to provide Acadia with a broad dataset from March through October, Monroe is looking for citizen scientists to help collect data in 2024 and 2025. Monroe would love to hear from attendees about amphibian movements they have observed throughout the area.

Monroe is a student at the University of Maine, Orono, in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Conservation Biology working on her Master of Science degree. She has been working on public lands around the West since 2015. Most recently she was based out of Boulder City, Nevada, with the National Park Service working on long-term natural resource monitoring protocols throughout the Mojave and Great Basin Deserts, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. When not out in the field, the Oregon native spends her time birding, rock climbing, hiking, and botanizing.

This event is a reprise of her Jan. 27 presentation at the Gilley. It will take place in person and online. Free but registration required.

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News

Time change for March 9 class

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Closed Saturday, Jan. 13

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End of Year Sale in Museum Store

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Winter Passes Available Now

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Last Chance to see Nature's Masterpiece: Photographs of Peter Beard

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Events

All Ages Paint 'n' Sip: Watercolor Puffins

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Cyanotype and Sip Workshop

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Family Cyanotype Workshop with Jenn Booher

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Bas Relief Jars

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Bee House Workshop

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Photography Workshop in Acadia

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Six Months in the Field: One Biologist and the Birds she Observed

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People-Nature-Art with Nell Parker, 'Forest Floor' Painter

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People-Nature-Art with Lucy Kalian, Painter

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People-Nature-Art with Bonnie Chase, Natural Materials Artist

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People-Nature-Art with Josh Brewer, Carver & Sculptor

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People-Nature-Art with Matt Aeberhard, Documentary Filmmaker

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People-Nature-Art with Gina Sawin, Painter

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People-Nature-Art with Rick Alley, Jr., Duck Stamp Painter

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People-Nature-Art with Marc Fink, Printmaker and Painter

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People-Nature-Art with Jennifer Moxley, Poet & Essayist

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People-Nature-Art with Karen Zimmermann, Master Naturalist & Artist

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Intro to Bird Carving

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Intro to Bird Carving

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Haiku Workshop

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All-Ages Paint 'n' Sip: The Cat at Night

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Sensory Walk

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8-Week In-Person Puffin Carving Class

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8-Week Online Puffin Carving Class

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2-Part Class: Planning, Drafting and Painting a Watercolor

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Paint 'n' Sip: Monochromatic Landscape Painting

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Creation Club

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Nature Gelli Printing

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Wingspan Game Day at the Gilley

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Amphibians in Acadia: Citizen Science Project

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Bird Chatter: Discussion & Observations

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Bas Relief Workshop-3/2 & 4/6

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Intro Carving Class-Winter Afternoons

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Intro Carving Class - Winter Mornings

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Cyanotype Workshop with Jenn Booher

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