Carving classes with the Gilley's longtime (36 years!) artist-in-residence, Steve Valleau, began June 3.

They are offered twice a day in the Gilley's outdoor classroom on Tuesdays and Thursdays through October, from 10:30am-noon and again from 1:30-3pm. Classes are for people of all skill levels, aged 10 and older. There is a limit of six people per class and reservations are required. Classes come with a blank and other materials, and carving knives are available to borrow. The price is $35 for non-members and $30 for museum members.

To sign up, visit the reservations page HERE.

MOVED INDOORS DUE TO RAIN 

Reservations FULL for in-person event 

Unlimited spots available for livestream-register HERE

Bestselling author Linda Greenlaw is at the Gilley Tuesday, June 15 at 7pm as the June speaker for People-Nature-Art, the Gilley’s signature monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to share how nature impacts their art and their approach to making it, and how their art affects their approach to the natural world. 

Linda’s entire life and her career have been shaped by nature, namely the ocean. She grew up on Isle au Haut off the Maine coast, worked as crew and later captain on fishing boats, and started writing about her work on the sea after she was featured in Sebastian Junger’s book “The Perfect Storm.” She’s written books about her life working the sea, mystery novels set on a small island, and cookbooks that were co-written by her mother.

This event, co-sponsored by Sherman’s Books, will happen outside under a canopy, with masks required and social distancing enforced. Reservations are required, but there is no fee to attend.

People-Nature-Art continues in July with musician and carver of eastern woodland flutes, Hawk Henries; and with painter Tom Curry and science writer Kimberly Ridley in August.

Enter the artistic world of Dahlov Ipcar by creating a painting inspired by the famed author/artist and her work in this class that is part of Friday FunDays. Students will be provided with sketching material, a black canvas and acrylic paints. Led by instructor Erika Rosso, students will focus on painting some of Dahlov Ipcars favorite animals and plants, incorporating patterns and geometric design. This class is open to all artists age 8 and older. 

Dahlov Ipcar was an artist and author who wrote and illustrated more than 30 children's books from her home on Georgetown Island in Maine. Erika Rosso is a watercolor artist who studied with Joanne Carpenter at College of the Atlantic, earning her BA in Human Ecology, and later studied with artists at the Instituto Allende in San Miguel, Mexico and the Sedona Arts Center in Arizona. Ms. Rosso has exhibited her work at Blum Gallery in Bar Harbor, Radiant Light Gallery in Portland and currently at the Cornerstone Gallery in Southwest Harbor.  She lives on Mount Desert Island with her family of four, a dog named Taz and two pet mice. 

The Wendell Gilley Museum is honored to host Birds in Art from June 22 through Aug. 14 this year. It will include a new piece by Maine artist Sherrie York, a friend of the Gilley who conducted a popular printmaking class here in 2020 and will be offering several classes this year. An international juried show, the exhibition includes work by a wide range of accomplished contemporary artists, who offer their unique interpretations of the avian world in a variety of media. 

Birds in Art is organized by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin, and following its debut there, 60 artworks embark on a national tour to a select venues each year. This will be the third visit of Birds in Art to the Gilley and we cannot wait to share the exhibit with you.