Award-winning poet Christian Barter explores nature and human nature in his verse, and he’ll discuss that with us as the Gilley’s People-Nature-Art presenter for December.

He has served as poet laureate of Acadia National Park, and works on an Acadia trail crew planning and overseeing construction and rehabilitation of hiking trails.

His first book The Singers I Prefer was a Lenore Marshall Prize finalist; his second, In Someone Else's House, was the winner of the 2014 Maine Literary Award for Poetry; Bye-bye Land, a book-length poem, will be published by BOA Editions in early 2017 as the winner of the Isabella Gardner Prize. HIs poetry has appeared in Ploughshares, Georgia Review, The American Scholar, Epoch and other magazines and has been featured on Poetry Daily, Verse Daily and The Writer's Almanac.  Christian has held the Hodder Fellowship from Princeton University and been a fellow at Yaddo and the MacDowell Colony. 

There is no fee to attend this Zoom event, but registration is required. You will receive a Zoom link after you register.

Change in Hours this week:

Due to a staffing shortage, the Gilley will be closed Thursday, Dec. 2 & Friday, Dec. 3 this week, but will be open this Saturday, Dec. 4 from 10am to 4pm as usual.

The museum will be open next week on Thursday, Dec. 9 from 10am-4pm; Friday, Dec. 10 from 10am-1pm; and Saturday, Dec. 11 from 10am-4pm.

The Gilley is delighted to welcome Maine-based science writer Kimberly Ridley to the Gilley for an online event to share her latest book, "Wild Design," which intertwines art and science with an exploration of structures and shapes found in nature — birds' nests, fungi, minerals, beaver dams, and more. Through lively essays paired with vintage illustrations, she offers scientific explanations of the various forms, while encouraging stewardship and conservation of what she calls a “living library, a repository of knowledge that— has evolved over hundreds of millions of years.”  This event is free, but registration is required.

The Wendell Gilley Museum welcomes visitors of all ages and strives to create a safe and hospitable environment. Because many of our visitors cannot receive a vaccine against Covid-19 – including those with conditions that put them at high risk, and all children younger than 12 – we ask that everyone wear a mask while on museum property. This will be our policy for the season. We look forward to seeing you, and offer our thanks in advance for helping us create the safest possible experience for everyone.