Wendell Gilley Museum I Southwest Harbor, Maine

The Wendell Gilley Museum celebrates the life and work of Wendell Gilley, a pioneer in the field of decorative bird carving. It teaches the art of bird carving and presents art exhibitions and educational programs with a special focus on people, nature, and art. The Museum endeavors to inspire appreciation of the visual arts, engagement in artistic creativity, and respect and care for the natural world.

If you are feeling inspired, consider joining our creative community–carving classes, programs for kids, and members’ carving club continue into spring. And if you can’t fly in, follow the flock on Facebook. School and community groups are welcome to arrange programs and tours.

Take advantage of work by talented local artists to find a unique holiday gift

Harold Haertel was a carver from Dundee, Illinois who was born the same year as Wendell Gilley. Harold and Wendell worked in the same world of bird carving but despite many similarities in their background and work, their carvings are very different. In 2019, we will tell a story in our museum about bird carving that explores the lives and work of these two extremely talented carvers. Museum member, and carver, Paul Heartel will curate this exhibition with the help of museum carver Steven Valleau. This exhibition is possible thanks to the generosity of Tom Haertel - Harold's son, and a carver himself. Pictured: Harold Haertel Poster by B. Mattison.

Get ready to spread your wings and join us for a flock of exciting Fall programs!

There's nothing quite like letting your mind get creative while you hands create some art. Why not try your hand at one of the Gilley's engaging workshops? For families and individuals alike, our programs encourage creativity and a spirit of discovery.

October through May is the Creative Season

The wait is over! We have set the schedule for our Fall Carving Class and Carving Club

Carving club begins Friday, October 25 from 1-4pm, and runs every Friday afternoon through April - free for Members.

Our Fall Carving Class this year is seven weeks long, beginning Saturday, October 26 from 1-4. Join our master carver Steven Valleau and our community of carvers to work on a Western Grebe. Your masterpiece will be shown in our December 15 Holiday open house and carving show. Cost is $85 / $75 for members.

The fall holds many opportunities for expressing your creativity including woodburning, felting and painting workshops and our popular one-day ornament carving class and printmaking workshop. See our NEWS column to the right for details of all of our programs and check back frequently to stay up to date as new programs are added. Also see Facebook.com/TheGilley for details of events.

Advance registration for all programs highly recommended at (207)244-7555 or info@wendellgilleymuseum.org

Work on the digital archive is in progress! We currently have 89 items on public view and nearly a 100 more we're still working on behind the scenes - stay tuned and see more of Wendell's carvings online soon!

We'd like to thank software architect and consultant George Soules for setting us up and providing technical guidance and support - we're honored to be joining the network of local cultural institutions who share this same digital archive platform! If you'd like to learn more about this great resource, just get in touch.

Funded in part by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission, this is a crucial project for the museum which will make our collections accessible and inspiring to more people. It will take several years and many resources to complete. If you'd like to be involved with this project or to be a sponsor, contact us at info@wendellgilleymuseum.org or 207 244-7555.

We welcome donations in support of our programs and exhibiitons year-round. Give online to the Wendell Gilley Museum, or contact us about volunteer opportunities. Donations and memberships are tax deductible.