Join Schoodic Institute and the Wendell Gilley Museum for late-fall and early-winter birding on western Mount Desert Island. A variety of habitats near Wendell Gilley Museum are great for resident birds and early winter waterfowl alike. Purple sandpipers and razorbills are real possibilities too. These excursions will start at Wendell Gilley Museum at 8:30am with a brief orientation and a hot beverage, then we’ll venture afield. Normally two to three hours in duration, the excursions will improve your birding skills and introduce you to trends in bird populations and relevant topics in bird conservation. Space is limited and registration is required. $10 per person, per excursion. Birders of all experience levels are welcome. Bring binoculars and dress for the prevailing weather. Walking, if any, will always be gentle and on easy terrain such as asphalt, gravel, and dirt paths.

Note: Excursions may be cancelled due to difficult/unsafe weather conditions. You will be notified by 6pm the previous day if this happens.

Leader: Seth Benz, Schoodic Institute Bird Ecology Director.

Photo of Purple Sandpiper by Ellen & Tony/thisisforthebirds.

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.

Woodcarver and naturalist Wayne Robbins seeks to share his passion for the sea and to inspire faithful stewardship of the Earth’s fragile ecosystem through his art.

He joins the Gilley as the first People-Nature-Art presenter of 2022 on Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 7pm via Zoom.

He says that the sea’s breathtaking beauty and its infinite varieties of flora and fauna are constant reminders that we must respect and help sustain the lifeblood of our planet. 

Raised on the coast of Maine, he was inspired as a youth to capture the essence of nature in wood. His appreciation of the innate beauty of wood helps him design pieces that maximize the beauty and grace of both the medium and the subject. He chooses from a variety of native and exotic woods. By selecting a wood that complements his subject, a synergy results that informs and guides his creative process. Then he uses various combinations of oils and waxes to give the sculpture an “almost wet” look.

Each sculpture is unique and identified for its species, numbered, dated and signed by the artist. collections around the world.

Although Eastern Screech-Owls are native only to extreme southern Maine, Wendell Gilley carved a number of them. Wendell was fond of carving owls and had beautiful results. He excelled at painting bird species with intricate feather patterns, and his several taxidermy mounts of Screech-Owls gave him excellent examples of both red and gray color morphs. Examples of Wendell’s owl carvings can be found at www.wendellgilleymuseum.org/collections. 

In this class, conducted online via Zoom, students will be carving a life-size screech-owl in Basswood under the guidance of carver-in-residence Steve Valleau. Cornell’s All About Birds describes screech owls as being the size of a pint glass, so just the right size for fitting in a hand.

Students will receive blanks that have been roughed out on a duplicating machine.  

The class fee is $26 and all the materials except a mount will be provided. For students whose materials must be mailed, there will be an additional $16 fee for shipping.

Steve recommends students start with thinking about how they want the bird mounted, then collect images (Google images, nature magazines) to help visualize the project. 

This class runs eight weeks on Saturdays, from Feb. 5 to March 26. You can choose from a morning session that runs from 9am-noon, or an afternoon session that runs from 1pm-4pm. 

Although Eastern Screech-Owls are native only to extreme southern Maine, Wendell Gilley carved a number of them. Wendell was fond of carving owls and had beautiful results. He excelled at painting bird species with intricate feather patterns, and his several taxidermy mounts of Screech-Owls gave him excellent examples of both red and gray color morphs. Examples of Wendell’s owl carvings can be found at www.wendellgilleymuseum.org/collections. 

In this class, conducted online via Zoom, students will be carving a life-size screech-owl in Basswood under the guidance of carver-in-residence Steve Valleau. Cornell’s All About Birds describes screech owls as being the size of a pint glass, so just the right size for fitting in a hand.

Students will receive blanks that have been roughed out on a duplicating machine.  

The class fee is $26 and all the materials except a mount will be provided. For students whose materials must be mailed, there will be an additional $16 fee for shipping.

Steve recommends students start with thinking about how they want the bird mounted, then collect images (Google images, nature magazines) to help visualize the project. 

This class runs eight weeks on Saturdays, from Feb. 5 to March 26. You can choose from a morning session that runs from 9am-noon, or an afternoon session that runs from 1pm-4pm. 

Chris Maynard carves feathers into intricate art. He combines his artistic sense and scientific knowledge into a unique art form using surgery tools while striving to respect their natural form. His message is one of beauty and appreciation of life. In grand installations, and in shadowboxes, he sets them apart from the background so their shapes are enhanced as they cast shadows. Unlike a painter’s palette, the choice of colors in feathers is quite limited. Nevertheless, Mr. Maynard keeps the natural colors and patterns of each feather. Many of the birds whose shed feathers he recycles into his art are still alive. He gets his feathers from aviaries and all are legal to have.
Since feathers can represent flight, transformation, and a bridge between our present lives and our dreams, Mr. Maynard is grateful that his art has hit a soft-spot in the hearts of many people and cultures. His work is in museums and private collections in North America, Asia, Europe, and Australia and has been featured in print and online around the world.

Explore the world of plants, using your observation skills to study flowers and leaves, then create watercolor studies of them at the Wendell Gilley Museum with artist Erika Rosso. Students will be provided with watercolor paper, pencils and watercolors to explore the nature of plants, and will work with wet on wet techniques, brush strokes and outlining to create their watercolors. This class is best for students ages 7 and up, and is part of Friday FunDays at the Gilley as part of our mission to connect people to nature through art. Friday, July 2, from 10:30 am to noon. Fee $10. Sign up on the Gilley Events page HERE.

Whooooooo wants to know All About Owls? Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel will guide you through the fascinating world of these avian superstars. Discover how they find food, mates, and a safe place to hang out. Learn about their feathers, talons, eyes and ears. This fun exploration will include video, examination of the museum’s owl carvings, and hands-on activities including dissection of owl pellets. All About Owls is open to curious adventurers age 10 and older. 

Join naturalist Rich MacDonald at the Wendell Gilley Museum to build a house for chickadees and learn about the birds who will live there in this two-hour workshop, Learn about the life history and ecology of chickadees and some of the other bird species that might visit your birdhouse, and how best to site your creation to entice birds to use it. The class is for people 10 and older and anyone younger than 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Second of three times this will be offered this summer.

Class size limited to 10.

Materials provided and you take home your birdhouse that day!

Fee: $35 per person

The Wendell Gilley Museum opened its doors for the very first time on July 12, 1981.

Come celebrate our 40^th on Monday, July 12 from 10am to 1pm.

There will be music, fun activities, and cupcakes!

Did you once carve a bird with us? Bring it to show us. The only admission fee is a memory, photo, or carving related to the Gilley. If you don’t yet have any memories of the museum, this celebration is the perfect time to start making them.

This photo show Wendell and his wife Addie, center, with friends looking at a display of Wendell's carvings on the museum's opening day.

Free, but registration required.

Join Schoodic Institute and the Wendell Gilley Museum for late-fall and early-winter birding on western Mount Desert Island. A variety of habitats near Wendell Gilley Museum are great for resident birds and early winter waterfowl alike. Purple sandpipers and razorbills are real possibilities too. These excursions will start at Wendell Gilley Museum at 8:30am with a brief orientation and a hot beverage, then we’ll venture afield. Normally two to three hours in duration, the excursions will improve your birding skills and introduce you to trends in bird populations and relevant topics in bird conservation. Space is limited and registration is required. $10 per person, per excursion. Birders of all experience levels are welcome. Bring binoculars and dress for the prevailing weather. Walking, if any, will always be gentle and on easy terrain such as asphalt, gravel, and dirt paths.

Note: Excursions may be cancelled due to difficult/unsafe weather conditions. You will be notified by 6pm the previous day if this happens.

Leader: Seth Benz, Schoodic Institute Bird Ecology Director.

Photo of Purple Sandpiper by Ellen & Tony/thisisforthebirds.

Come join Miss Amanda from the Southwest Harbor Public Library outside at the Gilley for this half-hour story time devoted to Flamingo Fun. We will enjoy books, songs, and art. Registration is required through the Gilley website, but there is no charge to attend and families get to visit the Gilley afterward at no charge. There are two more Fledgling Story Times this summer:

Wednesday, July 28 at 10:30am – Awesome Owls

Wednesday, Aug. 11 at 10:30am – Room for Loons

Our July speaker for People-Nature-Art quite literally takes nature and creates art with it. Then he takes it a bit further and makes music, too.

Hawk Henries is a master of the Eastern Woodland Flute, making the flutes and composing music for them. A member of the Nipmuc Nation, he has been making wooden flutes by hand for more than 30 years. His flutes are in museums and private collections around the world, and he has performed nationwide and overseas in venues including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, and with the London Mozart Players in England. His music also has been used in many films and documentaries, some of which won Emmy awards.

Join us for this exciting in-person event which will be held at the Wendell Gilley Museum. There is no fee to attend, but reservations are required and seating is limited. This even is also being livestreamed. When you register, please let us know whether you will be attending in person or via Zoom.

People-Nature-Art is a monthly speaker 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.  We are pleased to partner with Maine Magazine as the official media sponsor of People-Nature-Art.

Join the Gilley's staff art instructor Allison Maurais to make a mandala from natural materials found outside. The only thing you'll take home from this fun class is the memory of the beautiful piece of art you make from leaves, petals, cones and other things, and the fun you had doing it. Suitable for kids 5 and older.

Bestselling author Paul Doiron will be at the Gilley on July 23 at 7pm. He’s a fan of the Gilley, and we make a small appearance in his new book, Dead By Dawn find out how, you’ll have to join us!

This event is happening in cooperation with co-sponsors Sherman's Books, the Southwest Harbor Public Library and the Jesup Memorial Library. It will take place at the Wendell Gilley Museum. Reservations are required, but there is no fee to attend.  This event will be livestreamed, so when you register please let us know whether you'll be attending in person or via Zoom.

Books will be available for purchase at the museum that night.

Paul writes the Mike Bowditch series of crime novels set in the Maine woods. His first book, The Poacher’s Son, won the Barry Award and the Strand Critics Award and was nominated for an Edgar for Best First Novel. His story “Rabid” was a finalist for the 2019 Edgar in the Best Short Story category. Paul’s eleventh book, One Last Lie, came out in June from Minotaur Books and Dead Before Dawn is being released June 29, 2021. Paul is Editor Emeritus of Down East: The Magazine of Maine and a Registered Maine Guide specializing in fly fishing.

Come join Miss Amanda from the Southwest Harbor Public Library outside at the Gilley for this half-hour story time devoted to Awesome Owls. We will enjoy books, songs, and art. Registration is required through the Gilley website, but there is no charge to attend and families get to visit the Gilley afterward at no charge. There is one more Fledgling Story Time this summer: Room for Loons on Wednesday, Aug. 11 at 10:30am.

Sign up for the Bird Olympics and see how you compare with the avian world as you compete in different physical events. Can you run as fast as a crow flies? How long can you balance on one leg like a flamingo? How tall are you compared to a Great Blue Heron? How wide is your "wingspan"? See how your "wing beats" compare with a variety of birds. At the Sensory Station discover how strong your hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell and touch are. Join Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel for this interactive program to learn about the adaptations birds have that allow them to fly, find food, and migrate long distances. This is a family program suitable for children 5 and older accompanied by an adult.

Create faux suncatchers from tissue paper with staff art teacher Allison Maurais in this fun craft project. Allison will have tissue paper squares and bird shapes available, or create your own nature-inspired shape. Suitable for families and children 5 and older; children younger than 8 should be accompanied by an adult. Cost is $7. Registration required. Join us for this nifty Friday FunDay activity and leave with a finished piece of art.

Join us for this special bird walk on Mount Desert Island’s Quietside with professional bird photographer David Speiser on Wednesday, Aug. 4. Meet at the Wendell Gilley Museum at 7:30am for an orientation with Mr. Speiser, plus coffee and a morning treat. Then head out to Ship Harbor in Acadia National Park for an exploration that will last until about 10am. Register HERE.

Mr. Speiser is a member of the Advisory Council for New York City Audubon and a former member of NYC Audubon’s Board of Directors. He has been an avid bird photographer for more than a quarter century. His bird photos display both technical excellence and a birder’s meticulousness.

Group size is limited to 10 people and all ages are welcome. Fee: $10 per person.

See Mr. Speiser’s work at: www.lilibirds.com/

Join Maine fine-art printmaker Sherrie York at the Gilley in a class to create a vibrant two-color print using EZ carve, a printmaking material that is softer and easier to use than linoleum blocks. Materials will be provided – just bring an idea for a simple image you'd like to turn into a woodblock-style print. Space is limited and participants must be at least 12 years old. 

Sherrie’s art is currently on display at the Gilley as part of Birds in Art, a prestigious juried art show at the museum through Aug. 18. Her work has also been featured in other national and international exhibitions, including the Society of Animal Artists’ Art & the Animal, and in 2019 a major exhibition of her work was hosted at the Museum of American Bird Art in Massachusetts.

See more about Sherrie and view her work HERE.

Join Maine fine-art printmaker Sherrie York at the Gilley in a class to create vibrant one-color prints using EZ carve, a printmaking material that is softer and easier to use than linoleum blocks. Materials will be provided – just bring an idea for a simple image you'd like to turn into a woodblock-style print. Space is limited and participants must be at least 10 years old. 

Sherrie’s art is currently on display at the Gilley as part of Birds in Art, a prestigious juried art show at the museum through Aug. 18. Her work has also been featured in other national and international exhibitions, including the Society of Animal Artists’ Art & the Animal, and in 2019 a major exhibition of her work was hosted at the Museum of American Bird Art in Massachusetts.

She has been an invited artist on projects of the international Artists for Nature Foundation and has been Artist-in-Residence at Acadia National Park, the National Audubon Society, and the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. Her work is in many museum and corporate collections.

See more about Sherrie and view her work HERE.

Maine printmaker Sherrie York celebrates the natural world, birds in particular, with original, hand-pulled linocuts. She is the sole artist from Maine represented in the stunning new Birds in Art exhibition now on display at the Gilley, and she will be at the museum in person to share her artistic vision and process with us.

She says, "Human relationships with wild lands and wild creatures are as individual as we are, whether we see nature as a nourishing mother, a suite of resources to be exploited, or a frightening and dangerous wasteland. When an image I create sparks a memory or reflects an experience familiar to the viewer, it provides common ground for sharing our stories and understanding each other’s perspective. And shared stories can help us not only to celebrate the beauty found in nature, but also to tackle larger issues of wildlife, water, and land conservation."

This presentation will happen in person at the Gilley, and will also be livestreamed. There is no charge to attend, but registration is required. When you sign up, let us know whether you'll attend in-person or via Zoom. Originally scheduled for July 17, this special event has been rescheduled for Aug. 7

To learn more about Sherrie and her work, visit her website HERE.

Nature is a thread, enduring yet elusive, that ties Tom Curry and Kimberly Ridley to their respective work, and to each other. Curry is a noted painter of Maine landscapes. Ridley is an award-winning science writer, essayist and children’s book author. Though their professions are quite different, the essence of both is the natural world, something that also permeates their personal lives of this creative married couple.

Curry says, “As a plein air painter, I immerse myself in landscape to explore the relationships between stillness and flux. What we call a ‘place’ is a paradox—it is not fixed but always changing: the light shifts from moment to moment, water is never still, clouds come and go.”

Ridley says, “My passion is inciting wonder by sharing my love of nature and science with children and adults.”

They join us at the Gilley Aug. 10 as the speakers for People-Nature-Art. Their talk will be live-streamed, and a limited number of seats are available at the museum. For those attending the live-streamed talk or on the waitlist, a link to the event will be sent the afternoon of the event. 

The People-Nature-Art series brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to share how nature shows up in their art and their approach to making it, and how their art impacts how their approach nature.

To see Tom's art and find out more about him, visit his website HERE.

To find out more about Kim, her books and her other writing, visit her website HERE.

Maine Magazine is the official media sponsor of People-Nature-Art.

Come join Miss Amanda from the Southwest Harbor Public Library outside at the Gilley for this half-hour story time devoted to Lovely Loons. We will enjoy books, songs, and art. Registration is required through the Gilley website, but there is no charge to attend and families get to visit the Gilley afterward at no charge. 

Join award-winning wildlife artist Barry van Dusen and the Gilley online for “Exploring Nature in Watercolor,” a course for intermediate and advanced students that focuses on painting birds and other subjects in watercolor.

Barry will share his own portfolio, which includes paintings of birds, flowers and plants, mammals, salamanders, turtles, frogs, fish, insects and natural landscapes. This will be followed by a live, real-time demonstration of the steps involved in painting a watercolor portrait of a songbird. The demonstration will include discussions of field observation and field sketching, watercolor materials, approaches to working with tone and color, and many tips for creating naturalistic watercolor portraits of wild birds.

Fee: $35

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. 

Whooooooo wants to know All About Owls? Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel will guide you through the fascinating world of these avian superstars. Discover how they find food, mates, and a safe place to hang out. Learn about their feathers, talons, eyes and ears. This fun exploration will include video, examination of the museum’s owl carvings, and hands-on activities including dissection of owl pellets. There are two sessions scheduled for this summer – Wednesday, July 7 at 1 p.m. and Wednesday, Aug. 11 at 1 p.m. – at the Wendell Gilley Museum, 4 Herrick Rd. in Southwest Harbor. All About Owls is open to curious adventurers age 10 and older. 

Children's book author Rebekah Raye will guide young artists age 8 and older in choosing a bird on display at the Gilley  (a carving by Wendell Gilley, or in one of the 60 pieces of art in our Birds in Art summer exhibition) and then work with them to create an environment they think the bird would be most happy living in. Cost is $20, and reservation is required. Spaces are limited so sign up today!

Create bird-inspired collages using magazines and found materials in this fun class on Friday, Aug. 20 at 10:30am. Bring your own drawings, photos, pressed flowers, magazine clippings, feathers and other treasures, or use the items provided by the Gilley. This is a great craft for people who like to journal. It can also be used to embellish poetry. For ages 10 and older. Fee: $7 per person.

Sign up for the Bird Olympics and see how you compare with the avian world as you compete in different physical events. Can you run as fast as a crow flies? How long can you balance on one leg like a flamingo? How tall are you compared to a Great Blue Heron? How wide is your "wingspan"? See how your "wing beats" compare with a variety of birds. At the Sensory Station discover how strong your hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell and touch are. Join Museum Educator Cynthia Ocel for this interactive program to learn about the adaptations birds have that allow them to fly, find food, and migrate long distances. This is a family program suitable for children 5 and older accompanied by an adult.

Join naturalist Rich MacDonald at the Wendell Gilley Museum to build a house for chickadees and learn about the birds who will live there in this two-hour workshop, Learn about the life history and ecology of chickadees and some of the other bird species that might visit your birdhouse, and how best to site your creation to entice birds to use it. The class is for people 10 and older and anyone younger than 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Last of three times this will be offered this summer.

Class size limited to 10.

Materials provided and you take home your birdhouse that day!

Fee: $35 per person

Join the Wendell Gilley Museum and artist Erika Rosso for a watercolor class outdoors in Acadia National Park at Flying Mountain on Tuesday, Aug. 31 from 9:30am to 12:30pm.

Students will have the opportunity to begin painting what they see in nature with a focus on capturing the movement of birds, and the landscape.  Participants should be prepared to walk over rocks, sit for long stretches near the shore and hike to their painting site.

This class is suitable for beginner to intermediate painters but does require curiosity and a willingness to experiment! Erika has a positive and experimental teaching style that builds confidence in budding artists, making it joyous to learn and create. This is a class for adults but also accepts mature students aged 12 and older.

Students should bring a watercolor pad, watercolor brushes and paints, a palette, a water vessel and rag for cleaning brushes, and if desired, a towel or cushion to sit on. The instructor will have some extra supplies on hand if they are needed.

Erika is a watercolor artist, restorative yoga teacher and homeschool mom to two children. She studied art 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. She went on to become a yoga teacher, specializing in mindfulness and restorative yoga. Blending mindfulness with painting, and painting with nature, has given her a unique style of teaching that is informative and at the same time playful, which nourishes artists and helps build their confidence. 

Her own work has been exhibited at Blum Gallery in Bar Harbor, Radiant Light Gallery in Portland and Cornerstone Gallery in Southwest Harbor. She lives on Mount Desert Island with her family of four, a dog named Taz, and two pet mice.

Registration is required for this workshop and the number of spaces is limited.

Join the Gilley and Island Readers & Writers for this special Saturday morning with Annette LeBlanc Cate, the author of Look Up! Birdwatching in Your Own Backyard for youngsters in 3rd through 6th grades. We'll meet at the Gilley then head out for a guided bird walk after a brief chat about keeping a nature journal. The walk ends back at the Gilley where we'll take time to write in our nature journals, draw some of the birds we saw on the walk, and talk with the author. Each participant will get a  pocket-sized nature journal to call their own, and a copy of  Look Up! which Annette will personalize.

There is no fee for this event, which is co-sponsored by the Wendell Gilley Museum and Island Readers & Writers, but reservations are required.

A respected painter of landscapes in Maine and the American West is the Gilley’s People-Nature-Art presenter for September. Join Robert Pollien and Gilley director Sean Charette online, on Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 7pm for an intimate exploration of Mr. Pollien’s work and how it relates to nature. “My paintings are generally small, compact and simple,” he says. “My goal is not to portray the land in an overly picturesque manner, but to paint the landscape in a way that rings true.”

People-Nature-Art is the Gilley’s signature monthly year-round series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to share how nature impacts their art and how that art affects their approach to the natural world. 

Mr. Pollien, primarily a plein air painter – even in the deeps of winter – is the recipient of the Maine Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship for painting, and has received support from the Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation, the Monhegan Artists’ Residency Corporation, the Joseph A. Fiore Art Center at Rolling Acres Farm and the Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts. He was the first artists in residence at Acadia National Park, where he can often be found with his brushes, paints and his trusty canine sidekick Waffles.

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

Hank Tyler, a carver respected internationally for his depictions of birds in hardwoods and his work in environmental conservation, will be with the Gilley in October as our featured artist for People-Nature-Art. His work is in many private collections, and in museum collections including ours. Hank’s style is a blend of realism and slight abstraction, with the wood grain playing a major role in each sculpture’s design. Action, too, is always a part his is carvings, whether it’s petrels soaring over ocean waves, sandpipers feeding on mudflats, or owls alert for prey. He uses many different hardwoods in his work, always working from a single piece, hand carving with chisels, and finishing only in Tung oil.

A native of Brunswick, Maine, who began carving in high school and studied with Charles "Chippy" Chase, Hank now lives in Australia and will be joining us online via Zoom. People-Nature-Art is the Gilley’s signature monthly year-round series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to share how nature impacts their art and how that art affects their approach to the natural world.  

This special online event is offered at no charge, but reservations are required. Reserve your spot HERE.

Join the Wendell Gilley Museum and researchers from Schoodic Institute on two consecutive Thursdays to participate in an ongoing long-term study by Schoodic Institute about the connections among plants, insects, and the birds that eat them. No prior field experience is necessary. This is a learn-by-doing event where your efforts will contribute vital data toward understanding the changing biodiversity of Acadia National Park. October is an important month for migrating songbirds, seabirds, and raptors. Seabirds sail over the water, raptors use thermals and mountain updrafts, and songbirds feed by day among insect and fruit-laden forest environs. Plan on investing two hours of easy, slow-paced trail walking and help gather data using iNaturalist, Nature's Notebook, and eBird. Seth Benz, Schoodic Institute's Bird Ecology Director, and a team of field technicians will provide instruction.

This is the first of two special opportunities, and happens at Sieur de Monts on Oct. 7 beginning at 9:30am. Registration required for each field experience separately. There is a $10 fee per person, per day, and space is limited to 18 people. 

Join us for "Light, Sky, Land, and Edges: A Collaboration Between Painter and Poet." Long-time friends Tracy Baker-White and Martha Andrews Donovan worked together over three years, inspiring each other as they created the paintings and poems on view in this very special exhibition, which runs through October 30. Join us to meet the creators and enjoy a wide-ranging conversation about their art, their inspiration, and their collaboration.

No charge, but reservations required. You will receive a Zoom registration within a few days of registering on the Gilley website.

Join the Wendell Gilley Museum and artist Erika Rosso for a watercolor class outdoors in Acadia National Park at Echo Lake on Monday, Oct 11, from 9:30am to 12:30pm.

Students will have the opportunity to begin painting what they see in nature with a focus on capturing the movement of birds, and the landscape.  Participants should be prepared to walk over rocks, sit for long stretches near the shore and hike to their painting site.

This class is suitable for beginner to intermediate painters but does require curiosity and a willingness to experiment! Erika has a positive and experimental teaching style that builds confidence in budding artists, making it joyous to learn and create. This is a class for adults but also accepts mature students aged 12 and older. Registration is required and space is limited.

Join the Wendell Gilley Museum and researchers from Schoodic Institute on two consecutive Thursdays to participate in an ongoing long-term study by Schoodic Institute about the connections among plants, insects, and the birds that eat them. No prior field experience is necessary. This is a learn-by-doing event where your efforts will contribute vital data toward understanding the changing biodiversity of Acadia National Park. October is an important month for migrating songbirds, seabirds, and raptors. Seabirds sail over the water, raptors use thermals and mountain updrafts, and songbirds feed by day among insect and fruit-laden forest environs. Plan on investing two hours of easy, slow-paced trail walking and help gather data using iNaturalist, Nature's Notebook, and eBird. Seth Benz, Schoodic Institute's Bird Ecology Director, and a team of field technicians will provide instruction.

This is the second of two special opportunities, and happens at Sieur de Monts on Oct. 14 beginning at 9:30am. Registration required for each field experience separately. There is a $10 fee per person, per day, and space is limited to 18 people.  

Maine’s varied natural settings have long been an inspiration to poets, and that continues now more than ever as the state faces the effects of climate change and other challenges. Join us online as contemporary poets Gary Lawless, Kristen Lindquist, and Carl Little share their passion and concern for nature through their own verse and that of others on Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 7pm.

There is no charge for this event, but registration is required. Sign up HERE.

Explore the shores of Southwest Harbor with the Wendell Gilley Museum, led by expert naturalist and birder Rich MacDonald on Saturday, Oct. 23. Meet at the Gilley, 4 Herrick Road, at 8am and enjoy coffee and treats outside. After an orientation from Rich, head out to spot seabirds and learn about their habits here this time of year.

Rich is a field biologist, guide, birder, naturalist and writer whose began his career as an ornithologist. His birding-related travels have taken him all over the world, including Antarctica, but he calls Mount Desert Island home and birds here year-round.

The fee for this special fall bird walk is $10 per person, and spaces are limited.

Maine artist Diana Roper McDowell, our People-Nature-Art presenter for November, translates natural landscapes into geometric shapes while retaining the warm and organic feel the scenes she paints.

“I explore both abstractionism and realism in art, and I work to combine the two art forms,” she says. “The outline of my subject matter leans towards realism, but the shapes of color inside the subject, are abstract. I use color and line to meld the two art forms together.” Her work is shown widely throughout the region at public venues and art galleries.

Diana will be with us Tuesday, Nov. 9 beginning at 7pm. Attendance is free but registration is required. Sign up HERE. You will receive a Zoom link after you register. People-Nature-Art is the Gilley’s signature monthly year-round series that brings artist, writers, carvers and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to share how nature impacts their art and how that art affects their approach to the natural world. This month’s event will be held online.

Use wood burning and paint in this two-part online class to make an ornament that looks like an American goldfinch in its winter plumage. Students receive a kit including all the materials needed to complete their ornament including a basswood blank. We can lend wood burners with advance notice. This is a two-part class online via Zoom that begins on Nov. 10 from 1 to 3 pm and continues on Nov. 17 from 1-3pm. Limited to 10 students. Fee $20.

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.

Gary Hoyle: Aspects of Nature
Free Online Presentation
Tuesday, June 8, at 7pm via Zoom
Gary, whose art is currently on display in the Museum's Special Exhibit Gallery, will share insights about his art in this presentation exclusively for the Gilley. Learn more about his exhibition at the Gilley here.
Gary's works are inspired by nature, and much of his life’s work has happened in that special place where art and science meet. Gary was the Artist for Exhibits and the Curator of Natural History at the Maine State Museum for 28 years. His sculptures and paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States, including Chicago’s Field Museum. And he has been an Artist-in-Residence at Acadia National Park twice.  

Originally scheduled for May 28, this event has been rescheduled for June 8.
 

There is no fee to join us, but registration is required.

Join award-winning wildlife artist Barry van Dusen to explore methods for drawing birds in both studio and field. He will discuss the value of keeping a field sketchbook, and discuss the the techniques, challenges and opportunities involved with drawing wild birds outdoors. This will be followed by a real-time, follow-along drawing demonstration, in which Barry shares insights on bird anatomy and structure, tips for drawing various parts of the bird, and a start-to-finish drawing of a Carolina Wren, offering a detailed sequence of steps.

This program is suitable for beginner artists and art appreciators. Fee: $35

To sign up, send an email to reservations@wendellgilleymuseum.org and include your name, address, and phone number.

Seth Benz, director of the Schoodic Bird Ecology Lab, will lead bird walks on Thursday mornings in May from the Wendell Gilley Museum. Group size is limited to 10 people and all ages are welcome.

Participants will meet at the Gilley at 7am, with coffee and pastry available along with a tour of the museum. The group will depart the museum promptly at 7:30am for a birding location on Mount Desert Island chosen that day by Seth. There is a $25 per person fee, and registration is required. Mask required and social distancing will be observed.

Dates are: May 6, May 13, May 20, and May 27. To sign up, send an email to reservations@wendellgilleymuseum.org and please include your name, email, telephone number, and the date of the Seth Benz Bird Walk you're interested in.

As director of Schoodic Institute’s Bird Ecology Program, Mr. Benz coordinates citizen science efforts to monitor bird migrations, pelagic seabird concentrations, and biodiversity and phenology observations in the Acadia Region. He was director of the Hog Island Audubon Camp and Education Center for more than nine years, and has worked as lead field interpreter for Acadia National Park.

The Acadia Birding Festival is coming to the Wendell Gilley Museum this year. We’ll be hosting in-person talks and keynotes, a book signing, and offering a spot for in-person check-ins along with free admission to anyone who is signed up for the festival for its duration. For registration and more information including schedules, go to www.acadiabirdingfestival.com

Join Paul Haertel at the Wendell Gilley Museum on World Migratory Bird Day for a walk to spot the birds to be seen in and around Southwest Harbor, Maine. Paul has a degree in forestry from Michigan Tech and is retired from a career with the National Park Service, where his last assignment was as superintendent of Acadia National Park. He is vice-president of the Gilley's board of directors. 
Limit 10 people. Fee: $10. To sign up, email us at reservations@wendellgilleymuseum.org and please include your name, email and phone number.

Spaces are limited.

Meet at the Gilley at 9 a.m.

Join us March 9 for the launch of a fantastic new monthly series that explores the connections between art and nature! First up is renowned wildlife artist Barry van Dusen. He's an internationally respected and award-winning wildlife artist who prefers to work in the field, even with difficult subjects such as wild birds. Over the years, he has filled countless sketchbooks with hundreds of drawings done on location. Birds, he says, were his gateway to a passion for nature, which he’s been able to combine with artistic talent to create a career that has taken him all over the world.

We are excited to welcome Bar Harbor naturalist and birding expert Rich MacDonald to the Gilley on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 7pm (livestreamed on Facebook) to talk about "Little Big Year: Chasing Acadia's Birds," his first book. A combination of travelogue, nature essays and autobiography, it chronicles a year in his birding life as he seeks and finds birds in Acadia National Park and the rest of Hancock County, Maine. There is no charge for this event which will stream live on our Facebook page HERE. 

The Gilley's master carver, Steve Valleau, is the featured speaker for this special online event hosted by our friends at the Shelburne Museum. Join us for this exploration of the works of master carvers Wendell Gilley and Elmer Crowell, a discussion of Steve Valleau's own carving practices and current projects, and live audience Q&A. This is event is free but we ask that you register HERE.

Join us on Zoom for People-Nature-Art on May 4 at 7pm EST with Sara Wolman, an award-winning artist who works for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and is this year's featured artist for World Migratory Bird Day in the U.S. and Canada. Her art reflects the relationship she has established with the environment.

This event is free but reservations are required. Reserve your spot by emailing reservations@wendellgilleymuseum.org

Our popular carving club is ongoing, and online, through the end of April 2021, every Friday from 2 to 4 pm via Zoom. This regular time to meet with other carvers of all skill levels, mentored by artist-in-residence Steve Valleau, is a members-only benefit and there is no charge to attend. Memberships begin at $35 per year. To learn more or to join us as a member, visit the membership page on the website HERE.