News

Due to the popularity the new Carving and Woodburning a Bird for Beginners workshop, the Gilley is adding two additional sessions of the class over the holiday weekend. Join us Saturday, July 5 from 10:30am to 12:30pm or from 1:30pm to 3:30pm to learn basic skills in wood carving and woodburning in this two-hour class and create a small piece of avian art you can finish during the workshop and take home with you. Registration is required and class sizes are limited. Participants must be at least 11 years old.

For the morning class, sign up HERE.          For the afternoon class, sign up HERE.

The Museum’s 2025 Winter Session ends Saturday, May 3 at 4pm and with it, two exhibits close – Dan Miller: Going with the Grain, a collection of woodblock prints featuring birds and landscapes by the 96-year-old artist who summers in Corea; and Alley’s Avian Art, a collection of all nine of Islesford painter Rick Alley’s winning depictions of seabirds in their natural habitat which won the prestigious Maine Duck Stamp Contest (more than any other painter in the award’s history.)

The Gilley is open Tuesday night from 6 to 8pm for the April People-Nature-Art reception and presentation by Peggy Clark Lumpkins, and on Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm. The we will be closed until Wednesday, May 28 when we reopen with hours Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

Come see this art before it is gone from the Gilley; then plan to come back for the next special exhibit, “Birds in Art,” a traveling show from the vaunted exhibit at the Lee Yawkey Woodson Museum.

The classes scheduled for March 29 have been canceled but the Gilley is still open for visitors. Come visit and see the special exhibit of Dan Miller’s spectacular woodblock prints; the Maine Duck Stamp winning paintings by Islesford painter and lobsterman Rick Alley, Jr.; carvings by Wendell Gilley, Elmer Crowell, Hank Tyler, Steve Valleau, and more. We’re open 10am to 4pm and hope to see you soon.

The Museum is open two days each week, Fridays and Saturdays,
from 10am-4pm, with People-Nature-Art programs one Tuesday night each month and some workshops on other days or evenings.

The Winter Session runs from Jan. 10, 2025 through May 3, 2025, open from 10am to 4pm on Fridays and Saturdays with People-Nature-Art programs one Tuesday night each month and some workshops on other days or evenings.

If you are not a member but would like to have membership benefits, including reduced prices on workshops and unlimited free admission to the Gilley, you can purchase a Winter Membership for $30. In May, if you decide to convert it into a full membership, the $30 will be deducted from the membership you choose.
For more information or to buy a Winter Membership for yourself or someone else, contact Office Manager Jane Holland.

Following a terrific 2024 season, the Wendell Gilley Museum is closed until Friday, January 10, 2025 when the Museum’s Winter Session begins. Our People-Nature-Art series continues to happen one Tuesday night every month throughout the year, and we’ll be offering workshops in: carving, painting (including Paint ‘n’ Sips), haiku writing, printmaking and more. To sign up, go to the Calendar above and click on the link to the workshop you’d like to attend. Or leave us a message at 207-244-7555. Warm wishes and a happy new year to all of you from all of us here at the Gilley.

Director of Development

The Wendell Gilley Museum in Southwest Harbor, Maine is seeking a full-time Director of Development to support annual and project-based fundraising in a busy, year-round museum on the “quiet side” of Mount Desert Island (MDI), Maine that has the goal of bringing people closer to nature through art.

Founded in 1979, the Museum’s mission is to inspire artistic creativity and engagement with the natural world on Mount Desert Island and Downeast Maine for current and future generations through education, exhibitions, and programs, while honoring the legacy of noted bird carver Wendell Gilley.

The Development Director will oversee the organization’s fundraising, cultivation, and development, managing new and developing relationships with current and future donors. Duties include planning fundraising events, interacting with donors past and present to encourage ongoing contributions, and seeking out opportunities for financial support through grants and sponsorships.

This is a largely in-person position with some ability to work remotely from time to time. There is an expectation of attendance at many after-hours events, primarily but not exclusively on MDI with potential donors.  While the Gilley Museum remains open year-round, the bulk of donor interactions and events take place during the summer months.

Duties include:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising plan to meet the organization’s annual and project-based revenue goals.
• Identify and cultivate major gift prospects, as well as corporate and foundation donors.
• Plan and execute special events as part of a team that engage donors and raise funds for the organization.
• Collaborate with the Communications team to develop and execute effective donor communications and marketing materials.
• Work closely with the Board of Directors and Executive Director to develop fundraising strategies and goals.
• Lead fundraising committee of the Board providing organization, accountability, training, and inspiration.
• Oversee tracking of events, donors and acknowledgments with the Museum’s Little Green Light database.
• Monitor and analyze fundraising data to evaluate performance and adjust strategies as needed.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management, business administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, with a proven track record of success in major gifts, corporate and foundation giving, and special events.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write compelling donor communications and marketing materials.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, board members, and volunteers.
• Experience with fundraising software and donor databases including Little Green Light
• A deep commitment to the mission and values of our organization.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Google business suite)

This position reports directly to the Director of the Wendell Gilley Museum and joins a team of four full-time staff and eleven part-time/seasonal staff. Be part of our collaborative, community-focused workplace committed to connecting people, nature and art. Salary range is $55,000 - $60,000 commensurate with experience, plus benefits.

Equal Opportunity Employer. Apply with cover letter and resume to: director@wendellgilleymuseum.org, with Director of Development in the subject line. Please direct inquiries to the same email address.

The Wendell Gilley Museum is gearing up for the annual Community Open House & Art Show featuring carvings, drawings, paintings, linocuts and more that were created as part of a visit, class, or workshop with the Museum – everyone from grade-schoolers to grandparents.

And we welcome everyone through our doors that day for free to check out the Museum and enjoy all the art, along with some light refreshments.

Submit something you created at the Gilley for this year's show, set for Sunday, Dec. 15, from 1-4pm. Please drop off your art by Friday, Dec. 8, and be sure to leave us your name, the name of the piece, and its medium when you come in. Ask for Melinda Rice-Schoon, Jane Holland, or Sean Charette when you bring your art to the museum. Then join us on Dec. 15 to mingle with the other artists and enjoy the art.

If you have questions, email Melinda Rice-Schoon at mel@wendellgilleymuseum.org.

The Wendell Gilley Museum will be open and welcoming visitors on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 29 and 30, 10am to 4pm, with new exhibits, and special activities for kids.

There also will be a sale in the Museum Store. Everything except consignment items will be 10% off for non-members and 20% off for museum members.

Admission is $10 per person (free to members) with anyone 12 and younger admitted for free.

The museum is closed Thanksgiving Day.