June
EventsART
cross training
You wouldn't expect an accountant to be a really great health-care provider, or your mechanic to build you a new deck. But an architect who designs cool, modern furniture -- it seems a pretty plausible exercise. See the results at Getting Personal: Maine Architects Design Furniture at the Portland Museum of Art June 2 through August 26. A companion to the PMA's Frank Lloyd Wright show, the exhibit explores the process involved when a handful of Maine architects work with contemporary furniture makers to create something far cooler than your trusty old La-Z-Boy. June 28 - Oct. 8. $4-$10, and free Fridays 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. 7 Congress Square, Portland. 207-775-6148. www.portlandmuseum.org
LITERATURE
Black and White and Read All Over
Celebrate Maine's literary community and a few well-known folks from away at the Festival of the Book. Established in 2002 by First Lady Karen Baldacci, the festival includes readings and talks by writers ranging from Tess Gerritsen to David McCullough (below) as well as how-to sessions on publishing and panel discussions on genres including romance and fantasy. June 22 - 24. Free. Venues include Portland Museum of Art, Children's Museum of Maine, University of Southern Maine, Portland Public Library, Portland Stage, and area bookstores. 207-871-9100. www.mainereads.org
MUSIC
Finger-Pickin' Good
Nothing says summer like the onset of outdoor music festivals. So grab your lawn chair and your sunscreen and head to Sidney, outside of Augusta, for the Blistered Fingers Family Bluegrass Music Festival. Featured acts include Blistered Fingers, White Mountain Bluegrass, the Lewis Family, and the Muellers. June 14 - 17. $10-$55. Silver Spur Riding Club, Rte. 104. 207-873-6539. www.blisteredfingers.com
Before making plans to attend any of these events, call ahead to confirm, since dates and times may be subject to change. To submit event listings to Down East, send an e-mail to editorial@downeast.com.
MUSIC AND DANCE
• Atlantic Ballet and People to People Dance Company
The annual spring recital, featuring selected performances from Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Paquita, and Don Quixote. June 10 at 4 p.m. $10-$12. Camden Opera House, 29 Elm St. 207-236-7963. www.camdenoperahouse.com
• Bowdoin International Music Festival
The Friday evening MusicFest series features the Aeolian Chamber Players, distinguished guest artists, and members of the festival faculty in performances held each week during the festival at 8 p.m. The Wednesday evening Upbeat!, at 7:30 p.m., is a faculty concert series that presents a mixture of contemporary and traditional works in a casual setting. Crooker Theatre at Brunswick High School, 116 Maquoit Rd. June 23 - Aug. 4. $5-$30. 207-373-1400. www.bowdoinfestival.org
• Independence Pops
Pack a picnic and settle in for a glorious evening of music, fireworks, and family fun from the Portland Symphony Orchestra. June 29 at Fort William Park, Cape Elizabeth, and June 30 at Shawnee Peak, Bridgton. $14-$20. 207-842-0800. www.portlandsymphony.com
• Kingfield Pops
Great, live music from the Bangor Symphony Orchestra in the historic town of Kingfield, nestled in the foothills of the Longfellow and Bigelow mountain ranges along the Carrabassett River in western Maine. June 30 at 5 p.m. $20-$25. Kennedy Farm, Rte. 142, Kingfield. 800-639-3221. www.bangorsymphony.com
• Kneisel Hall Festival Concerts
On Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons, classical music students and faculty from some of the finest music institutions in the world delight audiences with Kneisel Hall's summertime concert series. June 24 - Aug. 26, Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. $20-$30. Blue Hill. 207-374-2203. www.kneisel.org
• Maine Festival of American Music
Evening concerts, a master class, a lecture demo, as well as guest artists and a specially commissioned work composed by Elliott Schwartz and based on the musical heritage of the Shakers. This festival is presented by the Portland String Quartet and hosted by the United Society of Shakers. June 20 - 23. Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, Rte. 26, New Gloucester. 207-926-4597.
THEATER
• The Beverly Hillbillies
The Clampett family rides onto the stage for an evening of hillbilly hilarity. June 7 - 16. $19-$25. Lakewood Theater, 76 Theater Rd., Skowhegan. 207-474-7176. www.lakewoodtheater.org
• Clothes Encounters
This farce is a mixture of double meanings, mistaken identities, and sexual innuendo whose plot is further complicated by the presence of Heinz, a well-meaning but bumbling handyman. May 24 - June 2. $19-$25. Lakewood Theater, 76 Theater Rd., Skowhegan. 207-474-7176. www.lakewoodtheater.org
• Driving Miss Daisy
An elderly Jewish woman and her African-American chauffeur in the South have a relationship that grows and improves over the years. Stars two-time Tony Award-nominee Beth Fowler and Drama Desk Award-nominee George Merritt. Through June 3. $20-$28. St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress St., Portland. 207-885-5883. www.stlawrencearts.org
• The Full Monty
Unemployed factory workers with nothing to lose have a bright idea. June 12 - 30. $39-$43. Ogunquit Playhouse, 10 Main St. 207-646-5511. www.ogunquitplayhouse.org
• Lucky Stiff
A musical farce, in the best sense of the word, involving one dead body, a nerdy English shoe salesman, six million bucks in diamonds, and a lot of dogs. June 21 - 30. $8-$10. Gaslight Theater, Winthrop St., Hallowell. 207-626-3698. www.gaslighttheater.org
• The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)
Hilarious satire of musical theater styles that takes one plot (evil landlord and sweet young tenant) and plays it five different ways, each in the style of a famous Broadway composer or composing team: Rogers & Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd Weber, and Kander and Ebb. June 16 - 30. $20-$35. Northport Music Theater, Rte.1. 207-338-8383.
• Thoroughly Modern Millie
Millie Dillmount leaves Kansas to become a flapper in New York with big hopes of marrying her wealthy boss -- whoever he may be. June 27 - July 14. $27-$49. The Maine State Music Theatre, 22 Elm St., Brunswick. 207-725-8769. www.msmt.org
• Sly Fox
Based on Ben Johnson's Volpone, the Big Fox has been moved from seventeenth-century Venice to turn of the century San Francisco. Volpone is now called Foxwell J. Sly. But he is the same scheming, rapacious miser bent on extracting fortunes from a trio of rich, greedy opportunists. June 21 - 30. $19-$25. Lakewood Theater, 76 Theater Rd., Skowhegan. 207-474-7176. www.lakewoodtheater.org
• West Side Story
The Jets, the Sharks, and a girl. June 6 - 23. $27-$49. The Maine State Music Theatre, 22 Elm St., Brunswick. 207-725-8769. www.msmt.org
ART MUSEUMS
• Bates Museum of Art
Green Horizons. The cornerstone of this exhibition is Manifest Destiny, a large mural by Alexis Rockman commissioned by the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The painting depicts the artist's apocalyptic vision of global warming's impact on the city. Its presence invites the discussion of complex issues, including community, prophecy, humankind's often unintentional impact on local and global ecosystems, and how we as individuals react to those impacts. June 9 - Dec 9. Free. 75 Russell St., Lewiston. 207-786-6158. www.bates.edu
• Center for Maine Contemporary Art
Alan Magee: From the Underground River. The drawings, monotypes, collages, and sculptures of found objects in From the Underground River address the fragile humanity in all of us, namely our capacity for violence toward others as well as ourselves. Through July 21. • Altered Nature: Manipulated Photographs. A group exhibition with several photographs of natural environments that have been digitally altered. Artists include Marcie Jan Bronstein, Adam Bryant Chittenden, Jeremy Barnard, Jeffery Becton, John Paul Caponigro, Cyndi Prince, Claire Seidl, Scott Stoughton, and Alan Stubbs. Through July 21. • Joe Kievitt: Recent Drawings. Charcoal drawings and watercolor paintings on paper by the artist who won the 2001 Portland Museum of Art Biennial Purchase Prize. Through July 1. $5. 162 Russell Ave., Rockport. 207-236-2875. www.artsmaine.org
• Colby College Museum of Art
Bernard Langlais: Abstractions and Reliefs.Us ing found wood objects and scraps, Maine-born artist Langlais developed a unique style of "painting with wood," creating complex works that are as viscerally stirring as they are familiar and mundane. This exhibition, co-organized with the Aucocisco Gallery, presents twenty-four of these evocative early wood reliefs. Through July 2. Free. 5600 Mayflower Hill Dr., Waterville. 207-872-3228. www.colby.edu
• Farnsworth Art Museum & Wyeth Center
Elizabeth B. Noyce Bequest Anniversary. Art collector and Maine philanthropist Elizabeth B. Noyce's bequeathed works of American art. Through June 17. • The American Made Alphabet: Aerial Photographs by Margot Balboni. In this series of twenty-six large-scale color photographs, aerial photographer Balboni reveals the American landscape that lays "over the hedge" and "past the 'No Trespassing' " sign. Through Sept. 23. • Factory Work: Warhol, Wyeth, Basquiat. Factory Work examines the collaborative role Andy Warhol held for two younger artists from opposite corners of the art world. Jamie Wyeth and Jean-Michel Basquiat were young, independent artists with their own substantial reputations when Andy Warhol invited each of them to paint in his Factory in New York City, Wyeth in the 1970s, and Basquiat in the 1980s. Through Aug. 26. • The Constructed Landscape. Work by five contemporary painters who portray the constructed rather than the natural landscape. The five artists represented are Rackstraw Downes, Linden Frederick, Yvonne Jacquette, John Moore, and Dennis Pinette [see page 66]. Through Oct. 7. • Andrew Wyeth at Ninety. In celebration of Wyeth's ninetieth birthday, the Farnsworth Art Museum will present an exhibition of some of his best-known Maine works. Through Oct. 28. • Bo Bartlett: Still Point. Working in Seattle and on Matinicus and Wheaton Islands, Bo Bartlett produces some of the most exquisite, fascinating, and complex works of any artist currently working in America. June 30 - Oct. 14. $8-$10. 16 Museum St., Rockland. 207-596-6457. www.farnsworthmuseum.org
• Portland Museum of Art
Portland Museum of Art Biennial. Ninety-eight works by sixty-one artists have been selected for this exhibition to create a visual record of Maine's evolving contemporary art scene and testify to the profound influence that the landscape, traditions, and people of Maine continue to have on living artists. Through June 11. • Vividly True to Nature: Harrison Bird Brown, 1831-1915. From the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and the White Mountains to the Alps, late-nineteenth-century landscape painter Harrison Bird Brown's views both capture and communicate an abiding love for nature along with a fascination for humankind's place within it. Through Sept. 9. • Frank Lloyd Wright and the House Beautiful. This exhibition focuses on Wright's legendary skill in creating harmony between architectural structure and interior design while fulfilling the needs of a modern lifestyle. Featuring approximately one hundred original objects, the exhibition includes furniture, metalwork, textiles, drawings, and accessories from the collections of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and other public and private collections. June 28 - Oct. 8. $4-$10, and free Fridays 5 - 9 p.m. 7 Congress Square, Portland. 207-775-6148. www.portlandmuseum.org
• The University of Maine Museum of Art
Linda Butler: Yangtze Remembered: The River Beneath the Lake portrays through photography the massive cultural change in rural China that was prompted by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River. More than a million people were moved as a result, with towns, ancient temples, burial grounds, and other historic sites being submerged. Through June 30. $3. Norumbega Hall, 40 Harlow St., Bangor. 207-561-3350. www.umma.umaine.edu
• University of Southern Maine
Bird Sightings. Exhibition of works in all media inspired by birds, including carvings, paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, and poetry from artists around the state. Shown in partnership with members of the Stanton Bird Club in Androscoggin County. Through June 15. Free. The University of Southern Maine, 51 Westminster St., Lewiston. 207-753-6500. www.usm.maine.edu
OTHER MUSEUMS
• Maine Historical Society Museum
Drawing Together: The Arts of the Longfellows. This exhibit features a large number of little-known works ranging from drawings of Tripoli made in 1804 by Henry Wadsworth, the poet's namesake, to sketches made by Longfellow himself for and with his children. The Longfellows, keen observers of the world around them, created compelling works with the rudimentary pencil and pen and ink. Through June 3. • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: America's Song King. The enormously popular American poet received copies of original music written by composers working in cities around the world. This display touches the surface of the world of Victorian song as it was influenced by Longfellow, dubbed "America's Song King" by American composer Thomas Lorenzo Jephson in 1879. $2-$4. 489 Congress St., Portland. 207-774-1822. www.mainehistory.org
• Owls Head Transportation Museum
Rods, Mods, and Tuners, and Antique Aeroplane Show. This event will feature 250 hot rods and custom built vehicles plus a variety of 1960s and 1970s muscle cars. June 10. • Maine Coast Bikefest and Antique Aeroplane Show. A meet for motorcycles of any year, make, and model. June 23. $6-$8. Rte. 73, Owls Head. 207-594-4418. www.ohtm.org
• Portland Harbor Museum
Picturing Portland: A Century of Change. This exhibit features the museum's Angell Collection of glass-plate negatives from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The exhibit employs the concept of rephotography, pairing photographs from the Angell Collection with contemporary images taken from the same vantage point by Bakery Photographic Collective photographers. Through Nov. 25. $4. Southern Maine Community College, Fort Rd., South Portland. 207-799-6337. www.portlandharbormuseum.org
Fairs and festivals
• Acadian Festival
Head to the heart of the St. John River Valley for this fair celebrating the culture of Maine's own Cajuns. June 28 - July 1. Free. Madawaska. 207-728-6250. www.acadianfestival.com
• Antique Tractor Festival
A national showing of Allis-Chalmers tractors and equipment at the Farmington Fairgrounds. June 22 - 24, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. $2-$5 207-892-0299 www.maineantiquetractorclub.com
• Bayside International Fair and Market
The Portland Public Market opens its doors one last time for a flea market and festival where food, music, stories, and crafts from a diverse range of cultures will be showcased. Hosted by the Bayside Neighborhood Association. June 2 from 1 to 8 p.m. Free. 25 Preble St. 207-780-0915.
• La Kermesse Franco-American Festival
La Kermesse (translation: "village fair") is a carnival-like weekend celebrating Franco-American entertainment, food, and heritage in Biddeford. June 21 - 24. $10-$15. 207-283-1889. www.lakermessefestival.com
• Old Port Festival
Maine's biggest one-day festival takes over downtown Portland. June 3, 11a.m. - 5 p.m. Free. 207-772-6828. www.portlandmaine.com
• Windjammer Days Festival
Two days of tall ships, harborside concerts, fireworks, and a street parade. Boothbay Harbor. June 26 & 27. Free. 207-633-2353. www.boothbayharbor.com
Special Events
• Iris Show
The Maine Iris Society sponsors its forty-seventh annual show with hundreds of colorful blossoms, as well as flower arrangements, a plant sale, and awards. June 9 from 1 to 5 p.m. Free. Auburn Middle School, 38 Falcon Dr., Auburn. 207-946-5417. www.irisgarden.org
• Maine Fiber Frolic
A celebration of fiber animals and the fiber arts: spinning, weaving, dyeing, felting, and rug hooking. June 9 & 10, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. $1-$4. Windsor Fairgrounds, Rte. 32. 207-935-4075. www.fiberfrolic.com
• Peony Garden Tour
Tour a city garden awash in more than eighty species of herbaceous and tree peonies. June 16 & 23, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. $2. 23 Ohio St., Bangor. 207-945-9726.
• Picture This! A Historical Portrait of Portland
A showcase for and celebration of Portland's history using the performing and visual arts as a tool to communicate and demonstrate the city's rich heri-tage. The celebration of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's two hundredth birthday and the two hundredth anniversary of the Portland Observatory will be focal points of the event. June 24. Free. Portland. 207-883-5720. www.picturethisportland.org
• Quilt Show
"Floral Expressions" is the theme for this year's show. Antique quilts as well as new ones crafted by area quilters will be on display. June 29 &
30, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. $5. Middle Intervale Meeting House, Intervale Rd., Bethel. 207-743-6468.
• Portland Book, Print, and Paper Show
Hundreds of bibliophiles in search of that elusive rare book will turn out for the twenty-seventh annual show, which takes place June 10 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There will be a preview opening at 8:30 a.m. for those who want first dibs at all the books and ephemera for a $15 admission. General admission $5. Holiday Inn By The Bay, 88 Spring St., Portland. 207-874-8200. www.bookfairs.com/portland.html
• Professional Bull Riding
Ride 'em cowboy! See bulls buck and buckaroos tumble -- or hang on for dear life. It beats the mechanical beasts, horns down. June 23 at 8 p.m. and June 24 at 4 p.m. $12.50-$35.50. Cumberland County Civic Center, Spring St., Portland. 207-775-3458. www.theciviccenter.com
• Sagadahoc Preservation House and Garden Tour
Wander among ten historic homes clustered along historic Washington Street in Bath. June 9, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. $20-$25. Winter Street Center, 880 Washington St., Bath. 207-443-2174. www.sagadahocpreservation.org
• Summer Street Stroll
Attendees are encouraged to dress in festive attire or come in period costume and "promenade" between the four grand historic homes on Summer Street in Kennebunk. Appetizers and wine will be served at each house and the tour will end with poolside dessert and champagne. This event is a fundraiser for the Child Abuse Prevention Council of York County. June 16 at 6 p.m. $50. 207-985-5975.
• Wells Outdoors Antiques Show & Sale
This popular event is held on the grounds of historic Laudholm Farm and is sponsored by the Wells Chamber of Commerce. June 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $5. Wells Reserve, off Rte. 1. 207-284-8657.
