May
MUSICThe Fab Four
Mop tops they're not, but the four young men of the Calder Quartet are earning raves from audiences inspired by their tweaking of chamber music conventions (witness the tough-guy poses in their publicity photo). Named after Alexander Calder, inventor of the mobile, the quartet is wrapping up a season as the Juilliard School's Graduate Resident Quartet. Catch their take on the traditional and the avant-garde May 6 at 3 p.m. $30. Maine Center for the Arts, UMaine campus, Orono. 207-581-1755. www.ume.maine.edu/~mca
GARDENS
Bloomsday
Not convinced spring has sprung? See proof at the Spring Bulb Tour, where guests may wander the ten acres of Water's Edge in picturesque Northeast Harbor. The summer home of William and Barbara Stewart boasts more than 75,000 bulbs, as well as flowering trees, shrubs, and other perennials. Proceeds from the self-guided tour, which takes about an hour, benefit the Mt. Desert Nursery School. May 19 (storm date May 20) from 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. $15. Sargeant Drive, Northeast Harbor. 207-276-5563.
ART
I Painted Andy Warhol
What does the prince of pop art have to do with Maine, you ask? Turns out Warhol and Jamie Wyeth were not only friends but sources of inspiration for one another. Thus Factory Work: Warhol, Wyeth, Basquiat, an exhibit organized by Pennsylvania's Brandywine River Museum and co-hosted by the Farnsworth Art Museum & Wyeth Center that also considers Warhol's influence on Jean-Michel Basquiat, the neo-expressionist graffiti artist. May 5 - Aug. 26. $8-$10. 16 Museum St., Rockland. 207-596-6457. www.farnsworthmuseum.org
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
• A World of Music
Join the Choral Art Society Singers and special guests Inanna, Sisters in Rhythm, for ethnic music from around the world. May 6 at 3 p.m. $15-$20. John Ford Theater, Portland High School, 284 Cumberland Ave. 207-828-0043. www.choralart.org
• Tito Puente, Jr., Orchestra
Ready to salsa, merengue, and mambo? Tito Puente, Jr., promises to have sparks flying and fiery beats igniting into Afro-Cuban rhythms. May 19 at 7:30 p.m. $8-$32. Strom Auditorium, Camden Hills Regional High School, Rte. 90, Rockport. 207-236-2823 or 888-707-2770. www.baychamberconcerts.org
• Jigu! Thunder Drums of China
Hailing from the Shanxi province, this company of twenty-eight drummers, percussionists, and musicians will astound with its ultra-sensory entertainment. May 9 at 7 p.m. $18-$32. Maine Center for the Arts, UMaine campus, Orono. 207-581-1755. www.ume.maine.edu/~mca
• Portland Symphony Orchestra
The orchestra's Classical Series ends with Respighi's Fountains of Rome. May 1 at 7:30 p.m. $31-$52. Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland. 207-842-0800. www.portlandsymphony.com
THEATER
• Augusta
In a small Maine town, two women struggle to make ends meet cleaning summer homes, but their lives are shaken up by the aggressive plans of their new manager. May 1 - 20. $19-$33. The Portland Stage Company, 25A Forest Ave. 207-774-0465. www.portlandstage.com
• 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. May 16 - June 3. $20-$28. St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress St., Portland. 207-885-5883. www.stlawrencearts.org
• Enchanted April
Four beleaguered Englishwomen take a rejuvenating trip to Italy for the magic of the Tuscan sun. May 4 - 13. $10-$16. The Public Theater, 31 Maple St., Lewiston. 207-782-3200. www.thepublictheatre.org
• Menopause The Musical
A musical parody featuring twenty-five re-lyricized baby boomer hits, with such chart-toppers as "I Heard It Thru the Grapevine," "You No Longer See 39," and the disco favorite "Stayin' Awake! Stayin' Awake!" May 23 - June 3. $39-$43. Ogunquit Playhouse, 10 Main St. 207-646-5511. www.ogunquitplayhouse.org
ART MUSEUMS
• Bates Museum of Art
Senior Exhibition 2007. A selection of works from the thesis projects of graduating seniors majoring in Studio Art. Through May 26. Free. 75 Russell St., Lewiston. 207-786-6158. www.bates.edu/museum.xml
• Center for Maine Contemporary Art
Ethan Hayes-Chute. This artist produces small, humorous paintings of houses, apparently uninhabited, yet very much alive. Their unusual shapes are perfectly in tune with their colorful surroundings of undulating horizons and barren trees. Through May 19. u Henry Wolyniec: Recent Collages. Wolyniec in his collages tries to create meaning from structural elements to disrupt the relationship between objects and external reality. Through May 19. u 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. u 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. April 28 - July 21. u Joe Kievitt: Recent Drawings. Charcoal drawings and water color paintings on paper by the artist who won the 2001 Portland Museum of Art Biennial Purchase Prize. May 26 - 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. Through July 2. Free. 5600 Mayflower Hill Dr., Waterville. 207-872-3228. www.colby.edu/museum
• 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. u The American Made Alphabet: Aerial Photographs by Margot Balboni. In this series of twenty-six large-scale color photographs, aerial photographer Margot Balboni reveals the American landscape that lays "over the hedge" and "past the 'No Trespassing' " sign. Through Sept. 23. u The Constructed Landscape. This exhibition brings together 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. Through Oct. 7. u Andrew Wyeth at Ninety. In celebration of Andrew Wyeth's ninetieth birthday, the Farnsworth Art Museum will present an exhibition of some of his best-known Maine works. May 20 - Oct. 28. $8-$10. 16 Museum St., Rockland. 207-596-6457. www.farnsworthmuseum.org
• Portland Museum of Art
Käthe Kollwitz Prints: Defending the Downtrodden. This exhibition features twenty-two works by Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945), a staunch defender of the poor, a critic of both World Wars, and a woman devoted to her family. The works range in date from the late 1890s to the turbulent 1920s during the years of the Weimar Republic in Germany. Through May 27. u 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. u 2007 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. Through June 11. $4-$10, and free Fridays 5 p.m. - 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. 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. 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/lac/art/exhibits.html
OTHER MUSEUMS
• Maine Historical Society Museum
Drawing Together: The Arts of the Longfellows. 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. Through June 3. u Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: America's Song King. 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
Kids' Wheels, Vintage Cars, and Antique Aeroplane Show. Old cars and kids' wheels kick off the new season at the museum. May 27. $6-$8. Route 73, Owls Head. 207-594-4418. www.ohtm.org
• Sabbathday Lake Shaker Museum
The museum in the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village opens its doors May 25 for exhibits, tours, workshops, craft demonstrations, and special events. Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 707 Shaker Rd., New Gloucester. 207-926-4597. www.shaker.lib.me.us
FAIRS AND FESTIVALS
• Arts and Air Fest
Hot air balloon rides, antique cars, crafters, and food vendors in Skowhegan. 207-474-3621. www.skowheganchamber.com
• Down East Spring Birding Festival
Self-guided explorations as well as guided hikes, boat tours, and presentations led by area experts. Limited to twelve participants. May 25 - 28. $50. Cobscook Bay. 207-733-2201. www.mainebirdingtrail.com/tours.htm
SPECIAL EVENTS
• Birdathon 2007
Join birders throughout Maine during peak migration -- from Arundel to Aroostook and Fort Kent to Fort Foster -- for this once-a-year, one-of-a-kind birding event. May 12 - June 4. Statewide. Maine Audubon. 207-781-2330. www.maineaudubon.org
• Bowdoinham Public Library Plant Sale
Lupines, lilies, and much more -- will be on sale at the library's thirty-fourth plant sale. May 19 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Bowdoinham Town Hall, School St. 207-666-8405. www.bowdoinham.lib.me.us
• Maine Wildlife Park
ReMaine WILD. What do you do if you find a baby robin, raccoon, or injured animal? Representatives from this group of professional Maine wildlife rehabilitators will staff an informative display. May 12. u Friends of the Maine Wildlife Park Annual Plant Sale. Enjoy great spring plant deals with flowers, vegetables, and baskets from the organization's own greenhouse. May 26 - 28. $4-$6. 56 Game Farm Rd., Gray. 207-657-4977. www.maine.gov/ifw/education/ wildlifepark
• Moose Mainea
Greenville makes the most of its moose with a month of family-oriented activities including the Tour de Moose Bike Races, the Moosehead Fly-Casting Championship, and the Moosehead Rowing Regatta. May 19 - June 16. Free. 207-695-2702. www.mooseheadlake.org
