MEMBERSHIP DRIVE AND MAINE CRAFT WEEKEND!
Supporting the local art scene has never been easier!
Lights Out is hosting our first membership drive from now until the end of December!
Memberships at Lights Out are essential; that’s why our goal is to have 150 members by the end of the year.
Members are investing in our vision of creating a vast network of artists and communities across Maine centralized in the Oxford County area. We can only throw fabulous art shows and free community events like our recent Norway Block Party while maintaining an operating budget to facilitate events through people like you who invest in our organization. With a donation of only $10, $25, or $50 a month, you become part of the network of people who proudly support the growth of arts in Maine. In gratitude for supporting Lights Out, members have early access to show catalogs, discounts on ticketed events, eligibility to our Tech Lending program, discounts on Lights Out merch, exclusive mailings & collectibles, and the ability to be added to our community calendar.
MAINE CRAFT WEEKEND!
Norway is celebrating its FIRST Maine Craft Weekend on October 5th and 6th! Alongside our shows Marking Time: A Measure of Craft and 36 Windows, there is a bounty of events occurring in Norway this weekend that you should check out!
✶ Norway’s Longley Square is hosting a pop-up show of handcrafted items from Rebecca May Verrill Ceramics, colorful animal-themed original wearable art by FLYN Hats, Fiber Art from Kim Hamlin at Fiber and Vine, a variety of prints and stickers by Erika Melhus of Embotanical Illustration and more! The show will be open on Saturday from 10 am - 4 pm.
✶ The Lajos Matolscy Art Center is hosting a Fiber Arts Show curated by Kathy Beauregard. Texture and color are the themes for this wonderful show of artists. The show will open on Saturday and Sunday from 11-5 and close on October 31st.
✶ At Frost Farm Gallery, vintage and antique prints (and more!) are on display Saturday from 9 am-6 pm and Sunday 10 am-4 pm. Discover aesthetic prints from many sources, with printing methods including photogravure, chromo litho, letterpress, and modern lithography. Hundreds are available as matted pieces; many are framed and ready to hang. Subjects range from botanical, historical, and animals to nautical, automotive, and whimsical.
✶ Diana Arcadipone is leading a bookmaking workshop for the general public at Fiber and Vine on Sunday from 10 am-4 pm. Make your own handmade journal, sketchbook, or photo album. Handmade books are a wonderful gift and a great way to exhibit unique fabric or papers you’ve collected. Please bring light to medium-weight fabric to use for your book cover. For more information, please visit Fiber and Vine.
✶ Blooms and Hues from Thymeline Print Co. is being hosted at the Alan Day Community Garden. This event celebrates the stunning colors that the natural world can offer. Stroll through the Community Art Garden, a public growing space for community members, and witness the beauty of the natural dye garden beds as the growing season comes to a close. View large artworks displayed next to their dye plant sources and gain insight into various natural dye techniques.
✶ Additional events are hosted at local shops, including Handmade Maine, Fiber and Vine, Food For Thought, Norway Brewing Company, and The Raven Collective. Check out the Maine Craft Weekend page in Norway to learn more about each event!
What: The Pinkies Opening Night!
When: October 11th, 2024, from 4 pm-6 pm
Where: Freeport’s Town Hall, 30 Main Street, Freeport, Maine
Wear: Pink!
Meetinghouse Arts, in partnership with Maine Coast Fishermen's Association (MCFA), Freeport Climate Action Now, Center for Arts & Ecology in Freeport and Freeport Oyster Bar, is proud to announce the arrival of The Pinkies – three 9’-11’ tall, huggable pink sculptures made from old fishing gear, nets, and ropes sourced from recycling centers, donations by fishermen, and clean-up efforts led by Maine’s fishermen, nonprofits, and volunteers.
The Pinkies will displayed from October 2024 through October 2025 on the lawn in front of Freeport’s Town Hall. A series of educational events inspired by The Pinkies are planned over the next year, engaging local students and the community to celebrate art created from reclaimed materials, honor the stewardship of Maine’s coastal fisheries, and offer meaningful opportunities for community dialogue about the growing impact of climate change on our marine ecosystems and coastal livelihoods.
"Posey’s Pinkies have been a vibrant part of Payson Park in Portland for the past two years, and when it was time for them to find a new home, we knew Freeport would be the perfect fit. This coalition of local businesses and nonprofits was eager to step up and bring these bold sculptures to our community," said Suzanne Watson, Director of Meetinghouse Arts. "We are also incredibly grateful to the Town of Freeport. Freeport’s dedication to public art – a key element in the 2022 Downtown Visioning Plan – along with their partial funding and permission to use town property, has made this possible. We are hoping it leads to more public art projects in the future."
Artist Pamela Moulton (“Posey”) states, “As a teaching artist, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with over 5,000 individuals from schools, museums, environmental organizations, and retirement homes to create these sculptures. The Pinkies are a testament to the power of collective creativity and I’m thrilled to see them find a new home in Freeport, where they can continue to inspire conversation and action around climate change."
Freeport, a town normally known for its shopping, is also home to various working waterfront businesses, including aquaculture, commercial fishing, seafood restaurants, and shoreside support. This public art installation underscores Freeport’s connection to Maine’s coastal economy.
"MCFA believes deeply in breaking down barriers, creating opportunities for education and awareness, and building more resilient communities through relationships and dialogue. Art creates a vehicle to spark real conversations about what is happening both within our communities and out over the horizon in the Gulf of Maine, and we are excited to be a part of the team bringing the Pinkies to Freeport,” said Ben Martens, Executive Director at the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association.
"Why, you might wonder, are these creatures pink? Because, Posey tells us, pink is the color the Arctic ice is turning as it warms and algae bloom in response”, added Kathleen Sullivan of Freeport Climate Action Now, “For us at FreeportCAN, these figures are important reminders that the Gulf of Maine and all the creatures, human and otherwise, who depend on the health of those waters are at risk. The question they pose is how can we together find ways to care for and protect this beautiful, elegantly constructed ecosystem which is such a beloved part of this place we call home?"
For more information about The Pinkies and upcoming community events inspired by them, visit MeetinghouseArts.org/Pinkies or contact Suzanne Watson, Executive Director, Meetinghouse Arts, at director@meetinghousearts.org or 207-712-3016.
Become a member by signing up for monthly donations or make a one-time donation.
Thanks for reading Lights Out's Substack! :) Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work! If you’re already subscribed, maybe send it to a friend to accompany you down to Freeport or up to Norway!