Bass Harbor Memorial Library

Celebrate Our Community with Books!

Bass Harbor Memorial Library
89 Bernard Road, PO Box 99
Bernard, Maine 04612

Voice & Fax (207) 244-3798

Gift of Art: Holiday Art and Craft Show

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Support local artists and your library this season by shopping at our holiday market at Bass Harbor Memorial Library. Jewelry, paintings, photography, pottery, music and more will be included in this year’s show. All pieces are under $250 and a portion of all sales will be donated to library programming. 

The Marketplace will be open during Library hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 10-5, Thursday 10-8, and Saturday 10-2 with a special shopping evening with refreshments on Thursday December 7th, at 5:30 PM. 

Artists include: 

Acadia Goddess Arts, Becky Keefe, Katherine Emery, Jack Sullivan, Janet Elvidge, Jean Forbes, Katherine Perkins, Keri Kimura, Kristie Billings, Paws & Prints Photography, Ryan Blotnick, Sara Trunzo, Seal Cove Pottery, Seapoint Books + Media, Susan Tobey White, Wild Horse Arts, Zaz & Moe

 

Call 244-3798, or visit www.bassharborlibrary.com for more information.

Lecture

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On Friday, August 25 at 5 PM the Bass Harbor Memorial Library will host a lecture, Janet Sobel: The 20th century’s Most Influential Artist You Have Never Heard Of, presented by local artist Ed Davis.

The painting above was not painted by Jackson Pollock. It was painted by an artist who dripped paint on a canvas before Pollock began his series. Why have you not heard of this artist? Mostly because this artist was a woman. Davis will talk about this artist and how the history of art might look very different today if women artists had been taken seriously in the not so distant past.

He will also discuss a then secret government program by the CIA that propelled Pollock and others into fame despite their communist leanings at a time when Senator McCarthy was destroying the careers of many other great artists. He will explore the inner workings of the art world today that propel some artists to fame and others remain obscure and why he believes that if Leonardo daVinci were alive today he might not have become famous as an artist.

Ed Davis is a graduate of Maine Collage of Art and has a Master’s Degree from Cambridge College. He has been creating paintings and sculpture for the past sixty years and has been a guest lecturer at Boston’s Constitution Museum, the US Naval Academy in Annapolis and for a variety of private organizations.

This lecture will be presented in-person at the Bass Harbor Memorial Library, located at 89 Bernard Road, Bernard, Maine.
 
You may also watch online via Zoom: https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/85370687673
 
For more information contact Bob Delsandro at bob.delsandro@bassharborlibrary.com or call 244-3798.

ED DAVIS : PAINTINGS THAT SING

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An exhibit of paintings and sculpture by MDI native Ed Davis opens August 1 at the Bass Harbor Memorial Library. Davis is a graduate of Maine College of Art and has worked over the last 60 years in a variety of mediums including: watercolor, oil, acrylics, wood, clay, cast bronze, welded steel and copper, some of which are included in the exhibit.
The exhibit includes paintings the artist created during the Covid years during which he explored the relationship between music and painting. Some of the paintings in the exhibit are visual representations of actual pieces of music. The viewer is encouraged to try to hum or sing the actual tune the painting. The artist did tests on musicians during the creation process and was encouraged when they were able to translate the visual images into music. One piece by Bach however still remains elusive to viewers. The music paintings also challenge the viewer using the principles of color perception and chromatic relationships pioneered by the artist Josef Albers and whose theories the artist studied during art school during the 1960s.
Color relationships and space are also evident in one of the sculptures “Pemetic 1 and Pemetic 2” which are two free standing sculptures that actually form a single sculpture when viewed from a single geographic point. This painted wood sculpture is an example of what the artist calls a “range sculpture” and was inspired by the navigational ranges the artist encountered when delivering boats (his day job at that time) for clients along the US coast. A navigational range is a devise that allows the viewer to locate a single geographic location when two separate fixtures come into alignment. In this case the sculpture is designed to be viewed from a single geographic location at which point the two sculptures align and combine into a single image. The artist states that in some works the “second sculpture” could also also be be something man made or naturally occurring in the nearby environment that the art work may interact with visually.
Recent work also shown includes portraits of local people as well as a painting that is part of a series the artist is currently working on about how we as humans view nature. This work titled “Interstellar” was inspired by the creation of the James Webb telescope.
 
A community Opening Reception for ED DAVIS : PAINTINGS THAT SING will be held on Thursday, August 3 at 5:30 PM at the Bass Harbor Memorial Library. The exhibit will be on view throughout the month of August.
 
Library hours are:
Sunday & Monday : CLOSED
Tuesday 10 AM – 5 PM
Wednesday 10 AM – 5 PM
Thursday 10 AM – 8 PM
Friday 10 AM – 5 PM
Saturday 10 AM – 2 PM

Early Readers

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Starting this Saturday, June 10 from 11 a.m. to noon, the Bass Harbor Memorial Library presents ‘Saturday Summer Story Hour’ with Ms. Amanda.
Ask your parents for a ride to the library, pull up a bean bag, and let your imagination soar as Ms. Amanda—or maybe even surprise guests—read some of the best Old & New Children’s Books from our collection.
‘Saturday Summer Story Hour’ will continue every Saturday from 11 a.m. – noon throughout the Summer season.

In-person or via Zoom

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Imagine What If…?
Presented by Bass Harbor Memorial Library
Thursday, April 27 at 6 PM
In-person or via Zoom
What if there was still a cannery in Southwest Harbor or Bass Harbor? What if there was a giant tea house and horse center on Eagle Lake? What if we don’t take action on climate change?
The Mount Desert Island Historical Society has been exploring these topics and more, connecting history to the island’s physical and cultural landscape today. Join Raney Bench, Executive Director for the Society, to imagine what life might be like on the island if different decisions were made in the past.
Raney Bench is a resident of Southwest Harbor and has worked as a curator for the Abbe Museum, Executive Director for the Seal Cove Auto Museum, and is the current Executive Director for the Mount Desert Island Historical Society. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Native American History, a Master’s in Museum Studies, and has spent her career working in small museums focused on making local history interesting and relevant.
Register Here.

Tremont Resilience Listening Session

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The Tremont Resilience Listening Session will take place next Wednesday, March 29th from 5:30 – 7:00 pm at the Bass Harbor Memorial Library. This will be the first of a series of events designed to collect community input on the creation of a Community Resilience Plan for the town of Tremont. Tremont’s Community Resilience Plan will serve as a roadmap for protecting the community from hazards such as sea level rise and ocean acidification while planning for a vibrant future for the town. The development of the plan is funded through the State of Maine’s Community Resilience Partnership. Community input will fundamentally shape the goals and priorities of the plan and ensure that the strategies included will be effective for Tremont.

This is a great opportunity for residents to voice their goals and concerns for the future of their community. All are welcome, and it is not necessary to stay for the entire event in order to participate. Residents are invited to bring their families and enjoy free food while they share feedback on their vision for a more resilient future for the town.

We hope you’ll join us at this Resilience Listening Session and share this exciting opportunity with friends, families, and neighbors here in Tremont!

Panel Discussion

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Women’s History Month : Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we want to celebrate the voices of these notable women. The women here are changing our world for the better with their storytelling prowess. From them, we can learn many lessons about storytelling.

Come listen and talk to these women from our community that are working to make contributions to society in countless ways, including through the power of storytelling. 

Please join us on Thursday, March 23rd at 6 PM at the Bass Harbor Memorial Library, 89 Bernard Road, Bass Harbor. Our panelists will include:

Sara Trunzo is a songwriter, curator, and community organizer (Veggies For All, Waldo County Bounty) who delivers songs with, what Adobe and Teardrops describe as, “a sense of empathy that few songwriters can attain.” Lonesome Highway says her latest EP, Cabin Fever Dream, is “loaded with truly touching lyrics and provide[s] a glimpse of an unquestionably talented artist.” Her 2019 LP Dirigo Attitude reached #22 on the Folk Alliance International chart and featured Darrell Scott and Mary Gauthier. The lead single “Food and Medicine” reached #3 on the Folk Alliance International chart, won 1st prize at the 2018 Maine Songwriters Association contest, and was a runner-up in the 2023 International Acoustic Music Awards. Sara is the host of ‘Country & Northeastern’ on WERU Community Radio. FMI: www.saratrunzo.com and socials @saratrunzomusic.

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Kristen Britain grew up in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, where she started her first novel – an undersea fantasy featuring herself and her friends – at the age of nine. She published her first book, a cartoon collection called, Horses and Horsepeople, at the age of thirteen. In 1987 she completed a degree in film production, with a minor in writing, at Ithaca College. After graduation, travel beckoned and she began a career as a ranger with the National Park Service, enabling her to work in a variety of natural and historical settings, from 300 feet below the surface of the Earth to 13,000 feet above sea level on the Continental Divide; and from the textile mills of the American Industrial Revolution to the homes of Americans who changed the course of history. Her first published epic fantasy novel, Green Rider, the story of a runaway school girl who finds herself in deep peril when she agrees to bear a message for a dying Green Rider (king’s messenger), was released in 1998.

She lives in the woods of Maine with two cats, and a West Highland White Terrier (who cosplays as a Hillander Terrier).

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Sarah Hinckley is a two-time Islander reporter who grew up in western Maine and first made her way to Mount Desert Island for a summer job 30 years ago. While working as a journalist in Maine and Vermont, she reported on town and capital politics, education policy, and news, as well as everyday happenings like seeping lobsters in THC and Christmas bird counts. Capturing the stories of now and highlighting the characters who make them history is a great responsibility, which Hinckley doesn’t take lightly. Currently, she is working as the director of a nursery school, capturing her own story of raising two small children.

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Weslea Sidon is a poet and musician who lives in Seal Cove, Maine, on Mt. Desert Island, with her husband, cats, and big plans to finish the garden and the kitchen.

Her poems have appeared in several anthologies and literary magazines, including, most recently, Paumonok, Poems and Pictures of Long Island, and Still on the Island, as well as Two With Water, Wolf Moon, and Off the Coast Food Issue: Tounge & Taste. A column, “Permanently From Away,” appeared regularly in Face Magazine for two years, and reviews, mostly music, have appeared in the Mt. Desert Islander, Bar Harbor Times, Off the Coast, and High-Performance Magazine. Her favorite prose work was for the late, lamented Squash.

Weslea teaches guitar privately and has taught poetry and creative writing to children aged 10–16 at the Summer Festival of the Arts since 1989. She was awarded the Martin Dibner Fellowship in Poetry in 2002.

Building Solutions for Tremont

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Join A Climate to Thrive and the Town of Tremont at the Bass Harbor Memorial Library at 5:30 on Monday, March 13 to learn about key technologies like heat pumps, weatherization, solar, electric appliances, and more, as well as information on financing opportunities to help make these home-improving technologies accessible.

Are you interested in learning more about how to make your home energy efficient, transition to technologies like heat pumps, or explore the benefits of solar ownership? Join us for “Building Solutions for Tremont” on March 13th at 5:30 at the Bass Harbor Memorial Library, a partnership between A Climate to Thrive & the town of Tremont. This free event will feature free food, information on practical benefits and financing options for key technologies (heat pumps, solar, weatherization, and appliance electrification) and stories from residents who have implemented one or more technologies in their own homes. Following the event, residents can have casual one-on-one conversations with speakers and sign up to receive individualized support through A Climate to Thrive’s Building Solutions Program.

Travel Talk // February 2 @ 6pm // Arctic Twilight: Travels in Iceland and Greenland

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February 2 @ 6 pm

Join us for the first Travel Talk of 2023!

Register Here

Raney Bench
Arctic Twilight: Travels in Iceland and Greenland

From the moment Raney Bench saw her first iceberg and glacier outside of Anchorage, Alaska, she has been fascinated with ice and its future on our planet. In the summer of 2022 Bench, her parents, and oldest son had the opportunity to explore southern Greenland through a small ship expedition. Traveling through isolated fjords to the base of several glaciers, the impacts of climate change were immediately clear. The trip also offered the unique opportunity to camp with Greenlandic natives, learn to forage and cook traditional recipes, and to spend an afternoon on the ice sheet. Bookending the trip to Greenland were several days spent exploring Iceland, with its dramatically different landscapes and culture. Bench will share her photos, impressions, and lessons learned from this rapidly changing region. 

Raney Bench is the Executive Director of the Mount Desert Island Historical Society and lives in Southwest Harbor with her husband, two sons, and several furry companions. She believes that history is vital to understanding our lives today, and in envisioning the future we want. She has been fortunate to travel with her family to several countries, always keen to learn first hand about the impacts of climate change on the ecosystems and cultures she visits. 

Register Here

Creating Future Gardeners on MDI

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(Left to Right) Westside Summer Gardening Club participants: Oliver Presa-Guzman, Delfina Presa-Guzman, and Maddy Wedge with the program’s co-lead Linda Woolley of the Bar Harbor Garden Club, cutting zinnias at their plot at the Kelley Farm Preserve. Photograph courtesy of the Bar Harbor Garden Club.

This summer the Bar Harbor Garden Club (BHGC) and the Bass Harbor Memorial Library (BHML) launched the Westside Summer Garden Club, a first-time program designed to foster a life-long interest in gardening and horticulture among youth between ages 8 and 14. The program, which began in June and ended this fall, was co-led by BHGC members Douglas Heden and Linda Wooley with support from BHML librarian Lisa Murray. Read the full article here.