Frankie Odom, “Spawning,” ca. 2009, ink print embossment on paper, 11 x 14½ in. COLLECTION OF THE FAMILY OF FRANKIE ODOM//COURTESY MONHEGAN MUSEUM OF ART AND HISTORY

Working Waterfront

Righting a wrong—Monhegan’s women artists get their due

Over the years, Women Artists of Monhegan Island, or WAMI, held exhibitions in a variety of venues, on and off Monhegan. SEE MORE

Rackstraw Downes at work at the mouth of the Passagassawaukeag River in Belfast. PHOTO: PENOBSCOT MARINE MUSEUM/PEGGY McKENNA

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A photographer who captured artists

Peggy McKenna was one of the artists who was drawn to this part of the state in the 1970s. She settled in Montville along with other artists and “back to the landers.” SEE MORE

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That New England spirit in literature

grandfather, Sanford “Dick” Lunt. Writing, producing, and selling Hauling by Hand was a crash course in publishing. Dean Lunt said, “We used that book to learn about book design, cover design, distribution, sales.” SEE MORE

Landmesser at the easel in his Stockton Springs studio. Photo courtesy the artist.

Working Waterfront

On public access: William Landmesser’s ‘The Harvester’

At the time he painted “The Harvester” in 2012, William Landmesser of Stockton Springs remembers that concern about diminishing access to shorefront in Maine was growing. “The boom in waterfront real estate meant potentially much less access by both commercial fishermen and the recreating public,” he recalled. He welcomed legislation… SEE MORE

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In hot water, in a good way

Hot Springs: Photos and Stories of How the World Soaks, Swims, and Slows Down By Greta Rybus (Ten Speed Press, 2024) Greta Rybus, photographer and author of the new book Hot Springs, introduces readers to some stunning places that are dedicated to allowing people to enjoy the benefits of immersion… SEE MORE

“Clarence Hilyard” by David Estey, 1988 oil on canvas, 10” x 8.”

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James Fitzgerald at Katahdin

One of Clarence’s predecessors, William Wingate Sewall, took on a sickly young Teddy Roosevelt at the camps and built him up to be a vigorous young man... SEE MORE

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Noblesse oblige, Maine style

About 15 years ago, I had a most pleasant conversation with Linda Bean. I was covering the Maine Fishermen’s Forum for the Bangor Daily News and found myself sitting next to her at a session which had participants gathered in a circle. A fellow journalist had recently told me something… SEE MORE

“Flaking the Purse Seine,” circa 1940, by Emily Muir (1904-2003), watercolor on paper, 16 1/2 x 23 inches. PHOTO: COURTESY OF BARRIDOFF AUCTIONS

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Emily Muir and the seiners

In addition to being a painter, Muir was a self-taught architect and designer, as well as an author, lecturer, and conservationist. SEE MORE

The Jacob Pike underway. PHOTO: PENOBSCOT MARINE MUSEUM

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The Jacob Pike, a victim of January’s storms

In 2022, The Penobscot Marine Museum acquired a collection of several thousand Jim Moore’s maritime-related negatives SEE MORE

Monhegan School. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

The wonder and work of island schools

Teaching a handful of students, each in a different grade, in a quaint one- or two-room school overlooking the harbor on a remote Maine island accessible by ferry that runs intermittently in the winter might sound like complete nuttiness to one person, an interesting puzzle to figure out to another,… SEE MORE