Category Archives: Uncategorized

Eggceptional! Eggs from the “nests” (homes) of Long Islanders

Our newest exhibit showcases favorite eggs of islanders, including Nancy Berges, Ann Caliandro, Judy Churchard, Annie Donovan, Bette Jane Fitzgerald, Nancy Jordan, Nancy Noble, Katharine Stewart, and Patty Temple. We are also delighted to showcase the Pysanky eggs made during the recent workshop.

The egg, an ancient symbol of new life, has been associated with many cultures celebrating spring. Pagans saw eggs as a symbol of regeneration in springtime. Early Christians borrowed this idea and applied it to the rebirth of Christ. The egg itself became a symbol of the Resurrection.

Open during library hours

Long Island Community Library

Cat tales: Feline fancies from the homes of the Nancys

Curated by Nancy Berges and Nancy Noble 

with assistance from their feline friends, Henry and Josie

Our new exhibit at the Long Island Community Center is all about cats!

We have cats made of glass, wood, ceramic; stuffed cats, rocks; cat cards and books; paintings of cats. We have cats made by local artists (Butch Kilgore, Ginny Stowell), and cats made by Maine artists (Nancy Maiello, Andersen Design). And cats from as far away as Mexico and Canada!

We have useful cats (in the form of a mug, paperclips, piggy (Kitty) bank, teapot, doorstop, snack tray, salt and pepper shakers, socks, bag, wine glass, towel, fly swatter, and jewelry (pins, earrings, bracelet, pendants, and a ring holder). But some of our cats are purely decorative! We have a cat footprint (in memory of Sheba Berges), and cats that belonged to “Catman Mike” (Michael Kilgore). We even have St. Gertrude of Nivelles, the Patron Saint of Cats.

Rock on: Rocks from the Collections of Long Islanders

A favorite island activity is collecting rocks from various island beaches, and beyond. What we do with these rocks can vary – many just sit on a shelf or in a windowsill. But others get painted or decorated, in a variety of ways. Some islanders are given rocks by the rock fairy, who delivers painted and decorated rocks to the lucky few.

Come visit this exhibit and enjoy seeing the creative spirit of islanders. May this exhibit inspire you to look at rocks in a new way.

Long Island Community Library small glass case

Open during library hours

The Vanishing American Barn – a fall exhibit at the Long Island Community Library

Just in time for fall, we present to you our newest exhibit at the Long Island Community Library small meeting room glass case.

“The Vanishing American Barn” : plates collected by Flo Brown

Flo has collected many plates, including this lovely series of plates that speak of autumn, as we celebrate the beginning of this season on Long Island. This series is called “The Vanishing American Barn” created by Harris Hien for Historic Providence Mint around 1983. Types of barns include Lancaster, Southern Tobacco, Hudson River, Victorian, New England, Thatched, Log, Appalachian, Buck County, and Round barns.

Come enjoy an exhibit that showcases a Long Islander’s collection.

Open during Library hours

Beanie Babies!

We are pleased to bring you a fun summer exhibit at the Long Island Community Library, in the small meeting room glass case. Annie Donovan is sharing the Beanie Babies collected by her family, since the fall of 1996.


Come see these wonderful stuffed animals, and learn more about the history of Beanie Babies. (open during library hours)

“A cup of coffee would save my life!”*: an ode to coffee in literature

In honor of Jane Cullen, my Great Diamond Island coffee buddy

October 1st is International Coffee Day, and what better month, with our crisp weather which makes us crave hot drinks, to pay tribute to … coffee! Although an inveterate tea drinker, these past few years I’ve fallen in love with café society, especially in Portland, with its plethora of coffee venues. What better place, especially on a cool autumn day, to hang out with a good book in places like Arabica, Bard, or Higher Grounds, while waiting for the ferry. By tradition, coffee houses are a place to gather, whether in the 1960s beatnik era or the 16th century Middle East, and thankfully that tradition has not waned. Coffee is alive and well today, whether you like your coffee as a cappuccino, espresso or latte! (or just regular old fashioned coffee)

As far as coffee in literature, who can resist non-fiction titles such as

The coffee lover’s diet : change your coffee, change your life

Coffee for one : how the new way to make your morning brew became a tempest in a coffee pod

Coffee: a dark history

Fun fiction titles include cozy mystery titles, such as these by Cleo Coyle: Holiday Buzz, Murder by Mocha, and Murder Most Frothy. And then there are these great titles by Alex Erickson: Death by Coffee, Death by Vanilla Latte, Death by Espresso, etc. Sandra Balzo also jumped on the coffee house bandwagon with her mystery series, which includes Murder on the Orient Espresso, Uncommon Grounds, and To the Last Drop.

And just as I was about to write this blog, “Signature,” a literary website, tempted me with this list of “best coffee books for coffee lovers”
(Which just goes to show I’m on the right track with these coffee books)

So, while my first love is tea (see this blog for October 2016), I hope you enjoyed my ode to coffee!

*Excerpt from Blood and thunder: an epic of the American West, by Hampton Sides. Description of a French trapper, hovering near death: “The men has more or less written off the poor fellow, who in his death agonies kept hallucinating that he smelled coffee – a luxury no one traveling with Kearny had seen or tasted in months. ‘Don’t you smell it?’ Robideaux beseeched them. ‘A cup of coffee would save my life!’” eventually someone did make him a cup of coffee, and poured “’this precious draught into the waning body of our friend Robideaux. His warmth returned, and with it hopes of life.’

Illustration Institute

 

I am a big fan of illustration, whether N.C. Wyeth or Barbara Cooney, Arthur Rackham or Beatrice Potter. So how lucky are we in Casco Bay to have an Illustration Institute on our neighboring island of Peaks Island! Co-founded by illustrators Scott Nash and Nancy Gibson-Nash, the Illustration Institute offers lectures and workshops, and artist residencies. From time to time they also sponsor exhibitions. The 2018 exhibition is held at the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick and features Garth Williams’s original art: “Garth Williams, Illustrator of The Century”  – many will recognize his works if they have read Stuart Little, Bedtime for Francis, A Cricket In Times Square and Charlotte’s Web. The exhibition, held from May 1 to July 31, 2018,  includes over 100 works and will be complimented by lectures and workshops provided by the Illustration Institute.

For more information see: http://www.illustrationinstitute.org/

 

Anne Kilham post cards: Maine’s snowy winters – new exhibit at LICL

Curated by Beth MarchakAnne Kilham winter card

 I began collecting Anne Kilham’s postcards in the early 1980s when we lived in Augusta. I loved how she used gorgeous saturated colors to portray classic coastal Maine scenes. As I acquired more postcards, I began to realize how skillful she was at capturing snow scenes in winter sunlight on those short, cold snowy winter days. After we moved to Arlington, VA, in 1983, I recall vacationing in Maine and loading up the car with sea shells, nautical treasures, fabric by the pound, thrift shop finds, and more Anne Kilham. As more and more shops added her calendars, post cards, gift cards, and note cards, I scooped up all her designs. I also started collecting her Advent calendars, because she portrayed Christmas in a festive, yet timeless way.

According to her website, “Anne Kilham has been living in and painting Rockport, Maine since 1970. The love affair is mutual. In 2008 the Town of Rockport honored Anne as its first artist laureate. A bronze plaque hanging in the Town Office lobby recognizes Anne for not only generously donating her time and talent to worthy town causes, but for ‘always showing Rockport in our best light.’

The uniqueness of Anne Kilham’s talent is in how she gives color to the stoic beauty of New England, each season its own palette and each set to its own melody of rhythm and soul. There is a quiet comfort in Anne’s images, whether they’re gardens of colorful flowers, meadows that melt into the ocean, or lighthouses surrounded by lupines, ledge and ocean. If there’s a chair in an Anne Kilham painting, you want to sit in it.

Although Anne’s original designs were handprinted blockprints, she works mostly in watercolors today. She usually begins with photographs, many photographs, that she lays out before making her first sketches. Once the sketch meets Anne’s expectation, she is ready to create an Anne Kilham original. Anne was born in Sante Fe, New Mexico, grew up in eastern Massachusetts and lived in Rhode Island before moving to Rockport. She comes from a family of creative people: artists, architects, engineers and inventors, and credits their willingness to offer criticism with the honing of her talent. Teachers at Colorado College and the Rhode Island School of Design contributed to her understanding of composition and color.

In 2011 the Town of Rockport honored Anne again, this time by dedicating its Town Report to her – a report whose cover has been graced with an Anne Kilham original painting since the early 1980’s. It’s safe to say there are few towns, if any, in New England with a report like Rockport’s!”

Beth Marchak , Long Island, Maine

For more information about Anne Kilham and her artwork, please see her website: http://www.penandincgifts.com/magento/anne-kilham/about-anne-kilham.htm

The exhibit, located in the small glass case in the Long Island Community Library, can be viewed during library hours

Deck the Halls: Christmas ornaments and decorations made by Long Islanders

We are pleased to announce that our winter exhibit is installed – we are showcasing Christmas ornaments and decorations made by Long Islanders, past and present. The exhibit is in the library’s small glass case, and can be viewed during library hours. Come on down and see sheep, butterflies, a snowflake, snowmen, pinecones, Christmas trees, and other wonderful ornaments and decorations, made by our talented islanders.

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