Janet Mendelsohn - Maines Museums: Art, Oddities & Artifacts

to Perry Lowe, whose enthusiastic phone calls from the coast of Maine while I worked indoors in Massachusetts led to my being here in the first place;

to Delphine Lowe, Phil Knutel, and Jen Knutel for our community on Chauncey Creek, and especially to Pat and Charle Tobey, whose stories about Maine are the best part of countless shared breakfasts, along with Phil and Jens waffles;

to Rosemary Herbert, who triggered this project when we met over coffee to discuss the Maine Folk Art Trail; Charles Burden, M.D., who generously shared his expertise on museums and collecting; Keith LaFerriere and Steve Pereira; and Gretchen Piston Ogden and Peter H. Spectre at Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors magazine;

to the staff at Maine Archives and Museums, the Maine Arts Commission, and reference services at the Maine State Library, and the many collectors, curators, volunteers, directors, and museum personnel who answered my questions and shared their knowledge in conversations that were great fun and resulted in my writing a more informed book;

to MPBN, the Maine Public Broadcasting Network, which made the many miles fly by;

Bob, David, Josh and Jamie Mendelsohn for their love and encouragement; to my sister, Tama Borer, for her daily e-mails that are my virtual coffee breaks; and my fellow writers Hilary Bennett; the Chicks Who Write, especially Lynette Benton, Maria Judge, Betsy Lawson, Jane Whitehead, Jeri Zeder, and Tracy Palmer; and the Parlor GirlsGinny Reiser, Kitty Forbes, and Natasha Baumanwho know what it takes to find the right words;

to the talented crew at The Countryman Press: Kermit Hummel, Lisa Sacks, Tom Haushalter, Lucia Huntington, Melanie Jolicoeur, Caitlin Martin, Fred Lee, and Jessica Stevens, who made this project a pleasure from start to finish;

and to my parents, Nat and Sonia Kern, who always believed I could accomplish whatever I set out to do.

Janet Mendelsohn

Midway through our conversation, the director of a small museum in the lakes region paused and looked at me. If you tell them everything about our museum, they wont need to come, she said. I saw in her eyes that this was no jest or fleeting concern. I was well aware of the dilemma faced by museums nationwide. At some, there has been both a drop in attendance figures for various reasons and a decline in vital financial support from federal, state, and local agencies, philanthropies, and private donors. Before and while researching this project, I feared that by the time the book was published, some museums I wanted to see might be forced to make drastic cuts in staff or exhibits, or even shut their doors. Some have. But things are better than they first appeared. Many museums are adapting with fewer, longer shows and more reliance on volunteers. The recession has inspired the best museums, of every size, to take stock of what they do best and experiment with themes, new media and programming. As the Maine Arts Commissions Donna McNeil told me, Museums are rethinking how they connect with communities, and people are searching for ways to enjoy themselves close to home.

I thought long and hard about that directors fear but Ive never wavered from my reply: The more you know about museums in Maine, the more youll want to see what they offer and hear their stories yourself.

Taken together, these museums paint a portrait of Maine. They frame the states beauty and its character. They honor people, from the past and present, who are creative, innovative, and industrious in commerce and the arts. They celebrate the mundane. They educate and inspire children through play. They teach us about everything from the art of shipbuilding to the business of carving decoys and about Mainers who fought in the Civil War. Each is different from the rest.

Two lessons Ive learned while writing this book:

Ask lots of questions and youll turn a pleasant hour into a memorable visit. Volunteers and staff are almost always well-informed and excited about the stories behind what you see. They might be working artists themselves or may have retired from an industry showcased by the museum, or maybe they grew up riding the trolleys or working on antique carswhatever it may be, their knowledge can add a lot to the experience. Only a few of those folks are there strictly as security guards. Speak to these people, who have a special interest in the collection, and youll hear details not printed on any sign. I repeat: Ask lots of questions.

Maine is a very big place. When you have a missionlike visiting every museum in your special area of interestyour quest will take you to parts of the state you might not otherwise see. I didnt know how beautiful the mountains, lakes, and farms of Aroostook County are until my trip north to the Acadian Village. Until I went to the Wilhelm Reich Museum, Id never been to Rangeley, where Moose Danger signs on the roads are intimidating and the vistas equal our great national parks. Maine will surprise you, too.

A few notes:

Information is current as of August 2010.

When admission is free, donations are extremely welcome. Please be generous.

A museums absence from the book may not reflect its merit. A huge effort was in all parts of the state. If all the worthy local history museums and historic homes were included, you might need one of those old steam-powered Lombard log haulers to carry the book around.

I visited each museum described and personally interviewed everyone quoted. Any opinions expressed are my own.

Facilities are handicapped accessible except when indicated, but access may be affected by renovations. Its best to call ahead to be sure or if special arrangements are needed.