Community Calendar

“Now and Then,” a show of paintings by Camden resident Nina Holland, will be on exhibit in the upper and lower levels of the Rockport Public Library Dec. 2, 2025 - Jan. 29, 2026. The display is a retrospective of Holland’s work, spanning her 65-year career as an artist.

Trained as a painter, Holland is also known as an accomplished weaver and craftsperson. Her work has been exhibited country-wide, including five venues in New York City. She has won several awards in juried shows including a purchase prize and alcove show at New Mexico State Art Museum in Santa Fe.

In the 1970s, she published numerous articles and three books – two about weaving and one about quilting. She taught at Evansville University and North Country Community College.

Nina Holland plans to donate all proceeds from the sales of her artwork in the Rockport Library show to International Rescue Committee, rated a four-star charity on Charity Navigator.

Portland--Come Light The World!
Have you ever bought a goat from a vending machine? How about warm clothing for a child, groceries for a family, or job training for the underemployed?

This year Portland will have that chance. From November 20 to December 10 visitors at The Maine Mall can purchase essential items like from The Light the World Giving Machine to help those in need in Maine and throughout the world.

The nonprofits featured in the South Portland Giving Machines include: Catholic Charities; Furniture Friends; Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine; Ronald McDonald House Charities Maine and Through These Doors.

Painting Class: Playing with Light and Color

Begins Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | 10 AM – 1 PM | $280
This four-week course provides a well-rounded foundation in painting, focusing on the building blocks that bring artwork to life. Students will learn to observe how light affects form, practice foundational color theory, experiment with brushwork and edges, and gain confidence in translating what they see into vibrant, cohesive paintings.

This course is designed for painters at all levels, from beginners looking to build confidence to more experienced artists eager to deepen their practice. All classes take place at Nadra Clark Gallery, 256 US-1, Scarborough, Maine.

Registration is now open. Space is limited to ensure individual attention.
To learn more or register, please visit nadraclarkgallery.com

Color as Expression: Beyond Realism

Begins Tuesday, November 4, 2025 | 10 AM – 1 PM | $280
Designed for artists looking to loosen up and explore the passionate potential of color, this course channels Matisse’s love of vivid, sometimes unexpected color combinations. Students will practice using brushwork and color relationships to express mood and personality in everyday subjects, moving beyond realism to discover a more personal, expressive style.

This course is designed for painters at all levels, from beginners looking to build confidence to more experienced artists eager to deepen their practice. All classes take place at Nadra Clark Gallery, 256 US-1, Scarborough, Maine.

Join the Lewiston Public Library for Baby Storytime in-person in the Children’s Department weekly on Tuesdays* from 10:15am to 11:15am.
*(The Library will be closed on Tuesday, November 11th in observance of Veterans Day.)

Recommended for children ages 0 – 3 years old and their caregivers.

Enjoy an interactive storytime with your baby that includes early literacy fun with books, songs, rhymes and body movement. Play and social time immediately follow the program.

This program is free, open to the public, and no registration is required. Siblings are always welcome.

Please stay home if you or your child are sick and not feeling well.

The Lewiston Public Library is located downtown at 200 Lisbon Street at the corner of Pine Street.

More information on Storytime programs is available by contacting the Lewiston Public Library at 513-3133 or LPLKids@lewistonmaine.gov.

Formerly known as the Holiday Bazaar, Made is a curated seasonal marketplace that highlights the artistry and craftsmanship of Maine makers, offering visitors a unique selection of locally handmade goods.

Thank you to our sponsors Kennebec Savings Bank, the City of Waterville, Central Maine Newspapers, and Back Office Solutions!

In honor of Giving Tuesday, join Hirundo Wildlife Refuge and Woodman’s Bar & Grill in raising a glass for nature!

On December 2nd, 15% of proceeds from all reservations made under “Hirundo” at Woodman’s will be donated to support Hirundo’s mission - building accessible programs for adults and children, protecting 2,400 acres of wildlife habitat, and keeping our trails open for all to explore, connect, and find peace in nature.

Dine for a cause - eat well, do good, and celebrate Maine’s wild side!

November 15, 2025 through January 3, 2026
All Day Event
November 15–January 3, Thursday–Sunday, plus select dates
from 4–9 p.m.

(Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, and New Years Day)

The planning for our next Gardens Aglow is well underway, and we can’t wait to see you there! Experience this year’s theme, Nature in Motion, and see the Gardens come alive after dark. See the landscape transformed into a glowing journey through scenes depicting the flora and fauna of Maine’s forests, shorelines, and meadows—and don’t miss some fun new surprises in this year’s display!

Tickets should be purchased online or over the phone, 207-633-8000.

New England's largest walk-through light show. 1 mile trail, over 2 million lights and trees wrapped heights of over 90 feet.

Note: our schedule varies and does not operate daily. It is on our website. Thanks!

Mattie Rose Templeton is inspired by the natural world, and through art she explores our connection to nature, including the undeniable fragility that is found there. Her goal is to produce art that moves the viewer beyond the piece itself, and into a place of storytelling. “Art has always been a way to record history through visual storytelling,” she says.

Using an “old-fashioned” ink well, with variously sized nibs, Mattie Rose works with texture and line, often avoiding the use of color, because she finds the contrast of black and white more dramatic. She adds a conceptual quality to her art with geometric shapes and patterns layered into an otherwise realistic piece.

Mattie Rose will be at the Wendell Gilley Museum in person to share her storytelling as the museum’s People-Nature-Art presenter for December on Tuesday, Dec. 2. There will be a 6 p.m. artist’s reception followed by her presentation at 7 p.m. which will happen in person and simultaneously livecast. Both in-person and online attendance is free, but registration is required at www.wendellgilleymuseum.org/calendar.

Mattie Rose is a self-taught artist whose work is now carried in more than 75 stores in New England and beyond. She was born and raised in rural Maine, and lived off the grid with her parents and three siblings. She credits this lifestyle as the foundation of the blooming of her vivid imagination.

Now she can often be found sitting in front of a big window, pen in hand, looking out at the beautiful mountains of Grafton Notch from her own off-grid home. She has published a children’s book in collaboration with the Appalachian Mountain Club and is working on a second one. During the summer she participates in many multi-day art fairs in Maine and New Hampshire; year-round she makes art, is a mom to two young children, and works the land around her home.

People-Nature-Art is a free monthly series that brings artists, writers, carvers, and creative types of all kinds to the Gilley to explore how nature and art interact in their work, and how their art impacts their own approach to nature. It is sponsored by our friends at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust.