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Unique Exhibit Combines Art and Natural HistoryThe L.C. Bates Museum in Hinckley is one of the largest natural history museums in New England. The L.C. Bates Museum organizes a major art exhibit each year. Put the art exhibit and the natural history together and the result is unique — an exhibition of paintings and photographs by current Maine artists hung near their mounted counterparts in the natural history galleries. "Portraits Maine Natural History," on exhibit from May 15 through October 15, 2004 is intended to enhance Museum visitors' appreciation of Maine's natural history and to see Maine's outdoor environment from a new perspective. Each piece is also accompanied with statements by the artists about their work and the Maine animal, plant or habitat it depicts. An example is "Moose" by Bob Brooks: "I stumbled upon this cow drinking in a brook in Baxter State Park and I am sure that we were equally startled by each other since she was only three feet away. I really didn't know what to do, so I talked to her gently and out of sheer nervousness picked up my camera and started shooting pictures. She stared at me for a moment and then resumed drinking, thereafter completely ignoring me. In subsequent years I have had many other wonderful experiences with these magnificent animals." What the artists' eyes and words also express is a third dimension to the exhibit — living natural history in the world around us. Visitors and residents alike thrill to the many viewings of Maine wildlife in the wild, which include moose, deer, turkeys, foxes, raccoons, and an unending variety of smaller animals, birds, fish, and flora. "Portraits Maine Natural History" is a fitting extension of the L.C. Bates Museum philosophy. Started by the Reverend George Walter Hinckley in 1911, the museum collections reflect Hinckley's avid interest in natural history, rural culture, and fine and applied arts, as well as his desire to enhance the educational mission of the 2,450-acre Good Will campus. In the early 1920s, Hinckley commissioned Impressionist artist Charles D. Hubbard of Guilford, Connecticut to design and paint the museum's 32 national history dioramas of specific locations in Maine, from the coast to the mountains, which Hubbard made from oil studies of the animals' actual Maine habitats. In conjunction with the current exhibit, there will be several free public events: a Reception For Artists, 2-4:00 p.m., Sunday, June 27; an Artists/Naturalists Panel Talk on Wednesday, August 11, at 7:00 p.m.; and three Children's Art and Humanities Wednesday workshops conducted by artists on July 14, 21, and 28 at 1:00 p.m. The L.C. Bates Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sundays 1-4:30 p.m. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for 12 to 18-year-olds, and 75¢ for children under 12. For more information visit the museum's web site or call 238-4250. | ||