Behind the Scenes offers musings from the Farnsworth’s curatorial staff on art, artists, museums, and the broader cultural world of which the Farnsworth is a part. Michael K. Komanecky, Chief Curator The story may sound familiar. An experienced and successful author raised in New England writes a novel that takes the country by storm, selling numbers […]
with Jude Valentine, Farnsworth Coordinator of Public Programs A little background: Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) was first developed at Harvard University through the work of cognitive psychologist Abigail Housen. It was adapted as a museum education program at MoMA more than 30 years ago and widely used since then in educational environments including classrooms, museums, […]
“ I find that portraits of children from previous time periods are fascinating. Their clothing, pose and details indicate what it was like to be a child, and how adults viewed children. Lucy Farnsworth helped to create Farnsworth Art Museum to honor her father William A. Farnsworth and give a gift to the midcoast residents. […]
PATRISHA MCLEAN: Curbside Delivery of Hope Patrisha McLean is a writer and photographer specializing in portraits of children, both in her personal artwork and as a commissioned photographer. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the country and her work is in the collection of the Farnsworth Museum. Mclean is also an […]
On April 22, 2020, the Farnsworth is featuring poems by Maine writers exploring praise of nature, the psychological and emotional connections with nature and the environment, and poems of warning in the light of the climate crisis. These images are also being offered throughout the day on our Facebook and Instagram feed. Each poem is […]
Guide to Looking When viewing art, allow a few minutes just to observe. Careful observation allows time to use all the senses, become engaged, and notice things missed at first glance. Make a list of everything observed: objects, colors, shapes, patterns, as well as the feelings that the work conveys to you. Guiding Questions: What […]
QUESTION: This artist was a Modernist painter whose work bordered on abstraction. His paintings can be characterized as an exploration of movement and influenced Abstract Expressionism, but New England landscapes, especially the Maine coast, were regular subjects. He was voted America’s greatest artist in 1948, although he was largely forgotten after his death a few […]
“One of the things I enjoy most about modern art is the inventiveness, sense of place, and combination of materials that are not usually used together to make art. Artist Celeste Roberge has created a couch (in French it is a Chaise Gabion, or sofa cage) where river rocks (so familiar to us who live […]
Maine through the Eyes of Its Artists In 2020, on the occasion of Maine’s bicentennial, the Farnsworth Art Museum will present a series of projects that celebrate the state’s ongoing role in American art. Under the banner First to Hail the Rising Sun: Maine Through the Eyes of its Artists, these projects will include both specific exhibitions […]
At its most basic, cooking is about recognizing what ingredients are available—or what raw materials must be used before spoiling—and then using those items to create a product that feeds our bodies. The fun of cooking, for me, comes from noticing the colors and textures of materials and playing with these qualities to create something […]
