One Island. Many Artistic Visions. Come Be Part of Hudson to Harbor.
MDI's Past and Present Converge in an Upcoming Art Event at Bar Harbor Historical Society.
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Ironbound Restaurant – Inn – Gatherings.
BAR HARBOR—Art isn’t just for the artists. History isn’t just for the historians. The stories that shape our island? Same thing. They are for all of us.
The Bar Harbor Historical Society (BHHS) has been steadfastly marching forward with that message through one accessible event after another.
Its upcoming Hudson to Harbor (presented with the Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve-L&GP) links art and history, story and community in fun and brilliant ways that not just support the museum and its dedication toward preserving and telling Bar Harbor’s history, but also support the artists who are here now, creating and expressing their visions of this island.
For many, the creation of art is an empowering tool, a way to have voice, a way to find reason, a way to cradle the world or scream at it.
“This winter, while looking through the Land & Garden Preserve archive, I found this quote; Beatrix Farrand said it best in her letter to Charles K. Savage, dated September 10, 1957,” Bar Harbor Historical Society Experience Manager Nikki Moser said.
That Farrand quote?
“Nothing adds more peace to these somewhat difficult days than the beauty of outdoor art.”
“The opportunity to bring artists to the L&GP gardens and to exhibit their work at La Rochelle feels like a balm, a moment to appreciate what artists see and share with us. The exceptional thing about this fundraiser is the artists get half the sale price. So we support them, they support us, and the community benefits,” Moser said.
On Saturday, August 2, The Bar Harbor Historical Society and the Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve continue the legacy of art as the two nonprofits present the Hudson to Harbor Artist Showcase, an art reception and sale at the Bar Harbor Historical Society.
“A significant impact of the Hudson River School’s presence in Bar Harbor is its contribution to the American conservation movement. The dramatic landscapes these artists depicted helped fuel a broader appreciation for preserving natural spaces. Bar Harbor’s identity as an artistic destination remains strong. The influence of the Hudson River School still forms a key part of the town’s artistic DNA,” said BHHS Executive Director Erin Cough.
Throughout the summer, artists have been working at the oceanfront property on West Street in traditional plein air and also at various Land & Garden Preserve locations.
Classes continue and are opportunities for local artists to interact with other artists and learn from them in spaces where they might not normally have access, too.
It’s more than that, too. Like Cough said, it’s about the artistic DNA of Mount Desert Island, about the threads that run through the community.
“As an artist, I have great respect for the painters who came before me. Not only have I stood in awe of the outstanding historical works of art created on Mt Desert Island and the Maine Coast; I have experienced great learning from them. To be part of the ongoing legacy of this land and the creation of art that celebrates Maine is a special honor,” said artist Kerry Eaton.
A selection of the pieces created have been curated to give an array of views and prices so that the event allows people to select and own a piece of original art.
“Hudson to Harbor has been a great opportunity to push myself out of my comfort zone. The partnership between the Bar Harbor Historical Society and the Land & Garden Preserve got me creating in a different type of landscape and gave me a fresh perspective. It has also been a great opportunity to give back to the community that has been so supportive of my work for the last several years,” artist Shannon Westphal said. “Lastly, Nikki’s enthusiasm is contagious, and it is hard not to join in on anything that she is a part of.”
The annual event is a homage, and in the tradition of, the Hudson Valley artists despite the difference in artists’ styles. The Hudson River School was an art movement in the middle of the 19th Century that had been influenced by Romanticism and originally focused on Hudson River Valley, New York. The paintings tend to reflect the themes of settlement, discovery, and exploration, and are pastoral, realistic, detailed, and often idealized when illuminating nature.
But it’s more than that.
It’s also about the artists who are here now, seeing the landscape now, creating vision and community now.
“I love being part of Hudson to Harbor each year. It gets me outdoors and into the landscape. Even when I’m not drawing and painting for the final exhibit at the Historical Society, which is always fabulous, I’m seeing things through a plein-aire lens. I love that!” artist Carol Shutt said.
Way back on September 3, 1844, the painter, Thomas Cole, came across the state of Maine and ended up at Lynam’s farmhouse on Schooner Head in Bar Harbor.
Bar Harbor wasn’t the first Maine stop for the founder of the Hudson River school of painting. He’d been to Penobscot Bay, Beech Mountain, and then finally came to Mount Desert Island’s northeast shore. Once here, looking out at the Atlantic and up at the mountains, he pulled out his sketchbook and the future of Mount Desert Island, and Bar Harbor, was made.
When he left Maine, he went back to New York and spoke of the island’s praises. One year, he brought Frederick Edwin Church and eventually multiple leaders in the world of American Art. They all painted and drew on the Bar Harbor plain and along the craggy coastline. Their paintings of the island? They sold, which gave them another motive and a means to return. And those images tempted other rusticators, sportsmen, boaters, and scientists.
Shortly after the Civil War concluded, Bar Harbor began to grow again.
That tradition of art and visitation continues today and will be in full force next weekend. There are still tickets available for the event, which is a main fundraiser for the Bar Harbor Historical Society, allowing for its continuation.
Artists attending and with works include:
MORE DETAILS:
Raffle tickets are $20 and Carl Little, author of many books and publications on Maine artists will choose one work for this year’s raffle prize. Tickets to the event are $50 each, food and beverage included.
From Monday through Friday August 4-8 the exhibit is free and open to the public.
The artist reception is Saturday, August 2, 5-7 p.m. This ticketed event includes drinks and lite fare at sunset on the piazza. All works are for sale and a portion of sales supports the Historical Society.
Location: 127 West Street, Bar Harbor
Date: August 2
Time: 5 -7 p.m.
Tickets: Hudson to Harbor Tickets
Bar Harbor Historical Society’s website is here.
Land & Garden Preserve’s website is here.