This Month at Maryhill
Greetings,
Warm days, long evenings, cooling breeze and shady groves. What's not to love about the apogee of summer?
Not to take my own question too literally, but what's not to love is the lack of 48-hour days. We (well, I, at least) want to do it all, and at this time of year, there sometimes seems to be all too much.
I want to wander in our sculpture garden, taking time to appreciate the vision and talent in each creation from our annual outdoor exhibit.
I want to loll on the lawn, taking in a performance of Shakespeare under the stars.
I want to immerse myself in the deft opacity of the glass conceived by William Morris.
I want to slide into the netherworld of a graphic novelist, dancing from words to pictures and back again.
And after all that, I want a nap. Perhaps, then, I shall, beneath the spreading branches of the magnificent trees on our grounds. Regular visitors here know how our trees provide such an oasis from the summer heat.
On hot days, we appreciate the shade. When a blast of ocean air reaches the Maryhill bench, we remember that fall lies just beyond the horizon, and step into the sun, for a little more of its warming hand.
I think I'll drive down to the riverside community of Maryhill for some fresh peaches. Sunshine on a stem. Join me?
Colleen Schafroth
Executive Director
Museum News
 Learn more about role of William Clark in famous journey
Join David Nicandri, executive director of the Washington State Historical Society, at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14, as he shares insight into the journey of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The explorers, who trekked across the Maryhill bench, achieved a litany of remarkable accomplishments.
Nicandri, author of River of Promise: Lewis and Clark on the Columbia River, will talk about their goal of reaching the Pacific Ocean, and how Clark has been under-appreciated for his contributions to navigating an alien land.
Nicandri's presentation is free. He will also sign copies of his newest book, Deconstructing the Lore of Lewis and Clark.
Maryhill to host regional discussion about link between arts & tourism
Lee Weinstein, Maryhill board member and principal of LWA PR, on Aug. 17 will lead a panel of regional arts experts in a discussion of the link between tourism and the arts.
The panel will include Kris Tucker, executive director of the Washington Arts Commission; Chris D'Arcy, executive director of the Oregon Arts Commission; Barbara Steinfeld, vice president of tourism sales for Travel Portland; Kim Bennett, chief executive of Vancouver USA Regional Tourism; Jessica Metta from Mid-Columbia Economic Development District; and Mike Canon of Klickitat County Economic Development. Invitations have also been sent to Travel Oregon, Washington State Tourism and the Columbia River Gorge Visitors Association.
The event begins at 2 p.m. If you or your organization would like to attend, please let us know by Aug. 15 at 509-773-3733.
 Maryhill Arts Festival has it made in the shade Aug. 21–22
Popular with artists and art-lovers alike, the annual Maryhill Arts Festival returns to the garden grounds of Maryhill Museum Aug. 21–22.
Featuring the work of 60 artists, the event also dishes up heaping helpings of fresh food, live music, and hands-on activities. Admission to the festival is free. Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Remember, the museum itself will be open during the festival, so visitors can take a break and head indoors to view permanent and temporary exhibitions. For the full schedule of activities during the festival, visit the museum's website.
And if you are coming to the arts festival on Saturday—consider this—
 Shakespeare Comes to Maryhill August 21
SEE the Portland Actors Ensemble's performance of William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, 7 p.m. Saturday, August 21 in the gardens at Maryhill.
Bring blankets or lawn chairs, and revel in the bard's witty words. If you're visiting the arts festival, consider staying.
Sponsored by Judy Lackstrom and Bob Morrow.
Gorge libraries work with Maryhill to teach teens to create comic books
Libraries have always been repositories for great literature of all types. Now, through a partnership between Maryhill Museum of Art and the Fort Vancouver Regional Library, four libraries in the Gorge will host a series of free two-day workshops to help teenagers learn about character development and how to create the cover art for their own graphic novels.
Artist Terri Nelson will lead workshops Aug. 6–7 at the White Salmon Valley Community Library, Aug. 20–21 at the Stevenson Community Library and Aug. 27–28 at the Goldendale Community Library.
Nelson works with Periscope Studio as a freelance illustrator, inker and background artist. She has illustrated for print and web advertising, and has done character design and scientific illustration. Artist Randy Emberlin—his experience includes work as an inker on Amazing Spider-Man, G.I. JOE, Doctor
Strange, Alien Legion, Ghost and the Left Behind series—leads a workshop Aug. 27–28 at the Washougal Community Library. All workshops run from 2 to 4 p.m.
Cover art from the workshops will be displayed at Maryhill's EyeSEE Activity Room during the forthcoming exhibit, Comics at the Crossroads. A grant from Humanities Washington is helping defray part of the expense for the workshops. To learn more or register, contact the library of your choice.
New York Times features Festival of Speed down Maryhill Loops Road
What do you get when you combine 200 of the world's best longboard skaters with the historic Maryhill Loops Road? The 4th annual Maryhill Festival of Speed, staged June 30–July 4 on the twisty 2.2-mile asphalt descent. The event, chronicled in the New York Times, showcases the growing popularity of longer skateboards, and the allure of the Northwest's first asphalt road, built by Maryhill founder Sam Hill to connect the riverside community of Maryhill with roads 1,000 feet upslope, leading to Goldendale.
Exhibits
Time remains to see remarkable imagery in William Morris glass vessels
If you haven't yet had a chance to visit William Morris: Native Species, you've still got time—until Sept. 6. It's a remarkable exhibit of meticulously crafted glass urns, each of which employs the imagery of three distinct Northwest eco-zones.
Commissioned by George R. Stroemple, the 38 vessels draw on flora and fauna from the Steens region of southeastern Oregon, the pine forests near Sisters, Oregon; and the Cascade Range north of Seattle. To whet your appetite, take a preview tour of some of Morris's work at the museum's website.
Sponsored by Judy Carlson Kelley, the Walter Bailey Foundation and the Sam Hill Society.
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William Morris (American, b. 1957)
Left: Vase with Ponderosa Pine Branches, 2004.
Dusted vessel, pine needle pick-up, hot glass applied pine boughs
18-5/8” x 8-1/4” x 8-1/8”. |
Looking Ahead
The comics are coming! The comics are coming!
No, not the comedians, but "comic art," or what latter-day aficionados refer to as the art of the graphic novel.
Mark your calendar for the period from Sept. 18 to Nov. 15, when Maryhill Museum hosts Comics at the Crossroads: Art of the Graphic Novel. Featuring the work of 40 artists creating for this popular—and increasingly sophisticated—art form, this exhibit also points to the growing significance of Northwest publishers in the graphic novel universe. Check out some of the art that will be on display, or, for you who have even bigger appetites, learn about the individual artists who will have work on display by visiting their websites.
Sponsored by Humanities Washington.
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Ben Dewey, Cover of True Tales of Roller Derby No. 1, 2008. Gouache and ink on Bristol board, 17" x 11".
Courtesy of the artist. |
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