Located at 9 Water Street, Rockland, Maine
The Maine Coastal Islands Visitor Center and Headquarters in Rockland is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays. The Nature Store is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Maine Coastal Islands NWR Visitor Center
August Art Show!
August 9th through September 23rd
Join us at the Maine Coastal Islands Visitor Center at 9 Water St. in Rockland and enjoy our latest summer art show! This show includes two unique collections, one features watercolors from the exceptional Midcoast watercolorist Bonnie Farmer and the outstanding environmental artist Mariah Reading.
Join us for the grand opening of this show August 9th from 5pm to 7pm at the Maine Coastal Islands Visitor Center! Chat with the artists while you enjoy the show and some tasty treats!
Find the full description for each of the two shows below!
Art Exhibit: Land, Sea & Sky, by Bonnie Farmer
Bonnie Farmer will be exhibiting her watercolor paintings in her show: Land, Sea & Sky at the Maine Coastal Islands Wildlife Refuge at 9 Water St, Rockland, Maine from August 9 – September 23. The public is invited to the opening reception on August 9 from 5-7 PM. Bonnie has lived on the coast of Maine for 47 years. Bonnie, professional photographer, appeared on the art scene in the late 80’s with her striking black & white portraits of mill workers, photographed inside the Knox Woolen Mill, Camden Tannery, and many other mills of dying industries of Maine. In 2009 Bonnie started working with found objects to create assemblage pieces. In 2019 Bonnie took her first watercolor class with well-known artist Holly Smith through the Five Town CSD Adult Education Program and has not stopped painting since. Bonnie is currently a student of award-winning painter Katharine Cartwright of Spruce Head. Bonnie’s intuitive approach through a camera has now evolved through a paint brush. Her dynamic watercolor paintings are expressionist in style, evoking a sense of place in nature. She utilizes vivid color schemes and lush textures to enhance bold brush strokes that reference landscapes born from her rich imagination. This is Bonnie’s first large exhibit, with nearly 100 art pieces, including some assemblage works. During this show 35% of all proceeds will be donated to education and outreach programs for sea bird islands on the coast of Maine.
Art Exhibit: Recycled Landscapes, by Mariah Reading
Classically trained as a landscape painter, Mariah Reading pivoted to eco art when the landscapes that so richly inspired her personally were being hurt by the waste she created in order to depict them. To rectify this unwanted connection, she developed a zero-waste practice that involves creating canvases from debris found during her travels through National Parks and protected landscape environments. The physical pieces of trash are painted only on one side and intentionally left untouched on the reverse so the original piece of debris remains evident. Once completed, she photographs the painted object aligned with the physical landscape to both obscure and highlight the discarded object. In the wake of the longest ever government shutdown, it is now more critical than ever to leave no trace. Mariah is currently Artist-in-Residence at Glacier Bay National Park. During this show 35% of all proceeds will be donated to education and outreach programs for sea bird islands on the coast of Maine.