New oil and acrylic painting classes beginning soon
BATH — Artist Sarah Greenier will be teaching an 8-week painting workshop on Tuesday mornings, starting Jan. 15. The sessions will run from 9 a.m. to noon.   

Lessons, which include techniques for painting in oil or acrylic mediums, are designed for both beginning and intermediate students. Greenier said her instruction is aligned to the enjoyment of learning to paint, as well as exploring more advanced techniques for experienced painters. Classes will be held in her studio at 428 Middle St. in Bath. 

Greenier will start each class with a painting demonstration, followed by instruction in design, color, shapes and values, tailored to each individual student. Students will paint from photographs, as well as still life images.

The artist grew up on Orr’s Island and studied art at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Greenier is an award-winning oil painter and has shown her work throughout Maine and New England. She currently exhibits at her home studio and gallery, as well as the Small Wonder Gallery in Camden.

The cost of the 8-week session is $250. 

For more information, call 443-3936y, email sgreenier@comcast.net or visit sarahgreenier.com.

Exhibit by artist Denise Rankin coming to CLC YMCA
DAMARISCOTTA — Paintings by Damariscotta artist Denise Rankin will be on view at the Central Lincoln County YMCA beginning Jan.15 through the end of February. She is primarily a painter of still life images.

“I paint what tickles my fancy,” Rankin said. “I paint unencumbered by logic or even common sense, as a way to love life, the pure messy joy of it.”

Typically, Rankin assembles everyday objects such as old books, mason jars, penny candy, antique toys and rusty bits into compositions with unusual juxtapositions and tricks of scale. Most recently she presented a series called Clergy on Ice and continues to work on another called Advice Your Mother Gave You.

Her favorite artists are Henri Matisse, Janet Fish, and anyone who paints diners.

From mid-May through Columbus Day each year, she exhibits her work at the Stable Gallery in Damariscotta. For three summers, she was a partner in the Old Post Office Gallery in Georgetown and is a past member of the Pemaquid Art Gallery, where she served on the board for many years.

For more information, visit clcymca.org.

Substance use group looking for new members
Damariscotta — The Substance Use Prevention Partnership of Lincoln County is seeking new community members, including youths, to join their coalition. The next meeting is at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 15, at Lincoln Academy in Newcastle. 

The coalition has been working with community leaders and youth to prevent youth substance use for the past three years, and the group is looking for input and ideas as they determine their goals for 2019. Current campaigns and strategies will be discussed during this meeting, and attendees will have an opportunity to learn more about the steps community partners are taking towards substance use prevention.

“I encourage residents from all walks of life to get involved with the coalition, even if they cannot attend the monthly meetings,” said Jess Breithaupt, project coordinator at Healthy Lincoln County. “We publish a monthly newsletter where you can read about our campaigns, and we welcome input. Our door is open to the residents of Lincoln County, and I encourage them to reach out to find out how they can be more involved in substance use prevention.”

For more information, email jbreithaupt@healthylincolncounty.org or call 563-1330.

Talking Art series returns to Lincoln Theater
DAMARISCOTTA — Lincoln Theater is presenting another round of Talking Art in Maine: Intimate Conversations. This free series featuring talks between artist Jane Dahmen and notable artists and curators who have made a substantial contribution to the arts in the state of Maine kicks off its fifth season with special guest Sam Cady at 7 p.m. on Jan. 10.

Cady is a visual artist who was born in Boothbay Harbor. He received a degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1965 and a master’s degree from Indiana University in 1967. He is currently an instructor in the Master of Fine Arts Program at the School of Visual Arts in New York. 

Cady is known for large-scale, shaped canvas paintings. 

The series continues with a conversation with Charlie Hewitt on Thursday, Feb. 21, and Jocelyne Lee on May 2. 

For more information, visit lcct.org.

Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust announces next gardening workshop series
BRUNSWICK — The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust will host its eighth annual Tom Settlemire Community Garden Winter Gardening Workshop Series, which will be held on six Sunday afternoons throughout the winter at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brunswick.

The series is appropriate for all kinds of gardeners with all levels of experience. Experts from across Maine will offer presentations on subjects including indoor gardening, avoiding injury and pain while gardening, plant propagation, pruning, wild weather and gardening, and home composting.

The Land Trust is thrilled to present a presentation by Glen Koehler on Wild Weather & Gardening for the fifth workshop on March 10. This workshop is a fundraiser for the Community Garden with a $10 ticket charge. His talk is focused on what lies ahead for our gardening practices and how we can manage challenges as our weather changes. Tickets can be purchased online at www.btlt.org/events  

Angela Twitchell, the Land Trust’s Executive Director, said of the workshops, “This is one of our favorite ways to connect with the gardening community over the winter. The events regularly attract 70 to 100 people and the audience is as diverse. We think it is a great way for anyone to learn more about the assorted approached to growing sustainably in Maine.”

The workshops will be held Sundays from 2:00 – 3:30 pm, on January 13, January 27, February 10, February 24, March 10, and March 24.  With the exception of the ticketed fundraiser on March 10, other five workshops have a suggested donation of $5. For more information, visit btlt.org.

Celebrating silent films at Lincoln Theater
DAMARISCOTTA — Lincoln Theater is hosting a new series this year called Celebrating the Silents, which will bring three classic silent films to the big screen and on Friday afternoons this month. The silent film era of the mid-1890s up to the late 1920s used no synchronized recorded sound or dialogue, but instead had title cards to indicate plot and dialogue. 

The first film in the series, “The Lost Battalion” from 1919, will be shown at 2 p.m. on Jan. 11. It is based on the experiences of soldiers in the American 77th Infantry Division, about 550 of whom were isolated and surrounded by the Germans during the Battle of the Argonne in World War I. As much as possible, the reenactment of the events is made with the original soldiers who survived and took place in the battle. Actual maps and documents are used in the film, which was authorized by the U.S. Government, and footage by the U.S. Signal Corps is also incorporated.  

D.W. Griffith’s controversial “The Birth of a Nation,” considered one of the most artistically advanced films of its time, will play at 2 p.m. on Jan. 18. This 1915 film, telling the story of the Civil War and its aftermath as seen through the eyes of two families, sparked protests, riots and divisiveness since its first release due to its blatantly racist perspective. Showings of the film were picketed and boycotted from the start, and as recently as 1995, Turner Classic Movies cancelled a showing of a restored print in the wake of the racial tensions around the O.J. Simpson trial verdict. Last year, “The Birth of a Nation” was voted one of the top 10 most influential films of all time. 

The series closes on a lighter note with Charlie Chaplin’ classic comedy “City Lights” from 1931, which plays at 2 p.m. on Jan. 25. The film is about a homeless tramp who befriends a lovely blind flower seller and convinces her he is a millionaire while he secretly labors to pay for the restoration of her sight. It was Chaplin’s first film during the sound era.

The screenings are free and open to the public. For more information, visit lcct.org.

Community chorus to start new season
FREEPORT — The Greater Freeport Community Chorus, directed by Virgil Bozeman IV, will begin rehearsals for its spring concerts on Sunday, Jan. 13, at the Freeport Performing Arts Center at Freeport High School.

Registration will start at 6 p.m. with rehearsal to follow; subsequent rehearsals will be Sundays from 6:30-9 p.m. Concerts will be held in May.

According to a chorus press release, the group especially needs tenors and basses. The Greater Freeport Community Chorus is an adult, mixed-voice group whose members are residents of about 20 Midcoast towns. No audition or previous experience with choral singing is required. 

Membership dues are $70 per person or $125 per couple. For more information, call 666-8817 or visit gfccsings.org.

Comedian Bob Marley performing in Topsham
TOPSHAM — Mt. Ararat Project Graduation is sponsoring a comedy show featuring Bob Marley on Sunday, Jan. 27 at the Orion Theatre. This is a teen-friendly show and to benefit the organization. 

The show starts at 6 p.m. and tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for students/seniors. All seats are general admission.

For more information, call 798-0404 or email sirois1988@comcast.net.

Midcoast Senior College announces free lecture series
BRUNSWICK — Midcoast Senior College is hosting a new speaker series called Winter Wisdom 2019. The lectures are open to the public and will be held at Curtis Memorial Library from 12:15-1:45 p.m. on Wednesdays in January and early February.

On Jan. 16, a retired brigadier general from the Air Force will present “Action Plan for Terrorism.” He will talk about six actions that could assist the U.S., local states, regions and communities in dealing with potential threats.

A talk about the uncertain state of U.S./Cuba relations is set for Jan. 23, led by Allan Wells, emeritus professor of history at Bowdoin College. This talk will explore the factors that contributed to President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro’s decision to normalize relations, the Trump administration’s apparent about-face and the prospect for future relations.  

Scheduled for January 30 is “A Changing Casco Bay: An Update on the Health of our Coastal Waters.” The group Friends of Casco Bay in South Portland works year-round to improve and protect the health of Casco Bay. As Casco Baykeeper, Ivy Frignoca is the lead advocate of this effort. She will talk about current efforts to reduce pollution entering the bay, address climate change and ocean acidification and suggest measures to help the Bay adapt to changing conditions. 

There are two other talks planned for Maine, one on Greek mythology and one on the Peterson Canal.

For more information, call 725-4900 or email mscoffice@midcoastseniorcollege.org.

Complied by Jason Pafundi, associate editor.

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