Kennebunk Free Library announced its February 2022 Speers Gallery exhibit, Through the Eyes of the Young, featuring the art work of students from The New School and the School Around Us. The show features pieces of different media, all created by students ages 5-18.

The New School is a democratic high school located in Kennebunk, and School Around Us is a holistic learning community for ages 5-14 in Arundel. In 2016, The New School was featured in a one-school art show at Full Circle Gallery in Biddeford, and showed their work in 2017 at the Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk and in 2020 and 2021 at the Speers Gallery at the Kennebunk Free Library.

Both schools offer a variety of opportunities to expand their student’s artistic skills that vary from year to year. Of late, drawing photography, music, and theater have been of special interest to a number of students. Some years it is painting, pottery, sculpture, and sewing. Whatever form of artistic expression comes to the fore is encouraged, as the schools feel that the arts fuel imagination and personal expression, as well as contribute to the development of a sense of self that feeds intuition, close observation of the world and the ability to fuse emotion and intellect. The arts also build self-confidence and the ability to connect with an audience beyond the self.

This year the work of students includes photography from The New School and self-portraits from the School Around Us.

Artist Ellie Kennedy, age 12, said, “Art is the ability to create whatever you have on your mind. It is so amazing to have the ability to put your imagination into a sheet of paper and respect yourself to share your feelings, thoughts and ideas with other people. When I draw I feel happy and I love having the freedom to be in my own bubble with myself and my imagination.”

The public is invited to view the exhibit in the library’s Speers Gallery from Feb. 1-28  at 112 Main St., Kennebunk, during regular library hours when the gallery is not in use for library programs. For more information, visit www.kennebunklibrary.org.

Free February on tap at museum

The Brick Store Museum will open its doors for free for the entire month of February during its Free February program. Visitors to the museum will be the first to see the Jane Morgan: In My Style exhibition, which is opening Feb. 1.

“The Museum preserves the history, art and culture of the Kennebunks,” said Cynthia Walker, director, in a Jan. 19 news release. “Exploring what we all share allows us to grow closer together. Especially in the dark, cold days of February, we hope everyone will take advantage of free admission this month and add your own stories to the museum.”

Though the Museum depends on admission sales as part of its operating income, offering Free February gains much more than financial support – it gains friends and new learners, said Walker.

Exhibitions on view in February include Jane Morgan: In My Style and Who Makes History?, an inspection of recent town archaeological research helping to illustrate the lives of freed enslaved people who lived in the town between 1780 and 1830; and the work being done by the Cape Porpoise Archaeological Alliance, discovering the thousands-of-years-old history of the Wabanaki in southern Maine.

The Brick Store Museum is open six days per week: Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.;  Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. From Feb. 1 through Feb. 28, the museum will be open for free.

Jane Morgan: In My Style opens at Brick Store Museum

For the first time ever, over 30 performance gowns selected from the private collection of Jane Morgan, an internationally-known stage and screen star in entertainment’s Golden Age, will debut at the Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk. The exhibition, titled Jane Morgan: In My Style, will run from Feb. 1 through May 21. The collection spans the singer’s stage, screen, and TV career from the 1950s-1980s. Morgan, known for her song “Fascination,” has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame; twice sang the winning song at the Oscars; received numerous awards and accolades across her international singing career, and is well known for the special gowns she wore for every appearance, including singing and performing for royalty, including Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana; Heads of State such as French President, Charles de Gaulle; Presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush.

According to the Jan. 19 news release from the Brick Store Museum, “The time is right to bring the collection to the public. As Morgan said, ‘They’re just so magnificent. It’s hard to believe I even wore these treasures.’ To prepare the vintage designer gowns for the exhibition, each piece was unpacked, sorted, selected, and prepared in Kennebunkport.”

Morgan calls them the “perfect confections,” each piece decorated with an abundance of embellishments like sequins, beading, feathers, French lace, intricate embroidery and the finest fabrics. To curate the show, Jane Morgan chose Bonnie Bien, owner of LA PRESSE PR, who as a teenager, traveled with and personally assisted Morgan for four years. Morgan and Bien worked together to select the creations for the In My Style exhibition, Bien’s experience of working with fashion designers prepared her for the exhibition, designers such as: Kathryn Kuhn, Donald Brooks, Stephen Yearick, Ben Reig, Ruben Panis, Oleg Cassini, Monte Streitfield, Gunter Project 2, Don Loper of California, and Marion Wagner, who created the unique performance gowns.

According to the news release, “In My Style focuses on Morgan’s desire to find a good purpose for the gowns which she wore on stage. The exhibit takes the pieces from the long-packed-away boxes straight to the public eye; first in Kennebunk and then traveling to other locations across the country. For Morgan, who realized from the start that the unique gowns needed to be housed in an equally unique and eclectic way, the idea for the museum presentations was the only way to go. As she put it, ‘no one was getting to see all these fabulous pieces. My goal was to find the best way to exhibit a sampling of the gowns; share them in a fabulous museum setting.'”

“As a further testament to Morgan’s legacy and enduring fame,” wrote the museum, “solidifying her and her songs as classic and timeless, her well-known song, “If I Could Live My Life Again,” was chosen for the closing music of Season 2, Episode 10, of the Apple TV hit, “The Morning Show,” starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.”

In My Style will open at the Brick Store Museum on Feb. 1, just in time to kick-off the museum’s annual Free February program.

Kennebunk Savings names new branch manager 

Kennebunk Savings’ customers in Portsmouth and Hampton will see a new (masked, for now) face in their lobbies – recently hired Branch Manager Kaley Gagne. Gagne comes to Portsmouth with years of experience and connection in the Rochester business community, having started work for the Lilac City’s chamber of commerce while still in high school.

“Portsmouth and Hampton have a great appreciation for thinking locally,” Gagne said in a Jan. 18 news release. “There is enormous support and enthusiasm for young professionals, entrepreneurs, small businesses and nonprofits. I really value that Kennebunk Savings builds up and give back to the community, and I look forward to being a part of the efforts to preserve downtown areas, support local businesses, and celebrate the arts.”

“We’re excited to bring people like Kaley on board,” said Carlos Maldonado, vice president, retail experience manager. “She’ll bring new energy and new perspectives, but the same dedication to community as the rest of us. It’s a perfect fit.”

Library trustees plan information night

The Kennebunk Free Library board of trustees  has scheduled an information night for Tuesday, Feb. 15. The Zoom session begins at 6 p.m. For the meeting link, email kfl@kennebunkfreelibrary.org.

The board of trustees are seeking new members. The information night is an opportunity to ask questions and learn what being a library trustee entails.

Mid-Week Music’s fab concert series

Mid-Week Music presents a mini-series of Beatles-related music at the Town House School at 135 North St., under the auspices of the Kennebunkport Historical Society.

Kennebunk musicians Dana Pearson and Andy MacLeod begin the series Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. with a concert of John Lennon songs, including Beatles numbers like “All You Need is Love” and “Sexy Sadie” and solo songs including “Watching the Wheels” and “Jealous Guy.” The show will have an encore on Sunday, Feb. 6 at 1 p.m.

The second concert in the series will feature songs by George Harrison (along with a few Ringo tunes) on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 27 at 1 p.m. An all-McCartney concert will wrap up the series on Wednesday, April 20 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 24 at 1 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for Kennebunkport Historical Society members and $18 for non-members. Masks are mandatory; the evening shows are BYOB (21 and older only). For more information and tickets, visit kporths.com/buy-tickets, email info@kporths.com or call 967-2751.

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