More than fun, the Mad Hatter Affair is a smashing success as a fundraiser.

“A passable knock-off”: That’s how the man in the Iron Man mask, the obscenely rich but heartsick industrialist Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., characterizes the electro-weaponry wielded by his Slavic adversary (Mickey Rourke) in “Iron Man 2.” Much of this scattershot sequel to the 2008 smash feels like a passable knock-off as well. […]

Even if you have never heard of Carlo Pittore, you have probably felt echoes of his activities in Maine. For example, he founded the Union of Maine Visual Artists, which helped establish Maine’s Percent for Art program and craft the first legislation in America allowing estates of deceased artists to help pay tax debts with […]

ROCKLAND – On Saturday, the Farnsworth Art Museum opens two major exhibitions at the museum’s Wyeth Center: “N.C. Wyeth: Poems of American Patriotism” and “The Wyeths’ Wyeths.” The openings will be celebrated with a Live at Night at the Farnsworth party at the Wyeth Center on Friday with a members-only preview and reception from 6 […]

Near the outset of his intriguing book “Winning at War: Seven Keys to Military Victory Throughout History,” Christian P. Potholm, professor of government at Bowdoin College, observes: “As an undergraduate at Bowdoin, I did my senior honors thesis on the Battle of Stalingrad, much to the disgust of my history professors, who couldn’t imagine wasting […]

Portland author James Hayman, who spent more than 20 years working at a New York advertising agency, will speak about his novel “The Cutting.” The book is focused on a New York City detective who gets divorced and moves to Maine with his daughter, then gets involved in the hunt for a killer. Hayman will […]

The college of art is throwing a party to celebrate ‘the completion of a vision’ in its Congress Street home.

This week • Local country singer Travis James Humphrey celebrates the release of his rocking new CD “Dirty Beautiful World” with shows at 9 p.m. Monday at Champions Sports Bar, 15 Thornton Ave., Biddeford and at 5 p.m. Friday at Dogfish Bar & Grille, 128 Free St., Portland. The disc, produced by Johnny Hiland, will […]