 Happy Spring -- it looks like it might really be here to stay now! One thing that won't be staying much longer is our popular Brush with History exhibition. This is your last chance to catch it as it's only on view through Saturday, April 28. Thirty-five area artists have found inspiration in the Museum's vast archival collections and have interpreted vintage photographs and classic postcards to create new works of art; CLICK HERE to see a sampling. The artists' original works and the reprinted archival images from this show are all available for purchase, and many stunning works are still available.
Sincerely, The Brick Store Museum |
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Fleurs & Tours Returns for May Day Festival
 In conjunction with the day-long 9th Annual Kennebunk Downtown May Day Festival on Saturday, May 5, the Museum is pleased to be offering Fleurs & Tours, featuring the following activities on our campus:
- Our spring flower sale; 8 AM - 2 PM.
- A make-your-own May basket activity station (especially for kids!); beginning at 9 AM
- Historical May baskets on display at the Museum
- Behind-the-scenes tours of the Museum's collections vaults; beginning at 10 AM.
- Walking tours of the Upper Square of Kennebunk's Historic District; weather permitting, beginning at 9 AM.
We hope to see you on what promises to be a beautiful spring day in Kennebunk! |
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Views from Within Lecture Series Resumes  Another sure sign that it's spring is that the Views from Within lecture series sponsored by Corning Incorporated Foundation resumes!
Join us on Wednesday, May 16 at 7PM at the Nonantum Resort (95 Ocean Ave., Kennebunkport) for the first in this year's series of three programs to be presented by the Kennebunkport Historical Society and The Brick Store Museum. Our speaker is Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association and Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation. McCarron and invited lobstermen will be exploring the life and times of a lobster--from bait to drawn butter--and the history and future of Maine lobstering. The lecture is free, with donations gratefully accepted. The Nonantum's dining room opens at 5:30PM for those wishing to have dinner prior to the evening program. | |
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Register Now for 10th Annual Golf Tournament & Dinner  Monday, June 4 will be here before you know it! Enjoy an afternoon of golf and camaraderie at Webhannet Golf Club for the Museum's annual fundraiser. There'll be prizes for the golfers, and a raffle, silent auction and fabled post-tournament social hour and dinner catered by the Kitchen Chicks for golfers and non-golfers alike.
Register by May 15! For all golfer and sponsor information, check out the special tournament website! |
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Calling all Gardeners!
 Ongoing restoration projects at the Museum are not the only visible signs of change and renewal. Soon there will be a new planting bed, near the entrance to the Museum's Program Center at 4 Dane Street, thanks to the hard work of our new Garden and Landscaping committee! For a number of years, Museum volunteers and members of the Seacoast Garden Club have served as garden advisers, helping to maintain existing flowerbeds and plant containers with annuals. This year, however, we're also developing a brand-new bed featuring historically-appropriate small trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals to further enhance our property and welcome visitors. Your help in any form would be greatly appreciated and duly acknowledged:
- donations earmarked for the garden fund will allow us to purchase quality materials from the list approved by the Kennebunk Historic Preservation Commission;
- a couple of hours of your time working with a member of the committee to weed and deadhead our three existing beds, the new one, and an area of hostas planned for where a fencepost once was;
- sharing plants you might have will help beautify the new bed, as well as the established ones.
To get involved with our gardens, contact the Museum or Museum volunteer Elsa van Bergen (885-9363). Thanks so much! |
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Arts in the Inns: May 30 - June 3  Arts in the Inns 2007 celebrates arts in many mediums, from watercolor to sculpture and from culinary arts to the art of inn keeping. This exciting weekend kicks off the summer season with a festival of arts. The jubilee begins with dinners with artists and private chefs, proceeds to a decadent opening reception and silent auction, then moves on to art showings, garden tours and gallery walks...all before concluding with notable donations to selected local charities (including The Brick Store Museum)! | |
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The Brick Store Museum is located at 117 Main Street in the heart of Kennebunk's National Register Historic District. For more than 70 years, the Museum has been dedicated to preserving the Kennebunks' rich cultural and artistic heritage. Its gallery and research archives are open year-round (closed holidays), Tuesdays-Fridays, 10-4:30 and Saturdays, 10-1. Admission is by donation; suggested $5/person. |
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Clare Rimmer on conserving a treasure
Were you aware that there is a Collections Committee actively involved with the stewardship of our collections at The Brick Store Museum? Our work includes accessioning, deaccessioning,
approving artifact loans, and arranging for conservation when necessary. The American Association of Museums' standards relating to collections management serve as our guide.
Our most recent conservation effort has been the cleaning of a magnificent coverlet, which had been on exhibition atop the Mary Wise bed in our second-floor gallery. The coverlet was made by Kennebunk's Eliza Bourne in 1810. It was in need of treatment to remove age-old soiling. The process of wetcleaning and bleaching was professionally done by Museum Textile Services of Andover, MA. We are delighted with the results, and the coverlet is now back in place. We think Eliza would be pleased! To learn more about the coverlet and the treatment it underwent, check it out as our "Artifact of the Month."
--Clare Rimmer
Trustee & Chair, Collections Committee |
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Save These Dates:
May 26, 2007, 6-8 PM
Heart of the Arts Opening Reception - Nonantum Resort
June 19, 2007
Brick Store Museum 67th Annual Members' Meeting
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Did You Know...
...two new finding aids for our archival collections are now online? Thanks to our awesome volunteers, you can now look and see what materials are represented in our vertical files pertaining to 1) genealogy and 2) regional artists with a connection to the Kennebunks.
...we have artifacts on loan to the Kennebunk Free Library? As part of the Library's 100th birthday this year, they have a "Decade by Decade" changing display case featuring a retrospective of each of the ten decades in the Library's history. This month it's the Roaring Twenties, and period pieces from the Museum's costume collection are among the items on view. |
Check out our "artifact of the month" |
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