 It's at this point of the year that you 're beginning to think that winter is never-ending. It's pretty snowy from our vantage point, too, but fortunately, the Brick Store Museum has a few cures for the winter doldrums. Read on, and then take your pick from a classy new exhibition, an inspiring display from area youth, or a fascinating talk on the itinerant artist tradition in New England. Get out your Bean boots, bundle up, and we'll see you soon!
Sincerely,
The Brick Store Museum |
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Get Out and Vote (for the Museum)! 
No, this isn't about primaries, caucuses, Super Tuesday, or presidential elections. . . this is about casting your "ballot" in support of The Brick Store Museum!
If you're a Kennebunk Savings Bank customer, look for the opportunity to vote for The Brick Store Museum on the bank's 2008 Community Investment ballot, being mailed out with bank statements (and in special mailings from Kennebunk Savings, Kennebunk Financial Services or their subsidiary, Morris Insurance). You have until the end of March to make your vote count.
Each vote translates to valuable grant money which allows the Museum to continue delivering the quality programs and exhibitions you've come to know and love! Last year, the Museum was awarded a grant of more than $2,000 through this amazing community initiative. Thanks to everyone who voted for the Museum in 2007...we hope we can count on you again in 2008! | |
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Local Youngsters are "Making History" 
The Brick Store Museum is pleased to have once again worked with MSAD 71's Stretch Beyond Program in offering a multi-week course entitled, "Travel Back in Time" for 1st-3rd graders. The students have learned about history and museums via a variety of projects, which included painting floor cloths, exploring Colonial Era costumes, and creating displays for Making History, a mini-exhibition showing that history is being made every day. Making History incorporates personal items that each student has selected as being special to him/her and that could appear in a museum 100 years from now--you'll be surprised! An opening reception was held to award these "junior curators," and now we hope you'll come out to see the work of this next generation of museum professionals!
This mini-exhibition will remain on view at the Museum through February 23 and will then be on view at the Kennebunk Elementary School Library for a week. |
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"The Itinerant Artist: Then & Now" 
Presented in association with The Downing Real Estate Agency, Inc., the Museum is pleased to host renowned New England itinerant artist David B. Wiggins for an evening lecture at the Museum's Program Center, located at 4 Dane Street, on Thursday, March 13 at 7PM. Wiggins will begin by treating guests to a brief history of period decoration in New England, focusing on the early to mid 19th-century.
In addition to personally designing period interiors chronicled in the pages of Decorator Showcase and Classic American Homes and featured in museums nationwide, Wiggins has considerable experience in restoring historical residences. He'll round out his remarks by highlighting past projects, offering anecdotal and practical insight into working with old houses, and sharing details on his latest endeavor: the restoration of Kennebunk's own Storer Mansion. Lecture admission is by suggested donation of $5/person. |
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FACES of the Kennebunks exhibition
What do a Main Street businessman, a Tony Award-wining actor, and an extreme-weather surfer have in common? They're three of the 23 portraits featured in our brand new exhibition, FACES OF THE KENNEBUNKS by Portrait Photographer Liam Crotty, exploring the diversity and depth of character and talent found in the Kennebunks. Enhancing the large-format portraits are artifacts on loan from those photographed, adding three-dimensional components to the portrait groupings. Each treatment also includes textual insight from photographer Liam Crotty, brief biographical information, and a reflection from the subject on what the Kennebunks signify to him or her.
Represented in this broad cross-section of compelling imagery are Dan and Sarah Beard; Cecil Benson; Richard Bibber; Mary Lou Boucouvales; Nanci Grenier Boutet; Tom Bradbury; Joyce Butler; John Downing; Joe Foster; Mary Greely; Karl Hooper; Reverend Robert Howes; Sonny Hutchins; Richard McCabe; Mac McHale; Russell Nype; W. Robert Paine; Susan Falcone Plass; Ken Raynor; Mike and Sandy Severance; Joel Stevens; Matt Whitney; and Tom Wiley.
On view to the general public from February 26 through May 3, 2008, the show and its related programming are generously sponsored by Kennebunk Savings Bank, with additional exhibit support provided by the Museum's proud business partner, The Captain Lord Mansion. |
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An Update on Bricks 
The first batch of custom bricks representing all those ordered in 2007 has already arrived from the manufacturer and is awaiting installation. Significant early snowfall and coordination with construction ongoing next door to our property precluded the late 2007 installation we'd hoped for, but all bricks (including all new orders) will be installed as early as weather permits in spring 2008. They'll be going into our entry walkway and on pathways throughout The Brick Store Museum's courtyard, a vibrant gathering place and the site of many events and educational programs. Imagine...your brick will be viewed by generations of residents and visitors!
All this is to say is that it's not too late to get in on the bricks! To customize a brick with your personal message is only $100, and all proceeds support the Brick Store Museum's Capital Campaign. Think of it as a creative gift for the person who has everything, or a way to tell Mom you love her for Mother's Day. CLICK HERE to download and print the form (PDF format, 146k).
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New Business Partners
Business Partners are vital supporters for the Museum's year-round activities. Do let them know that you, too, appreciate the important role they play in the life of The Brick Store Museum. To see a full list of our partners and to learn how you can become one, CLICK HERE.
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Trustee Spotlight...
"So You Think You Know the Kennebunks"
by Steve Adams
I have been lucky enough to have grown up here in the Kennebunks and have been able to visit the Brick Store Museum on a more or less regular basis since I was a boy. Over the years I have been delighted and amazed at all the different things I've seen and stories I've heard about this area in the "olden days." I have heard stories about presidents, "pirate" cannons, remarkable old houses and people who lived and worked here over the past 250 years.
I wonder how many of you know the story of a certain cannon. It seems it was bought for protection against pirates, but it spent a good part of its life being used to tie-up horses! Today, of course, it "lives" here at the Brick Store Museum but still has a wonderful story full of triumph and tragedy. Read More > |
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Upcoming...
Intergenerational Workshop:
Working Backwards: The Art of Reverse Painting on Glass
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...that the Museum's Connecting Generations Capital Campaign has raised $1,221,803 to date? That means we're only $278,000 shy of our ambitious goal of $1.5 million! The campaign is for ensuring our long-term fiscal stability and making necessary structural repairs to our nearly 200-year-old buildings. Learn more about the campaign and how you can put us over the top by clicking HERE. |
| Check out our "artifact of the month"
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E-Newsletter Sponsored by our Proud Business Partner:
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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 galleries 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. For more information, check us out at www.brickstoremuseum.org, or give us a call at 207.985.4802. | |
