If you search for any art facility on Monhegan Island, one of the notable sites that will pop up is the Monhegan Museum. But as fascinating as this Museum is, only a few people visit the place – or are even aware. Indeed, hundreds of people attend the exhibitions. But for a museum with so many collections and is in the art region, it needs more attention. So, grab your seat and join us on this artistic journey through the Maine Island Museum.
What is the Monhegan Museum all about?
Its full name is the Monhegan Museum of Arts and History at 1 Lighthouse Hill, Monhegan, ME, 04852. The mission of the Museum and the association that keeps the facility alive is to preserve and display objects of historical and cultural significance to Monhegan Island, Maine, and other people of interest. The association also aims to provide a source of information and fascination about Monhegan to benefit island residents and all other interested people. That is why the Museum contains numerous collections, up to about 100 or more.
Monhegan’s Collections
If you think we’ll begin listing all their collections here, think again. Otherwise, we might need help to complete this article. However, here are the most notable of their collections in their studio. Take note that internet photos can never do justice to how unique and breathtaking these art collections are.
With that said, here are the significant art collections of the Museum:
- “Cutting Ice” by Andrew Winter
- “Fish Beach” by Abraham J. Bogdanove
- “Dwight’s Fish House” by Hames Edward Fitzgerald
- “Maud Briggs Knowlton & Alice Swett” by Eric Hudson
- “Grammy Richards’ House” by Charles H. Ebert
- “Monday on Monhegan” by Jay Hall Connaway
- “Monhegan Light” by Leo John Meissner
- “Monhegan Light” by Frederic Dorr Steele
- “Great Tide” by Alfred Fuller
- “Lone Pine, Monhegan” & “Surf, Monhegan Island” by Samuel Peter Rolt Triscott
Many more paintings can be found on the official page of the museum.
Monhegan Museum Exhibitions
Every year, the Museum hosts an art exhibition in the new Gallery Building that highlights a specific artist or period in Monhegan’s artistic history, using objects from their collection and donations from interested people. Here are some of the exhibitions:
The Odyssey of James Fitzgerald
In the summer of 2022, the Monhegan Museum of Art & History honored the life and art of James Fitzgerald (1899-1971) with a retrospective exhibition of his watercolors and oil paintings. The exhibition centered on Fitzgerald’s images of Monhegan Island, which he visited in the 1930s before settling there permanently. The collection also included pictures from Fitzgerald’s annual excursions to Mount Katahdin in Maine.
Wintering Over: Year-round in Maine
To honor Maine’s bicentennial, the Monhegan Museum organized an exhibition of works by artists who lived year-round in Maine for a significant portion of their careers.
Although thousands of painters painted Monhegan during the summer season, only a tiny number stayed after the summer visitors had gone, allowing them to see the island’s quiet side.
The painters in this exhibition chose to remain in Maine, where they found inspiration in the fishermen, weather, and snow-covered scenery.
A Life Made in Art: Maud Briggs Knowlton
Maud Briggs Knowlton (1870-1956) was one of the few women who painted on Monhegan Island in the late 1890s. “A Life Made in Art: Maud Briggs Knowlton” was on display from July 1 to September 30, 2019. Her art on Monhegan Island and in New Hampshire includes over 40 watercolors, oils, etchings, drawings, and painted porcelain.
Lawrence Goldsmith’s Monhegan
Lawrence Goldsmith (1916-2004) was a Monhegan Island art colony member for many years. His watercolor pieces were included in the exhibition as a result of his studies with Eliot O’Hara at Yale University, Philip Evergood and Mario Cooper.
Goldsmith painted till the end of his life, working every day in his Monhegan summer studio and his Vermont winter studio once his limited vision made it impossible to paint outside. Goldsmith’s final works capture his perspective on the island that shaped his life and talent.
Sight-Sees, Events, and Activities
The Monhegan Museum is not just a place for art enthusiasts to take in the glory of carefully and artistically painted pieces. It is also a place for fun and activities – even for kids.
The Arts and History Museum feature yearly events at the hall for everyone to come and see. Their events usually circle the community, storytelling, filmmaking discussions, and excellent talk shows. There are also lighthouse tours for adults, students, and kids during permitted weather days.
Verdict
If you are a fan of the arts, then this is an excellent place to spend some vacation moments. The island is not only beautiful, but this Museum captures the island’s elements and history in a magnificent way.