Tuesday, July 7, 2015-- In this issue:

•  Events this week... 
•  "Paint the Peninsula" Fresh Paint Fundraiser
•  Exhibit: Heroes
•  Coyote: America's Song Dog
•  A Musical Colony: Music in Blue Hill, 1885 to ca. 1930
•  Author Event: Huston Smith: Wisdomkeeper

• Join us for another Kneisel Hall Children's Concert, as musicians from Kneisel Hall's Young Artist program perform a variety of chamber music pieces and engage their young audience, TOMORROW! Wednesday, July 8, 4:30 PM.  All ages are welcome!

•  Maine coauthors Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr., Christopher Glass and Scott Hanson will discuss and show photographs from their new book, Homes Down East: Classic Maine Coastal Cottages and Town Houses, at the Library THIS THURSDAY! July 9th at 7:00 PM. More info here.

• Kids 5 to 12 are invited to another Super Hero Saturday, to explore ocean life with marine biologist Kipp Quinby THIS SATURDAY! July 11 at 10:30 AM. We will use digital and regular old fashioned microscopes to view marine life up  close!

The Blue Hill Peninsula is home to some of the most iconic views in the state-bays dotted with islands, saltwater farms with weathered barns, the dramatic tumult of the reversing falls, Blue Hill Mountain, fishing boats and sailing skiffs-it seems every bend in the road reveals another breathtaking vista. On the morning of Saturday July 18, over 70 invited artists will participate in Paint the Peninsula to capture those views in watercolor, oil, pencil, ink, pastel or any other medium that strikes their fancy. Later that evening more than 100 original works of art will be sold to benefit the  Library at a reception and silent auction from 4:30 to 7:00 PM.

The resulting exhibition is a celebration of both the area and the artists who live here. It is rare to have almost 100 artists-from young, emerging talent to some of the region's most celebrated painters-gather under one roof to show and sell their work.  Opening bids range from $50-$350 making Paint the Peninsula a great opportunity to start buying local art or to add to an established collection. Most artists donate 50% of the sale to the library and some do more, so winning bids support both the Blue Hill Library's operating budget and the local arts community.

The Blue Hill Public Library is an independent non-profit organization serving all members of the Blue Hill Peninsula and depends on the financial support of the local community. There is a $12 suggested admission fee that includes wine and refreshments. Children and participating artists are free. For more information, call the Library at 374-5515.

Betsey Wanning Harries, a long-time summer resident of Blue Hill and professor emerita at Smith College, will give a talk called A Musical Colony:  Music in Blue Hill from 1885-ca. 1930 at the Library on Wednesday, July 15, at 7:00 PM. In the presentation she will explore the music-making of year-round residents and rusticators, focusing particularly on Franz Kneisel and the summer chamber music school he founded here, probably in 1902.
Betsey has been researching the history of Kneisel Hall and is particularly interested in why Franz Kneisel decided to spend his summers in Blue Hill and what made Blue Hill the right place for his teaching, playing, and conducting. She will discuss what she knows about the answers to these questions and other aspects of the history of music in Blue Hill.

This event is sponsored by the Library. There is no charge, and everyone is welcome. For more information, call the Library at 374-5515.  

Dana Sawyer, professor of philosophy and religion at the Maine College of Art (MECA) in Portland, Maine, will discuss and read from his recent book, Huston Smith: Wisdomkeeper at the Library on Thursday July 16 at 7:00 PM. According to Sawyer, Huston Smith is the most renowned authority on world religions and comparative religion for the past half century.  

Professor Sawyer has taught at MECA full-time for 26 years and is a native of Jonesport, Maine. He previously wrote a critically acclaimed biography of Aldous Huxley (Crossroad Publishing, 2002). Huston Smith was Huxley's friend and student, and in the new book Sawyer focuses on their mutual investigations into mystical experience and the roots of human spirituality.

Huston Smith's career spanned more than 60 years, during which time he taught at Washington University, M.I.T., Syracuse University, and the University of California at Berkeley, establishing himself as the most prominent scholar of religious studies in the world. His many books include The World's Religions, Forgotten Truth, Beyond the Postmodern Mind, and Why Religion Matters.  Dana Sawyer worked with Smith for seven years to produce this authorized biography, conducting interviews with Smith and more than 60 other who were prominent in his life.

The author with Huston Smith

Books will be available for sale and signing. This event is sponsored by the Library. There is no charge, and everyone is welcome. For more information, call the Library at 374-5515.  

Don't hesitate to call us for more information at 207-374-5515.