Art in Bloom 2016

The Ogunquit Museum of American Art (OMAA) today announced the program schedule for its 65th Anniversary Exhibition Season. OMAA’s 2018 programs include the popular Totally Tuesday Talks lecture series, a new Arts & Letters by the Sea public readings series, Art in Bloom weekend, Totally Tuesday walking tours, and for young visitors, Stories by the Sea.

“Our 65th Anniversary Exhibition Season includes a wonderful series of programs to enrich our visitors’ experiences at OMAA, from the opportunity to hear artist Lois Dodd talk about her exhibition, Lois Dodd: Drawings and Paintings, which opens July 14, to a poetry reading by Inaugural Poet Laureate Richard Blanco,” said Michael Mansfield, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Ogunquit Museum of American Art. “I’m excited to host these artists and introduce them to our guests.”

OMAA programs begin on Friday, June 22 with Art in Bloom weekend at OMAA. Members of the Piscataqua Garden Club, Portsmouth Garden Club, and Old York Garden Club will brighten the museum’s galleries with floral interpretations of selected works on view. OMAA visitors are invited to vote for their favorite arrangement and the festive spring program concludes with a new event, The Garden Party on Sunday, June 24 from 2pm to 4pm This lively party, a fundraiser for OMAA’s 3-acre seaside sculpture gardens, will include seasonal finger foods, beverages, and music, plus a prize for the favorite garden party hat of the day. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at the museum, by phone at (207) 646-4909 or at www.ogunquitmuseum.org.

Totally Tuesday walking tours begin on June 26 with a tour of the OMAA sculpture gardens. On alternating Tuesdays through August 28, OMAA also offers walking tours of the Ogunquit art colony. Tours begin at the reception desk at 11am. Please check the calendar on the OMAA website for scheduled walks, which may be cancelled due to rain.

Totally Tuesday Talks also begin on June 26 with a lecture by Charles Burchfield scholar Nancy Weekly about the current exhibition, Surrounded: Sampling Burchfield’s Wallpaper. The weekly lecture series gives OMAA visitors the opportunity to hear from visiting artists, scholars, and experts about topics related to the museum’s exhibitions. Talks begin at 6 p.m. with light refreshments served by 2018 Director’s Circle sponsor Harvest & Plate Catering from 5pm to 5:45pm. Please check with the museum for a complete schedule of 2018 Totally Tuesday Talks.

Arts & Letters by the Sea, a new three-part program at OMAA, further explores the dynamic union between visual arts and literature inspired by recent exhibitions in the Strater Gallery, including the current show, This Side of Paradise: American Artists of the Paris Salon. The program includes three public readings by notable authors, beginning with Inaugural Poet Laureate Richard Blanco reading poetry at OMAA on Sunday, July 22 at 3pm. Please check the OMAA website for the complete program schedule.

In July and August, young visitors are invited to join OMAA Educator Jill Burke for Stories by the Sea, a weekly story hour with a related art project that meets on Wednesdays from 10am to 11am and is suited to children ages 4 to 8. The fee is $5 per child or free for OMAA members’ families.