Magazine

See Lee Krasner’s Mondrian-Inspired Work at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art

The Museum of Modern Art opened on November 8, 1929, in several rented rooms on the 12th floor of the Heckscher Building—today the Crown Building—at 730 Fifth Avenue in New York City. Lee Krasner (1908–1984) visited the exhibition on November 9 with several of her classmates from the National Academy of Design. “We disbanded after leaving the show, and there was no time to compare notes…but the after-affects were automatic,” Krasner recollected later to the art critic Lawrence Campbell. “A freeing…an opening of a door. Seeing those French paintings (the inaugural exhibition featured Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, and Seurat) stirred my anger against any form of provincialism.” Apples painted from still life for her student work at the Academy began to sit differently in the picture space. Similarly, as the story goes, after seeing their first Matisse and Picasso works, she and fellow students responded with shapes, colors, and compositional choices that caused their portrait instructor to hurl paintbrushes across the classroom and exclaim, “I can’t teach you people anything.” While Krasner valued her foundational art training, these experiences exemplified the attitudes of the time. In the late-1920s and early-1930s art circles of New York City, there was enormous debate and upheaval around the notion of what makes a picture interesting. Abstraction was taking hold in the broadest sense, and European avant-garde movements like De Stijl were beginning to influence American art forms.

In the Ogunquit Museum of American Art’s exhibition Lee Krasner: Geometries of Expression, Krasner’s early drawings and paintings hang with works from the same period by some of her dearest and lifelong artist friends—Burgoyne Diller, Mercedes Matter, Ilya Bolotowsky, and Balcomb and Gertrude Greene—as well as her renowned teacher, the brilliant conveyor of the abstract concept “push/pull,” Hans Hofmann. The exhibition centers on four circles of influence for the young Krasner: her study with Hofmann, her employment with the Works Progress Administration (WPA), her involvement with artists’ organizations like the American Abstract Artists, and her reverence for De Stijl founder and artist Piet Mondrian, who was also a friend. Geometries is lovingly co-curated by guest curator Michèle Wije, who previously curated the exhibition Sparkling Amazons: Abstract Expressionist Women of the 9th Street at the Katonah Museum of Art in New York, and Devon Zimmerman, curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, whose own research on De Stijl and the networks that fueled modernism is reflected in the intimate experience of connection that happens from one picture to the next. “This is a period of time when American identity was up for grabs,” says Zimmerman. “We are interested in how Krasner, and many of her friends and peers, turned to abstract art to engage an international community of artists responding to the tumult of modern life, and in turn, to make an argument for American culture as global.”

Krasner’s gorgeous abstract Mural Studies for Studio A, WNYC Radio Station in gouache on paper represent a personally significant (but ultimately unrealized) project for the Federal Art Project for New York and New Jersey, a woman-led regional division of the WPA established by the federal government in the mid-1930s in response to the Great Depression—a lifeline for artists who were literally starving. The Federal Art Project provided creative employment at survivable wages as well as equal pay for male and female artists. Krasner jumped in at the outset, qualifying for numerous projects and always hoping for the opportunity to work on her own abstract mural. That opportunity eventually came through WNYC Radio Station in 1941; however, only the studies were made, as the project was scrapped when the United States entered World War II.

Geometries is infused with the mark of Piet Mondrian. Mondrian’s limited-palette grid compositions were so important to Krasner and her contemporaries, and it’s exciting to see their reverent but free-thinking responses to his work in their own—especially Charmion von Wiegand’s lovely Untitled (Geometric Abstraction) oil on canvas. Hans Hofmann is also ever-present, and while his influence is much louder and bigger than the boundaries of this exhibition, those boundaries allow a focus on just this slice of time, when Hofmann was famously tearing up his students’ work in front of them (including Krasner’s) to reassemble the pieces in a new more dynamic relationship with the picture plane. It’s refreshing to visit Krasner at this time of her life, when so much was new and coming into being. The artist died months before the Museum of Modern Art launched Lee Krasner: A Retrospective, the “first-ever comprehensive survey elucidating Krasner’s importance as a vanguard Abstract Expressionist.”

Lee Krasner: Geometries of Expression will be on view at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, Ogunquit, until November 17, 2024.

The Capozza Siblings Reflect on 50 Years of Flooring

October, 2024 | By: Leah Whalen | Photography: Heidi Kirn

Every family has a few generational legends that they tell over and over —the tale of how Granddad and his brothers saved the farm from foreclosure, or the story of how Great Grandma defied her family and married for love. Sometimes these stories feel worn from repetition, like an old penny burnished by many hands over the years. But for Capozza siblings Joe Capozza III, Katie Capozza, and Tia Green, the story they tell of the founding of the company they now head seems fresh and immediate every time they tell it. Maybe that’s because, as the third generation of their family to run the business, they continue to add to the narrative every day.

Joe begins the tale: “My grandfather started the company in 1974, over on Summit Park Avenue in Portland, out of the garage. They always like to say, ‘with just a typewriter in the basement’!” he says with a laugh. He continues, “My grandfather sold just tile, I believe, probably mostly for residential and maybe some small commercial projects. My father joined the company shortly after graduating high school in 1976. By then, they had a small crew of installers to help my grandfather. I think my grandmother received the deliveries; she’d be home anyway and would take care of them. So that was the beginning.”

However convenient it was, the company outgrew the basement setup in the 1980s. “They moved to Morrill’s Corner and then eventually to Warren Avenue, where we still are today,” Joe goes on to say. “My grandfather was involved into the ’80s, but my dad was running the company by then; he brought in the residential division here. Then my mother came to work for the company in the late ’80s. She tried to get the books more in order than they were. It must have been driving her crazy secretly, and she felt the only way to do it right was to come in here and work too!”

To continue to expand, in 2000 the Capozzas purchased Kenniston’s Tile on Commercial Street in Portland, which they rebranded as Old Port Specialty Tile Co. Here, in 2006, the third generation of Capozza family members officially joined the team. “Katie was smart to go right into the business,” her siblings insist. “It was where my interest was!” she protests, laughing. “Even when I was in high school, my dad would connect me with the interior designers that they worked with, so I would intern for those firms in the summer.” At Old Port Specialty Tile Co., she worked closely with Theresa Rosmus, who now runs PR and marketing for the company. As Katie recalls, “I had an entry-level position with Theresa. Theresa was one of the first managers at Old Port Specialty Tile. My dad wasn’t really too involved, right?” she asks Theresa. Theresa concurs, “He was very trusting of the employees and seeing that we carried out his vision.” “It was nice to be in a separate position, with other bosses,” Katie concludes, “because I didn’t feel like I only worked for my dad or my family.”

Meanwhile, Joe says, “Tia and I worked outside the industry. I worked briefly for the Providence Bruins and then as a carpet sales rep for three years after college.” Tia picks up the thread: “I worked at a retail tile store in the Boston area, as some experience in this industry, but I also had other jobs like substitute teaching and different things that had nothing to do with tile. One thing that we haven’t mentioned yet,” she continues, “is that our parents encouraged us to go to college and choose whatever path we wanted to go down, but we always say that whatever we were doing mirrored what we would be doing here. And it kind of brought us back.”

“Our grandfather founded it, our parents built a great foundation, and it’s been a great opportunity for us to try to take that over the years to another level,” says Joe. “For example, in 2015 we purchased an epoxy and polished concrete company and rebranded it to Capozza Concrete and Epoxy Flooring. So the epoxy is a new feature of what we do. And we have probably doubled the size of the staff and labor capabilities through subcontractors and in-house labor. Our volume is about two and a half times what it was.” Tia continues, “It does seem like a big scale and a short time, but it helps that there are three of us at the helm. I feel like it’s less overwhelming, because we can support each other. If there is anything that we’re unsure about, we can bounce it off each other. I feel confident taking risks or making decisions, because I feel like they have my back.”

This familial feeling extends to the company at large. “A lot of the employees do feel like family members,” says Theresa. “If you’ve been here long enough, when somebody asks you, ‘Oh, are you a Capozza?’, you just start to nod. It’s easier than saying you’re not!” She continues, in a more serious tone, “One thing that I think has positively affected the business today is that these three have been able to bring newer ideas to the table while remaining true to its spirit. It’s because, as the company rose, they never forgot who they were.” Katie continues, “We have so many people working here who are truly passionate too. People who really get into tiles or flooring tend to stay.” “The customers have sustained us, but the employees have sustained us too,” says Tia.

To mark their fiftieth anniversary, the company has decided to expand their family circle to include community members. Theresa explains, “True to the culture of this family, we didn’t want it just to be something where we were acknowledging 50 years by patting ourselves on the back.” The siblings all nod. “Our longest partner in our community has been the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital and, in more recent years, the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. We plan to turn this into a fundraising year for them. The family has committed, along with our other industry partners, that we will donate $50,000 for our 50 years.” She notes that the first Capozza family donation was from their grandfather, who gave $100 in 1995. By continuing this important relationship, the Capozza siblings are adding their own lines to a family story to be told by future generations.

Wogan Brothers Craft a Cozy Custom Library in a Greek Revival Residence

October, 2024 | Photography: Darren Setlow | As told to Becca Abramson

“We collaborated with our client to customize the built-ins throughout the entire house, which is a Greek Revival residence by Waltman Architectural Design. Typical to many of our design-build projects, the floor plans reflected a built-in layout without any elevations of what was to be built. Once the framing and drywall were completed, we met with the client on-site and sketched up the elevation within a couple of hours.

“We designed the shelving specifically to fit the layout of the room and its planned use, with an emphasis on accommodating the client’s vintage record collection and turntable. The house was smart-wired throughout, allowing the spinning vinyl to be heard in any room via overhead speakers. We started with the turntable and retro custom radiator and designed cubbies around each, ultimately resulting in a symmetrical layout that was visually pleasing as well as functional.

“Throughout the house, we incorporated 13 Hudson Reed radiators in place of baseboard heating. They come from England, and they’re essentially a modern version of the classic cast-iron radiator. The one we added in the library is anthracite black to match the mood of the room, which is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Spellbound. We also added a small gas Valor fireplace.

“The flooring, which is 2¼-inch rift-cut white oak, was our recommendation. There’s something to be said about narrow hardwood floors that are put in unfinished, sanded, and then have a matte finish applied on-site. To me, it’s much warmer and more authentic than what you find in many homes these days.

“Modern architecture has been popular over the last five to seven years—we’ve seen lots of homes with clean lines and fewer traditional architectural details, both interior and exterior. Although we appreciate the modern style, our goal with this build was to be as true to the Greek Revival farmhouse era as possible. We’ve been building in Maine for 20 years, and we see a revival—no pun intended—of authentic and honestly built New England–style homes. When we hired Joe Waltman to design this house, we were specific about wanting a Greek Revival–style farmhouse vibe. All the components—the trim, the built-ins, the hardwood floors, the paint, the double-hung windows—were done in the spirit of a new build that stays true to how the home would have traditionally been designed in circa-1800s Maine. When you look at just the library itself, it’s an honest reflection of the theme and finish of the entire home.”

—Matt Wogan, principal, Wogan Brothers

Bring Mountain Magic Home with These Alpine Style Picks

October, 2024 | By: Becca Abramson | Photography: Angela Newton Roy

Writer Kathryn O’Shea-Evans is no stranger to living life at altitude: based near Colorado’s Front Range—home to some of the highest peaks in the Rockies—the food, design, and travel writer has contributed to an assortment of interior design books highlighting everything from the “Grandmillenial” aesthetic to rustic National Park lodges. In her latest work, Alpine Style: Bringing Mountain Magic Home (Gibbs Smith, 2024), O’Shea-Evans opines on enchanting interiors tailor-made for après-ski fun. Full of images of grandiose chalets and vintage photos of celebrities on the mountains, the charming book contains tips for living your best life at altitude throughout the seasons, along with a handful of warming recipes from renowned alpine kitchens.

“To me, ‘Alpine style’ is not modern and cold—it’s more of a Ralph Lauren fever dream sprung to life,” O’Shea-Evans explains. The dining room pictured here is highlighted in Alpine Style for its Scottish hunting lodge aesthetic: antique beams from a Louisiana mill pair with damask-covered walls and rustic wood flooring, while character shines through in the vintage fox oil painting, antler candle holders, and antique kettle above the fireplace. O’Shea-Evans praises the flexibility of the dining room, which features multiple tables and seating that can be easily rearranged. Between the upholstery, window coverings, and wallpaper, there’s plenty of sumptuous patterns to elevate the cozy space despite its simple design. After all, says the writer, “when you’re surrounded by alpine grandeur, you don’t need to invest in much artwork—everyone will be looking out the window anyway.” Create your own mountain-inspired interior with these nine finds.

*WILFRED HOLLYWOOD ANTLER CANDLEHOLDER, SET OF 2 Kathy Kuo Home // kathykuohome.com*

Which Eames Designed the Eames House Bird?

October, 2024 | By: Danielle Devine | Photo courtesy of Herman Miller

If you’re a midcentury design enthusiast, chances are the Eames House Bird has found you. And if you’re like me, you most likely assumed this sleek creature was designed by Charles and Ray Eames. In fact, a different husband and wife duo designed the crow. When Charles and Edna Purdue of Illinois passed their gun repair business on to their son in the 1930s, they dedicated themselves to carving and painting detailed ornamental birds and decoys used by hunters. Their minimalistic crow decoys were carved from one piece of wood and painted black with two wire legs and beads for eyes. The decoys were usually deployed in agricultural fields to ward off hungry invaders.

The Eameses came across one of the Purdues’ crows while traveling in the Appalachian Mountains and brought it back home with them. Visitors to the Eames House (Case Study House Number 8) in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles get to experience a “time stood still” museum where the original crow resides. The house is filled with objects from the couple’s travels, gifts from friends, and treasures found in nature. Each object is handmade and unique and tells a story about the designers. The bird they brought to California has rested in the middle of a vintage textile rug for over 50 years. It shows the passing of time with its faded color, yet it still impresses its onlookers.

I first spotted the Eames House Bird in a black and white Herman Miller ad from the 1950s that I came across in a design book. There it was, innocently perched on the “Eiffel Tower” base of one of many Eames Wire Chairs. Once I saw it, I found myself looking for it in other Eames photos. It became my Waldo. It wasn’t that I was going mad. Charles and Ray incorporated the crow decoy in many of their photoshoots.

Vitra realized the broad appeal of the folk art piece and, in 2007, worked with the Eames family to create 3D scans of the original to make an authentic reproduction. Instead of pine, the Vitra version is made of solid alder with a black lacquer finish and steel wire legs. The Vitra version (measuring 11” x 3 1/4” x 8”) is made in Germany and available in either solid alder with a black lacquer finish for $355 or walnut with a clear lacquer finish for $495.

“Dead Writers” Podcast Creator Tess Chakkalakal on Maine’s Literary Sites

October, 2024 | By: Becca Abramson

Where did the idea for Dead Writers originate?

I came up with the idea for the show after I’d spent several years trying to save the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Brunswick. I met so many interesting people and came up with several reasons why literary houses are important. That’s when I discovered my now-cohost Brock Clarke’s book, An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England, which I found hilarious. I thought it would be cool if we made a podcast recording some of our conversations, and he did too. Our amazing producer, Lisa Bartfai, appeared miraculously on the scene, and the rest is podcast history.

What’s unique about Maine’s literary landscape?

I’d say what’s unique about Maine’s literary landscape is the same thing that is unique about its geography: Maine is beautiful. Writers are attracted to beauty; they need it to write. I think it’s no accident that many of the writers we talk about on the show write about the beauty of Maine’s landscape—Edna St. Vincent Millay and Sarah Orne Jewett’s work come immediately to mind. But then there are the people, or the characters, that make Maine unique, which you can find in poems by Edwin Arlington Robinson as well as in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s stories. Most of these characters are what you’d call “isolatoes.” I guess you find quite a few isolatoes living in Maine.

How did visiting these literary sites—as opposed to just reading about the authors and their lives—affect your understanding of the individuals?

Going to these sites gave me a better sense of how these writers lived. I had read and studied Uncle Tom’s Cabin for many years before I visited Stowe’s home, and being in the house where she wrote the novel—looking out the window, moving through its various rooms—gave me a different sense of the story and how it was written. I think going to the houses allows you to step into an author’s shoes, which helps you think about the life of a writer—but not so much about the books themselves, as my cohost reminds us.

Did you see how the home may have influenced the works by these authors? For example, do you think Stowe’s Maine home affected Uncle Tom’s Cabin?

Stowe was all about celebrating domestic life, and the importance of a well-run household is an important feature of her novel. I’m not sure how well run her own household was, but she spent a lot of time thinking about her house: heating it, cleaning it, moving furniture around, and making sure her kids were healthy and happy in it. There are several scenes in the novel where houses—particularly kitchens—are featured, and I have a hunch that these scenes were based on Stowe’s kitchen in Brunswick.

Given the time of year, we must ask: do any of these dead writers’ homes have ghosts or an unusual history that may not appear on the historic home’s website?

I recently heard from someone who used to work at the Stowe House that, when it used to be an inn back in the 1990s, the basement was full of ghosts. She never saw one herself, but she did say that most of the staff refused to go down there because of “sightings.”

A Sweet & Savory Pair of Jams from Vanessa Seder’s Latest Cookbook

October, 2024 | By: Vanessa Seder | Photography: Jenny Bravo

Roasted Allium & Balsamic Jam

Roasted Allium and Balsamic Jam will inject a potent sweet-and-savory jolt to whatever’s for lunch or dinner. Its several alliums (plants in the garlic and onion family) mellow out as they caramelize during the roasting process. The end product is fabulous on a cheese plate, as an accompaniment to roast
meats, or as a spread for a sandwich or sub.

Makes 3 cups

INGREDIENTS

1¾ pounds yellow onions (about 2 large), quartered
4 whole heads of garlic, tops sliced off to expose cloves
3 medium shallots
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 dried bay leaves
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the onion quarters, garlic heads, and shallots on the baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast, tossing halfway through cooking, for 45 minutes, or until the alliums are soft and browned in parts. Remove from the oven and let cool until easy to handle, about 15 minutes.

2. Set the heads of garlic aside. Transfer the onions and shallots to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, 1 cup of water, and the vinegar and bay leaves and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat and add the chopped onion and shallots. Squeeze and slide the soft, sticky, and caramelized roasted garlic out of the skins and into the saucepan. Gently stir to combine.

4. Set the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper. Let cool to room temperature. Remove the bay leaves. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Orange-Clementine Marmalade

A thick piece of toast smothered in butter, citrus marmalade, and a sprinkle of salt is one of my absolute favorite cold-weather breakfasts. For this second recipe I have augmented classic pureed oranges with clementines for added sweetness. The clementine peel adds just the right note of tangy sourness to the proceedings. The pith of the fruits (the white underside of the peel) contains natural pectin, so there’s no need to add any store-bought pectin.

Makes about 3 cups

INGREDIENTS

1 navel orange, well washed
6 clementines, well washed
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the stem end off the navel orange, leaving the rest of the peel intact. Slice the orange in half, then slice each half into 6 pieces. Transfer the orange, including the peels and pith, into the bowl of the food processor.

2. Peel the clementines and thinly slice the peel with the pith attached. Place the chopped peel in a medium saucepan. Set aside.

3. Add the clementine segments to the food processor with the orange and process until very smooth, about 4 minutes. Add this mixture to the clementine peel in the saucepan.

4. Add the sugar and 1 cup of water to the saucepan and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a low boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the peel is very soft and the marmalade has thickened, 30 to 35 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let the marmalade cool to room temperature. Store in jars or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

35th Annual Friends of Acadia Benefit

October, 2024 | Photography: Evie Linataud, Julia Walker Thomas, and Anne Greene

Held under a tent in the stunning Hulls Cove neighborhood of Bar Harbor, the benefit began with a cocktail hour and silent auction where guests bid on 65 items, including original art, unique experiences, one-of-a-kind jewelry, and beautiful items for the home. Following an elegant dinner catered by Bar Harbor Catering Company, auctioneer Lydia Fenet led a spirited live auction that included a three-night stay at Canyon Ranch, a one-week Antarctica expedition, and a weeklong Caribbean charter. The lively evening was closed out with dancing to the Sultans of Swing band. More than $300,000 was raised to replace Acadia National Park’s aging fleet of heavy equipment. Presenting sponsor Chilton Trust supported the benefit for the 11th year in a row, and MH+D was the media partner for the evening.

*Benefit committee co-chair Jill Hinckley, Friends of Acadia special events coordinator Jen Byer, and committee* *co-chairs Lydia Kimball and Anne Green*

“The shared love and appreciation for Acadia National Park was palpable throughout the evening, and it was marvelous to have guests who spanned generations raising money to support the park now and well into the future.”

—Jen Byer, Friends of Acadia special events coordinator

Design Wire October 2024

October, 2024 | By: Becca Abramson

Founded in Maine’s Southwest Harbor in 1928 to build and care for the boats of local lobstermen, luxury boat company HINCKLEY YACHTS is well known by mariners for exquisite detailing, refined performance, and unsurpassed quality. This summer, the boat-building company launched the all-new PICNIC BOAT 39, the first Hinckley Picnic Boat with forward seating for the ultimate day of leisure on the water. “At Hinckley, we have a meticulous approach to design, obsessing over the details, combining the best DNA of past models with the needs and desires of Hinckley customers today. The overall design language of the Picnic Boat 39 demonstrates our continued commitment to building beautiful, timeless, and highly innovative yachts,” says Scott Bryant, vice president of marketing and sales for Hinckley Yachts. Measuring nearly 43 feet long, the Picnic Boat 39 features three entertaining areas, smart sliding window mechanisms, and waterjet shallow draft technology for maneuvering through secluded coves with ease.

Iconic furniture brand HERMAN MILLER is expanding its EAMES LOUNGE CHAIR AND OTTOMAN lineup to include BAMBOO-BASED UPHOLSTERY. A soft, durable, and scratch-resistant alternative to traditional leather, the plant-based material reduces the chair’s carbon footprint by up to 35 percent. Its timeless design, with a signature reclined position that flexes to fit individuals, was inspired by an English club chair with the look of a well-used baseball mitt. “Charles and Ray Eames pioneered the use of molded plywood in furniture, one of the central material innovations of their time. Today, Herman Miller is among the first furniture brands to offer a plant-based leather alternative—made almost entirely from bamboo. The two materials come together in the latest offering of the iconic Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, upholding the aesthetic and quality standards that have defined the chair for nearly 70 years,” says Noah Schwarz, vice president of product design for Herman Miller.

Developed by WATERSTONE PROPERTIES, the 179,365-square-foot office complex and 20,000-square-foot health services building at ROCK ROW’s state-of-the-art medical and research campus in Westbrook is expected to be completed early next year. NEW ENGLAND CANCER SPECIALISTS, RAYUS RADIOLOGY, and PLASTIC AND HAND SURGICAL ASSOCIATES have all signed on as tenants, and the Lewiston-based DEMPSEY CENTER recently leased 15,000 square feet of space in which they will open a third facility that offers counseling, integrative therapies, and comfort programs for people affected by cancer. “Rock Row’s vision of an integrated medical community aligns perfectly with our holistic approach. The opportunity to create a healing environment that brings nature inside and offers ample space for our programs was incredibly compelling,” says Cara Valentino, CEO of the Dempsey Center. Founded in 2008 by actor, Maine native, and philanthropist Patrick Dempsey and his family, the Dempsey Center provides personalized and comprehensive cancer care at no cost.

Photos: courtesy of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

INDIGO ARTS ALLIANCE and COASTAL MAINE BOTANICAL GARDENS unveiled two new sculptures by artists-in-residence SHANE PERLEY-DUTCHER and ANNA TSOUHLARAKIS as part of the DECONSTRUCTING THE BOUNDARIES: THE LAND FIGHTS BACK public symposium. Eci-Mahsosiyil/Fiddleheads is an interactive installation of two arched fiddlehead ferns made from braided and woven metal emulating traditional Wabanaki woven baskets by Perley-Dutcher, a silversmith artist from the Neqotkuk Wolasqiyiknation of New Brunswick. The Native Guide Project: CMBG by Tshoularakis, an enrolled citizen of the Navajo Nation and of Muscogee Creek and Greek descent, encompasses four shell middens constructed from grass, oyster shells, and granite sourced from the surrounding region. The shell walls display messages to visitors that allude to the ongoing need for reparative justice. Both Eci-Mahsosiyil/Fiddleheads and The Native Guide Project: CMBG are installed in the gardens to highlight Indigenous traditions and knowledge and as a reminder of why BIPOC experiences must be centered in the fight for climate justice. The Native Guide Project: CMBG will be on view until it naturally degrades, and Eci-Mahsosiyil/Fiddleheads will be installed permanently.

The UNIVERSITY OF MAINE is currently developing two new facilities that will expand opportunities for the food and beverage manufacturing and aquaculture industries in the Pine Tree State. The $4.46 million FOOD INNOVATION LAB in Orono will provide commercial-scale processing and production capacity, allowing start-ups and small businesses to pilot production trials in addition to researching, manufacturing, packaging, and distributing goods while offering internship opportunities for students. “This facility will provide support to Maine’s food entrepreneurs through its proximity to research, education, and expertise that is critical to growing Maine’s food businesses,” Hannah Carter, dean of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, told MaineBiz. The other new facility, set to open in 2025 in Orono, is the $10.3 million SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE WORKFORCE AND INNOVATION CENTER, which will act as a research hub focused on the problems that Maine fish and oyster farms face. Designed by SMRT ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS, the center will allow students to get hands-on with scaled-down versions of the tools used at commercial aquaculture farms.

Artist TIMOTHY GOLDKIN of RAMBLE MORE DESIGN unveiled an eight-by ten-foot mural at the corner of Custom House Wharf and Commercial Street in Portland depicting a historic image of the wharf from the turn of the twentieth century. The public art installation was created by printing the image on thin paper, adhering it to the wall using an industrial glue, hand-brushing it to create wrinkles and furrows, sealing it with varnish for protection, and finishing the piece with a distressed trim. Goldkin’s work offers a tactile sense of history and celebrates the enduring spirit of Portland’s working waterfront while reconnecting the community with its maritime roots amid ongoing economic and environmental challenges. “This mural is more than a public work of art; it’s a window to our past and an attempt to help preserve our future by reminding us of the invaluable contributions of our seafaring forebears and those still working on the water today,” says Goldkin of the mural, which is part of the artist’s broader initiative to bring historical artworks to public spaces across the state. The project came to fruition thanks to support from the MAINE ARTS COMMISSION as well as Casco Variety, Fortland, Andy’s Old Port Pub, Maine Day Ventures, and Maggie Weir and Robb Wesby.

A two-week intensive at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE’s Gorham campus called THE COMPLETE CITY: SPATIAL DESIGN introduces students to the fundamentals of design in the built environment. Codirected by Gretchen Rabinkin, executive director of the BOSTON SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS, and Addy Smith-Reiman, former executive director and current board member of the PORTLAND SOCIETY FOR ARCHITECTURE, the course immerses students in studio culture and firm visits as they develop skills on how to observe, analyze, and create in context. A final group project with presentations and critiques rounds out the intensive, which is taught by architects, landscape architects, and urban designers from the area including Joanna Shaw and Christian Prasch (Winkelman Architecture), Steven Mansfield (Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design), Bridget Kane (Thornton Tomasetti), Alex Haba (Whitten Architects), Soren deNiord (Soren deNiord Design Studio), Paige Lyons (Aceto Landscape Architects), and University of Maine professor of architecture Eric Stark.

Construction on the new $13.5 million home for the MAINE MUSEUM OF INNOVATION, LEARNING, AND LABOR (MAINE MILL) at the historic CAMDEN YARDS MILL in Lewiston begins this fall. Located along the Androscoggin River, the 11,000-square-foot space will feature permanent collections, temporary galleries, classrooms, and a design lab with an emphasis on textile mills and the industrial heritage of the Lewiston–Auburn area. Designed by PLATZ ASSOCIATES, the exterior of the building’s addition will be clad in Cor-Ten steel panels, which develop a patinaed appearance when exposed to the weather. “The perforations create a pattern reminiscent of a textile design that originated at the Bates Mill in Lewiston, and the panels are planned to be backlit to provide a soft glow to the building at night,” says Gabrielle Russell, an architect at Platz Associates. “Lewiston was at one time a hub for innovation and design, and we are working closely with the museum to expose and highlight this important history in the exhibits as well as the building design. By incorporating patterns, textiles, and artistic elements into the architecture and interiors, we hope the museum will inspire all its visitors to further explore its history and encourage innovation.”

Inside a Mountain-Chic House That Listens to the Landscape

October, 2024 | By: Laurie Sprague | Photography: Jeff Roberts | Styling: Paige Van Zile

When Chad Francis, owner of Ellsworth-based Atlantic Landscape Construction, decided to build a home on Phillips Lake in Dedham, he knew he wanted to work with someone local. “I talked to several architects, but I’d seen some of the stuff Rob had done, and I liked that he had a little bit of funk to the way he goes about some things,” Francis said, explaining his decision to go with Rob Ervin, owner and principal of Ervin Architecture. “Once he and I got jamming and tossing stuff back and forth, he figured out my vibe and I figured out his vibe pretty quick.”

He and Ervin, who was based in Bangor at the time, realized their fathers had also worked together, many years earlier, which only further sealed the deal. “Chad and I have become very good friends,” says Ervin. “We’re wired similarly, and because of that, the end result and the process to get there was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It was easy, it was fun. It was cerebral, and we didn’t stress out on things that we knew collectively we could get done. That next-level layer of detail and fuss to get everything right is evident in this house.”

After spending several summers on the lake, Francis and his wife, Michele, purchased the Phillips Lake property where the new home sits in “I’d been looking at this piece of land for a while. There was a camp on it, right where my house is now, and I hemmed and hawed on it until a friend of mine said, ‘You’ve talked about that piece of land for a long time, and if you’re not going to buy it, I think I’ll buy it.’ That was just enough to push me over the edge to grab it.”

The 1.45-acre site included 550 square feet of lake frontage, two beaches, and a 1930s-era log cabin. The original plan was to keep the cabin and then build a year-round home in its place once the kids—a son plus boy/girl twins, now 19 and 16 years old respectively—were in college. But the prospect of building something more permanent was exciting. “I was looking at the stage of life my kids were in and where everyone wanted to be—and everyone wanted to be at the lake. It’s just a fun place for us to hang out,” says Francis, who is now separated from his wife. “I wanted to make sure I had space so that, as my kids grow and have families of their own, they’ll have room to come home and a place to consider home.”

By the summer of 2019 he’d decided to move the log cabin to a nearby parcel of land, which he also owns, so he could begin building a new year-round home on the lakeside site. This meant clearing the lot to get the old camp out and prepping the property for the new foundation. Relying on his landscaping expertise, Francis kept the clearing of the property as minimal as possible, especially on the lakefront side. “There was a large effort in reforesting after the fact, but that was more on the road side,” he says. Making the new plantings look natural was an important consideration, as was privacy, minimizing the glare of headlights and buffering noise from the road in front of the house.

The list of must-haves for the home included decks and porches with specific views, an expansive living room with a cathedral ceiling and hand-hewn stone fireplace, and an adjacent kitchen with a lower ceiling to help create a more intimate environment. “There was a signature concept they were looking for,” says Ervin, who signed on in the fall of 2019, “and it was up to us to make sure we were scaling the spaces correctly, that we were picking the right finishes and the right lighting to make sure it was going to be extraordinary.” Functionality is another key element for Ervin, who asks clients to walk him through their days so he can understand exactly how they’ll live in the space, right down to where they put the keys when they come in. He then designs based on what he has learned.

From the beginning, Francis knew exactly how he wanted to modify the property, from moving the camp to elevating one side of the lot and dropping the other side. As a result, the new home resembles a relatively modest single-story house from the road but has a walkout lower level, opening up on the back side to reveal two floors of windows to take advantage of the expansive lake views. “I wasn’t really expecting the home to get quite as big as it did, but once I got into it, I was committed,” he says. “I’ve really moved around a lot, and I’m at a point in my life where I want to settle down. I’ll be here for a long time.”

Ervin describes the style of the finished six-bedroom, five-bathroom home as “Maine mountain modern,” drawing inspiration from nearby Acadia National Park. The mix of textures gives the structure a rustic mountain-chic sensibility, featuring hand-hewn beams, custom stonework, and artisanal craftsmanship throughout, including the use of birch bark in the primary bedroom. The home—with 6,824 square feet of living space and 1,050 square feet of outdoor space—has a commanding presence from the lake, with strong vertical elements, striking stone columns, and a stone-clad lower story. “We were able to take an otherwise monolithic building and add exterior framing, stonework, and other material treatments that introduce different types of texture, as well as the rooflines and porches, and to break it up and create something that was digestible,” says Ervin.

“We listened to the landscape,” he continues. “We used indigenous materials as much as we could.” In fact, most of the stone was either from the site or from Francis’s own quarry in nearby Franklin, and the home was framed in native spruce and hemlock, including some that had been cleared from the site. Francis did much of the landscaping and stonework himself. He also planted numerous trees on the property, including a few that have moved with him from previous homes. “One tree, a 16-foot paper bark maple, has been with me for the last four houses I’ve lived in. It has a little wind chime in it my daughter made for me,” he explains. “I couldn’t remove it without breaking the tree, so I moved the whole thing with me.”

Ervin is primarily known for his commercial work, but he likes to do a few residential projects each year. He sees each project as a creative endeavor, one where you can accomplish everything in the design. “I’m kind of a mad scientist in that respect, and I’m obsessive over the final design solution,” he says. That persistence paid off when it came to one of the biggest challenges on the project: the north-facing property.

“It’s one of the most beautiful spots on the entire lake, but it faces north, and the signature view north needed to have all this glass,” says Ervin. The windows had to be sealed to prevent drafts, and because they wouldn’t get direct sunlight, they’d always be in shadow. “We had to really wrestle with that, but we were able to hack the conditions. We oriented the house to grab morning sun and sunsets on the porches, but we couldn’t get any sun in the middle of the day. Ultimately, I think the house now kind of faces northeast. We added as much glass as we could in the dining room, which is due south.”

Challenges aside, for Ervin some of the best design decisions in the home include “putting the guts of the house into a walk-out lower level”—three bedrooms, a home theater, storage, and laundry—and being generous with the sizes of the rooms. He also applauds the decision to go all-in on the outdoor porches, especially the area around the outdoor fireplace. “I really want to hang out there,” he adds.

Francis and his family moved into the house in 2021, and when asked about his favorite spaces, he doesn’t hesitate: “The deck outside my bedroom. In the last year or so, I’m out there every night, especially in the summer,” he says. “And in the fall and the wintertime, I spend all of my time in the great room, in front of the fireplace.” As for the kids, he says that one of their favorite spaces in the house is the theater. “They love it. They’ll go down there sometimes and be all bunked-out with their buddies, all across the couches.”

For Francis, there’s one other area that’s especially close to his heart: the kitchen. “I entertain a lot. I love to host friends and family and cook for them. My folks are right across the cove from me, on the same lake. I have good friends on the lake, too. We host really big Sunday dinners, with 20-plus people sometimes. It’s an open invitation for the neighbors and friends, kids, and kids’ friends. It’s cool. And I love my big, open kitchen; it’s got a lot of space. I can really get after it in there,” he says, laughing. “If you like to cook, you like to cook—it takes room.”

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