I have enjoyed meeting with the Tenney family at their farm: Zoey, Keith , Ansel and Oliver who truly live a creative life on their Sweetgrass farm...I am visiting them in each season and loving the stories the boys  are recounting to me of all the different adventures they have had in raising chickens and pigs, geese and ducks...as well as all that they enjoy eating as part of their daily living . Their stories have inspired my writings.  Their  beautiful farm on the Bagaduce River across from where I live is inspiring my art.Barbara Joy Hare

Siri Beckman's photo in fall at the Deer isle Hostel

Artist Leslie Moore

Andrew Birdsall of Horse Power Farm will work with painter, Leslie Moore and writer, Edward Dufresne on the exchange. Pat Wheeler visited the farm with Carolyn Coe in the fall and spoke with the farmers. Andrew and Donna have introduced a very large greenhouse and have year round crops now. We also heard some great stories from Paul.

 visit to the Tinderhearth Bakery with Lalena Dolby on baking day

ARTISTS & FARMS PARTICIPATING

ARTISTS/WRITERS etc. who will participate and the FARMS they have chosen:




1. PATRICIA WHEELER, painter/assemblage, film:Valley of the Stars Farm/Bakery 

2. CAROLYN COE, writer, audio recorded interviews: Valley of the Stars Farm/Bakery

 3.GARY VENCILL, writer, playwright: Tapley Wasson Farm

 4. EDWARD DUFRESNE, writer: Horsepower Farm

 5. CHRIS FARROW-NOBLE , writer, photographer: Goodnight Farm

 6. Brooksville Elementary School art class, group project : David's Folly

 7. GAIL PAGE, writer, painter, illustrator: Sweet Dog Farm

8. LYDIA CASSATT, Pastel artist: Bagaduce Farm

 9. SIRI BECKMAN, painter: Deer Isle Hostel

10. CAROLYN CALDWELL, painter:  Yellow Birch Farm

  11.  BEATRIX GATES, writer: King Hill Farm

12.  BARBARA JOY HARE, artist, writer, photographer:  Sweetgrass Farm

 13.  Anne Poole,painter: Sweet Dog Farm

14. SHERRY STREETER, painter: Four Season Farm

15. LESLIE MOORE, painter: Horse Power Farm

2014 Growing Season

INTRODUCING THE 2014 Reversing Falls Sanctuary FARM/ARTS EXCHANGE: 

Viewing our local farm/art communities as vibrant and central to the sense of place that Reversing Falls Sanctuary fosters.

A unique farm inspired art project by 14 area artists, writers and children paired with local farms. The ultimate goal is an investigation of a concept : how humans' connection to the land is central to the restoration of the health of the earth and for our own survival. We would plan to observe those who plant, grow and harvest within our LOCAL communities and who seem to understand the language of reciprocity between humans and the natural world, mining the stories of the farms to inform our work, believing that a close study of place will reveal broader truths that go beyond that place. 

We ask the questions, How can the local foods movement transform relationships between people, food and farms. What is our part in this process? Artists can use their voices with farmers to effect social change. What might that look like?

The premise: artists and farmers will be asked to get to know one another during the 2014 growing season culminating in an art exhibit & readings at Reversing Falls Sanctuary. We are hopeful that a series of talks by farmers/artists will emerge as well as continuing community conversation around the subjects raised

Tony Farrera, Brooksville, Maine, & farmer Lalena Dolby of Zenger Farm, Portland, Oregon discuss the local green house project. Artist Patricia Wheeler, Deer Isle, Maine, worked with Ms. Dolby developing this program.

Farmer, Paul Birdsall of Horse Power Farm will participate in the program

Carol Gregor with her husband Dick Gregor operate the Tapley Wasson Farm, writer Gary Vencill will work with them on the project

Artist Siri Beckman,  Deer Isle, Maine, will work with the Deer Isle hostel

Carolyn Coe, Blue Hill, Maine, will do recorded interviews

Artist/Farmer, Missy Greene of Yellow Birch Farm, Deer Isle, making cheese during a visit with Pat Wheeler & lalena Dolby when the program was being developed

lalena Dolby speaks with  one of the Taylor Farmers about goats cheese etc.