The confluence of nature and art—make that the arts—has long had a profound hold on Maine. Its pristine forests, mountains, waters, and fields have inspired many a soaring opus—and one of the state’s true glories is that both its nature and the masterpieces connected to it can be appreciated simultaneously. That said, while the hoards that annually flock to the shores of midcoast Maine can make its beach towns nearly impossible to book a decent room in (and too crowded for comfort, anyway) during the depths of summer, there are entire worlds to be discovered along what could be called the Mid-Maine Fine Arts Trail—which is especially accessible and mercifully tourist-free in spring and fall.
It starts in Lovell where, against the backdrop of serene and stunning Lake Kezar, Quisisana Resort casts international talent in classical musical concerts and truly Broadway-worthy dramatic, opera, and musical productions. From there it stretches out to Waterville—the revitalized mill town that Colby College, itself home to one of the country’s best academic art museums, has boldly created what it terms an “arts ecosystem” downtown. Less than an hour’s drive away, The Bowdoin College Museum of Art’s collection of ancient antiquities and paintings is but one of historic and bucolic Brunswick’s myriad charms. And one last push to the coast (albeit not the beach itself) takes you to Rockland and Cushing, a nexus of renowned institutions like The Farnsworth Art Museum and to nature sites like Olson Field Preserve—the setting for Andrew Wyeth’s iconic painting, Christina’s World—which was just recently donated for conservation by the Wyeth Foundation, with free year-round recreation and arts performances open to the public. A symbiosis of art and nature, if ever there was one.
Things to do on the Mid-Maine Fine Arts Trail
This year’s performances in Lovell at Lake Kezar’s performance-oriented, camp-style Quisisana Resort include everything from chamber music and piano concerts put on against soul-soothing lakeside sunsets in a newly built venue, to musicals (The Light in the Piazza and Nice Work If You Can Get It are on-deck) and family shows (like Finding Nemo and The Pirates of Penzance).
Quieter, but no less impressive, are the halls of The Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Brunswick, where the Assyrian relief sculptures rival those in London’s British Museum, and works by Old Masters like Rembrandt and Rubens can be found near American painters such as Mary Cassatt and Andrew Wyeth. Speaking of whom, once you arrive in Rockland you’ll find Wyeths aplenty. Farnsworth Art Museum, which focuses entirely on Maine’s role in American art, is a trove of hundreds of works by three generations from the family: N.C., Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth, to be exact. (It also houses some of the best works of American artists of the 18th and 19th century.) A few moments’ walk outside and you’re at Center for Maine Contemporary Art the glass-enclosed building designed by architect Toshiko Mori to capture Maine’s famed natural light in the service of celebrating innovative painters, sculptors, and photographers with connections to Maine.