Throughout history, naturalists and artists have illustrated the living things around them, capturing their beauty, cataloging their features, and expressing their sense of connection to the natural world. Maine has been home to many accomplished botanical illustrators, including Blue Hill’s own Rev. Jonathan Fisher. Join the Jonathan Fisher House and the Blue Hill Public Library for a symposium exploring the ways in which history, art, and nature intertwine.
On Friday, August 4, the Jonathan Fisher House will host a series of hands-on activities around the historic property at 44 Mines Road from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM. Sarah Scamperle of Brooklin will lead a walking tour to identify plants growing on the grounds. Landere Naisbitt from Blue Hill Heritage Trust will lead a fun sun printing activity for all ages (sun prints, or cyanotypes, have been used for hundreds of years to document plants and were the predecessors of photographs). Artist Christopher Scott Brumfield will lead attendees in an art project involving the pressing of plants into clay. All participants will leave with an original creation, expressing their own connection to nature.
Friday’s activities will conclude with a presentation at 11:30 AM in the Fisher House by retired conservation biologist, botanist, and fine art painter Alison C. Dibble, Ph.D., who will share an ecological perspective to Jonathan Fisher’s art. Deforestation in the early 1800s in Blue Hill, as depicted in Fisher’s detailed painting A Morning View of Blue Hill, was inherent to the building of a pioneer town, and had implications for wildlife habitat, plant diversity, and fragile ecosystems. By understanding our past, we may be able to better prepare for the future.
On Saturday, August 5, the series continues in the Howard Room at the Blue Hill Public Library from 12:30-2:30 PM. Jane Bianco, Curator at the William A. Farnsworth Library and Art Museum in Rockland, will share insight into the "background" plant settings for Fisher's famous Scripture Animals illustrations, and explore his sources, which were modified by Fisher's own firsthand observations. Kat Stefko, Director of Special Collections & Archives at the Hawthorne & Longfellow Library at Bowdoin College, will speak about Kate Furbish, the famed botanical illustrator of Brunswick, and how art and science intersected in her work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Finally, Sarah Scamperle, graphite artist, ceramist, and an avid naturalist based in Brooklin, will speak about “The Science of Botanical Art,” including a discussion of how botanical illustrating utilizes accuracy, aesthetics, and technique to interest the viewer and relay valuable scientific information, with examples of her own work and artistic process.
All events in the series are free of charge, though donations are gratefully accepted. Tours of the Fisher House will also be available on both days from 1:00-4:00 PM, with special orchard tours available on Saturday.