Islesboro Historical Society

2020 Virtual Arts & Crafts Show

Welcome to the Islesboro Historical Society’s Virtual 2020 Arts & Crafts Show!

This is a different show: it's virtual because we’re in the middle of a global pandemic, the first one in our collective lives. The Islesboro Historical Society (IHS) building is closed for the summer, although its grounds are being lovingly tended by John Mitchell. This year also marks the Bicentennial of the State of Maine. In 1820 Maine entered the Union as part of the Missouri Compromise. Maine was entered as a free state, while Missouri entered as a slave state, thus maintaining the balance of power between free and slave states in the US Senate. In light of our current civil unrest, this history resonates painfully today. We have asked artists to let their art express where they are at this moment in time with themselves, their work, and our collective world, both on and off the island. At the end of the summer, we plan to archive what artists have shared about themselves in a 2020 Bicentennial Time Capsule!

On a practical level, here’s how the show works:

Below you’ll find a link to pages for individual artists; these Artist/Maker Pages display information about the artist, perhaps a process video and a link to each artist’s products page which provides information on each piece, as well as information on how to purchase the work. A second link above will take you to what we call the Products Page (Note: the Products Page is no longer availabe as the show has ended); this page is organized by category, such as paintings, photographs, jewelry, home goods, etc. and shows the work available in that category. Click the image of a specific product to view a larger image of the product along with more information describing the product.

So, if you know you’re looking for the work of a particular artist you might start with the artist’s pages. If you know you’re looking for earrings, you’d go to the products page and scroll to the section on jewelry. We think it’s pretty simple to find a specific artist’s work or a particular type of art, but we really hope you’ll spend some time and browse through the various pages and enjoy all the work. When you purchase from artists, 80% of proceeds go to the artist, 20% to the Islesboro Historical Society. The show runs from July 4 through August 31st. Please keep coming back to see this show, as items will be added by participants throughout the summer.

We’re delighted that the Sewing Circle has posted some of their members’ work with us! You’ll find a separate Artist Page for the Sewing Circle that includes some of their work. 100% of proceeds from sales of Sewing Circle work will go to the Sewing Circle to help with the work these amazing women do in support of island organizations.

We’re also proud to share the work of student artists from the Islesboro Central School. The “Student Art Show” link on the "Past Programs" page will take you to a page with a slide show of these young artists’ works. While the student art is not for sale, we hope you will enjoy looking at the work of these budding artists!

Sales are by credit card. The Historical Society is processing all sales. Because the Society’s building is closed for the summer, the artists themselves will be shipping their products to those of you who are not on the island. If you are on the island, you can make arrangements with the artist to pick up your purchase. Each artist’s page includes an email address that can be used to contact the artist.

Thanks so much for joining us in this bold experiment! Enjoy!!!

Click the artist’s name to read their artist statement and watch their process video.

Please note: The show has ended and the Islesboro Historical Society is no longer accepting orders. Artists can be contacted through email or through their website (not all artists have websites) for more information.

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