St. George School is busy building a CTE/Makerspace to educate students in workforce development skills. Come visit to see some examples of the ART OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Good bye 2024 - Hello 2025!
Join us at Steel House South as we celebrate the New Year British Style. Across the pond, they alight the Thames with pyrotechnics, New York Drops the Ball, and Steel House South Dances the New Year in!
Come celebrate. See old friends and make new ones.
A simple affair. We will have some beverages, yummy vittles, and funktastic tunes for you to dance your 24’ away!
Can’t wait to see you - please RSVP - matthew@rocklandsteelhouse.com
Hoping you are staying warm, enjoying your moments, and taking time to reflect on 2024 as we move into 2025.
We have several events planned to provide you with opportunities to connect, celebrate, and grow. We hope you consider our Open Gallery where artists Susan Dowley, Charles Duval, and Nate Davis will be showcased.
Be well, and don't take yourself too serious. 😉
Susan Dowley of Hope, Maine is a representational painter working in oil, pastel, and gouache. Originally from Syracuse, New York, Susan began her career as an artist after graduation from Beloit College with an art major. Susan first came to Maine when she was 14. For 3 years in her late twenties, Susan spent from early June through mid November painting alone on the Bold Coast. That experience informed and became the foundation for her profession as an artist. She has painted coastal Maine for most of her adult life. Dowley has exhibited her art in numerous group and one person shows in New England and New Brunswick, Canada. She has taught art extensively through workshops, Elderhostel, adult education, and public education for over 25 years.
Fullish Moon, 2024
The Steel House Gallery is super excited to collaborate with the Apprenticeshop in a gallery show that features the work of fine art photographer, Erin Tokarz. Erin’s work journals the building of a Dublin Bay 24 through the lens of her camera.
Cedar Grove will have two mobile saunas on our shared campus - here is a link: https://calendly.com/cedargrovesaunamobile2/mobile-sauna-2-rockland-75min?month=2024-03.
Dream Local, a premier global digital marketing outfit, will be hosting office hours at the Steel House to help local businesses with their digital marketing strategies. Get some valuable feedback and recommendations for next steps! This event is Free.
Join the Steel House Social Club for an evening of dancing, conversation, and mingling! Special Guest DJ MLG will be spinning proper 70’s funk vinyl. We look forward to seeing friends old and new.
Steel House Co-Founder will be having a solo show in the Steel House Gallery. The show is called “The Journey” - his art is captures his journey back to Vietnam to trace his roots from the orphanage he spent some time at.
We will be hosting an opening reception on Saturday, October 7 from 5-7 pm for artists Chip Barchilon & Annika Early
Chip Barchilon (they/them) is an interdisciplinary artist who re-imagines agency within altered structures of power. Drawing from fairy tales, ecology, and mycology, Barchilon’s work responds to past and present stories of place and pushes against the structures of power embedded within these histories. Through sculpture and works on paper, they create atmospheres of eerie beauty that prompt both enchantment and inquiry. Barchilon is a graduate of the Master of Fine Arts program at Maine College of Art & Design and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Barnard College of Columbia University. They have been supported by the George Van Amson Fellowship and SPACE Gallery’s American Rescue Plan Grant.
Annika Earley (she/her) makes intimate drawings, paintings, and prints about transformation, in-between states, and the experience of being a woman. She often uses German folktales as reference points in her work. Earley holds an MFA from Maine College of Art and an M.Phil from College of the Atlantic.
She has been a resident at the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation in Rockland, ME, Hewnoaks Artist Colony in Lovell, ME, Monson Arts in Monson, ME, Pace House Residency in Stonington, ME, the Walkaway House in North Adams, MA and will be in residence at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan, Ireland in 2024.
Earley has been supported by the St. Botolph Foundation in Boston, MA, the New York Foundation for the Arts, The Albert K, Murray Fund, and SPACE Gallery’s American Rescue Plan Grant. Earley’s work is in the collections of the University of Southern Maine and the College of the Atlantic. Her work has been most recently exhibited at Zero Station in Portland, Maine.
matthew@rocklandsteelhouse.com
Learn from your Midcoast neighbors how to get involved to effect change through action. From town meetings, public input to volunteering, mentoring and citizen science - there are many pathways to climate action. Come share your story!
ALL WELCOME!
Organized by Midcoast Climate, Energy and Green Building Happy Hour!
Originally from Huntsville, Alabama, and currently based in Rockland, Maine, Willoughby Lucas Hastings is an interdisciplinary research-based artist working primarily in textiles, photography, video, and sculpture. Her work examines the aesthetics, traditions, and systems of whiteness, especially within the American South and New England. She thinks critically about the environments we inhabit and how they can maintain or confront our personal biases. She produces works of self and societal critique that often incorporate textiles and photography to document and subvert the material culture of whiteness. As well as, producing protest banners and protest garments which are made in solidarity with queer, feminist, and antiracist activism and are constructed with donated materials.
Willoughby’s show is an ongoing series of redacted digital photographs are directly informed by the public Huntsville Historic Homes Database. Each location corresponds to the compiled list of 41 properties identified in the Database throughout greater Huntsville, Alabama that either openly acknowledged or substantially implied the enslavement of Africans and African Americans historically at that property.
Dance, bounce, twist, and shake at the Steel House waterfront amphitheater to an all-vinyl uptempo soul and funk soundtrack selected and live-mixed by Matt LaJoie. Featuring timeless dancefloor-filling hits and lost singles by artists such as Little Richard, Tina Turner, James Brown, Betty Davis, Funkadelic, and many more, the infectious grooves and pulsating rhythms of the 1960s and ‘70s liberate the dancer within to create a space that celebrates individual expression and joyful connection on the dancefloor.
Join Stephen Florimbi, the 2023 Apprenticeship Artist in Residence, for a Solo Steel House Show that captures the reflection of how an apprentice is made by a boat. Stephen’s work will also be showcased during Free Sailing Friday and the Apprenticeshop Alumni Weekend celebrations planned for Friday, August 11 from 5-8
Artist in Residence at The Apprenticeshop 2023
Stephen was born in Philadelphia and moved multiple times throughout his youth including a five year period in Madrid, Spain. After graduating from University of New Hampshire with a degree in Resource Economics and minor in Studio Art, Stephen moved to Maine to be an Apprentice at the original Apprenticeshop in Rockport.
“There’s a real appreciation for the artist and artisan here. It’s a true community.” Says Stephen of his adopted state. In his over thirty year residence in Maine he developed a reputation in his community for being a highly competent craftsman and an artist who always made time to paint, keeping regular studio hours even while renovating his 1840’s home in Rockport and managing local boatbuilding yard Rockport Marine.
“Painting is the thing that feeds me most, it ties my life together. In Maine there’s beauty and inspiration everywhere.”
Overview
Explore the timeless art of marbling while enjoying oceanside views! In this 4 hour introductory course you will learn marbling techniques to develop original designs on paper & fabric. All attendees will create a collection of marbled papers and three finished 17" x 17" scarves (one silk, two cotton).
This class is designed to equip you with the basic knowledge & confidence to continue marbling at home!
We will cover:
A brief history of marbling
Basic color theory
How to prepare the marbling bath & prep fabric or paper for printing
Overview of basic traditional marbling patterns
No experience necessary, all materials provided!
*art is messy, please dress accordingly*
About the instructors
Lea Freni
Is an apparel & 3D designer with 7+ years of experience in the fashion industry. Freni is passionate about art education & exploring surface design techniques with artists of all ages and skill levels.
Marianne Needell
Is a designer working in Brooklyn, NY. She has 8+ years of experience working in the fashion industry and specializes in print and graphic design. She loves exploring the limitless potential of surface design, from print to dying to embroidery and everything in between.
I have one good reason for you to come our Dance Party out back in the Amphitheater - Grooving to the Rhythm: The Irresistible Dance of Funk
When the infectious beats of funk music fill the air, it becomes impossible to resist the urge to move. With its unique blend of soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues, funk has an uncanny ability to awaken the dancer within. As the funky bassline grooves deep into your bones, your body takes on a life of its own. The pulsating rhythm lifts your spirits, offering an invitation to let loose and express yourself freely. Dancing to funk is a liberating experience; it's about embracing the rhythm, letting the music guide your every step, and surrendering to the electrifying energy that permeates the dance floor. It's a celebration of individuality, as each dancer brings their own style and flair to the dance, creating a vibrant tapestry of funky movements. Whether it's the smooth glide of your feet, the exaggerated body rolls, or the syncopated bounces, funk music breathes life into every ounce of your being and transforms the dance floor into a space of pure joy and connection. So, let the groovy tunes sweep you away, and revel in the undeniable allure of dancing to funk music.
Amy Wilton is a mixed media artist and photographer living in Camden, ME. Though her work in The Tipping Point, Amy’s creates bold, confrontational sculptures and mixed media paintings that take the viewer with her to that uncomfortable point in life where change, wanted or not, must occur.
We are so grateful to host ceramicist Elysa Rose-Coster from the 6th of May to the 27th in the Steel House Gallery. Elysa’s ceramic art provokes reflection, action, and belonging. Please join us on Saturday, May 6 at 5 pm for an artist reception. For further inquires: info@rocklandsteelhouse.com
The Roux Institute, in partnership with Rockland Main Street, the Steel House and the Island Institute, invites you to join us for our upcoming Start Summit -- the opportunity to address local challenges and transform ideas into prototypes.
At this fun and interactive event, you’ll experience what it’s like to build a startup team and race to develop a concept—all with the support of experts and colleagues and fueled by good food!
Participants can expect to take part in a Design Thinking workshop, work with a team to identify a high-potential problem, learn from a current startup founder, and pitch to a panel of judges for the chance to win a cash prize!
The first place team will win $3000 and the second place team will win $2000.
Friday will be held at the Steel House at 639 Main Street, Rockland and Saturday will be held at MidCoast School of Technology.
Note: This Start Summit is free and open to everyone. Registration is required. No prior experience is necessary to participate. Participants who have won prior Start Summits are welcome to attend but will not receive cash prizes.
Let's gather, celebrate, and connect on all of your local, state and national work!
Climate resilience, energy, building, workforce development, and more.
Open to anyone interested - Invite your friends and colleagues!
We'd like to feature a brief presentation or a speaker at this gathering. If you'd like to volunteer, let your hosts know!
Community announcements, job postings, funding and grant opportunities, and updates on local resilience and energy efforts are always welcome.
FB Event: https://fb.me/e/D12UzZBhY
Since 2008, Nate Davis has been creating algorithmic visual and sonic art that mimics organic processes of growth, inheritance, evolution, and decay. The works shown here are composed of millions of line segments and polygons, typically arranged in fractal patterns.
Artist reception on Saturday, January 14, 2023 from 5 - 7 pm. BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE A LINE? will be showing in the Steel House Gallery from January 14 to February 11, 2023.
Join us at Steel House South, just across from the Home Kitchen café, for our annual Holiday Pop-Up Shop. You are sure to find that unique gift for that special someone in your life, or even, just maybe, a keepsake for yourself. The Pop-Up will showcase the creativity and work from several local artists and artisans. Objects for sale will range from ceramics, felted wearables, metal tableware, sculpture and jewelry to upcycled art. The event takes place from 10 am - 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday, December 3 & 4. An opening reception will be held on Friday, December 2 from 5 -7 pm.!
Artists and Artisans in Residence 2022: Autumn Cipala, Elysa Rose-Coster, Emily Shaffer Studio, Erica Moody, Kim Bernard Marcie Jan Bronstein, Susie Cooke
Join local artists as they assist you and your family create simple DIY gifts that both kids and adults will enjoy. Come for an hour or stay for all three and create as many gifts as you choose. This family friendly program is a collaboration between the Farnsworth Art Museum and The Steel House.
Annie Bailey - Fabric Ornaments
Kim Bernard - Buttons
Karen Francomano - Pendants
Sherry Frazer - Bottlecap Candle Holders and Printed Gift Tags
Cynthia Motian McGuirl - Fold & Stitch Bound Books
Cost: Free w/ suggested donation
This year’s Pop-Up Shop will offer a curated selection of work from multiple artists and makers working in Midcoast Maine. Objects for sale will range from ceramics, tableware, bags, and jewelry to letterpress cards and handmade books. The Shop will have extended hours for an Artist Reception on the evening of Friday the 13th from 5 to 7 PM.
29 artists will be featured: Alexandra Martin, Alexis Iammarino, Annie Bailey, Clio Berta, Deminique Cole, Elysa Rose Coster, Emily Cornell Du Houx, Emma Hathaway, Erica Moody, Jadewater Designs, Jean Linn Thompson, Jessica Rhoades, Joe Page, Joshua Wiles, Karen Francomano, Kyle von Neumann, Lee Zamir, Maria Alexia Platia, Michaela Crie Stone, Owen Page, Richard Iammarino, Richard Reitz Smith, Rick Kraft, Sarah G Lee, Squeezebox Press, Susie Cooke, Tara Morin, Trelawney O’Brien, Turtle Rock Farm.
This year, the Steel House Pop-Up will also include art and crafts made by creative teens at The Landing Place, a comprehensive youth program supporting highly resilient and often marginalized youth in Knox County. The Landing Place Makers have been learning how to develop entrepreneurial skills, design and create products, find outlets to sell their wares, price and promote their products and interact with customers.
Check out our Facebook Event
Hello friends! You’re invited to join Interloc and Sistered (a multidisciplinary art space run by Anna Queen, Justine Kablack, and Izabel Nielsen in Portland) at Steel House South (downstairs) for a HALLOWEEN PARTY! We will have refreshments, and there will be a suggested $5 donation at the door. Please come in your Halloween best!
Description: This is going to be like nothing you've ever done before! A bigger, deeper, more expansive version in a recurring series, Fugitive Spectator: Farm Edition will be an evening of interactive performance and direct experience created by Ariel Hall and Nathan Davis, hosted on an 85 acre former dairy farm. Your smartphones will prompt you to engage with fellow attendees and your surroundings in novel and provocative ways. Pay-what-you-want. BYOB. We'll provide light refreshments. You'll need access to an Android or Apple phone to participate (though attendees are welcome to share phones).
Come join us down in Lermond Cove to celebrate the start of the summer! The Steel House and The Apprenticeshop are co-hosting a block party open house on Friday, June 7th, from 5-8pm. You'll be able to peruse art in the gallery in Steel House South, get a pizza from The Uproot Pie Company as you sit and listen to music by the water and drink a Threshers beer, go for a sunset sail, or stroll over to Steel House North with a Rock City coffee in hand to check out the recent renovations. There will be lots to do and see so don't forget to mark your calendar.
