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. 

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.

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.

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!

STEEL HOUSE DANCE PARTY

ALL NIGHT WORKER  with DJ MLJ 

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.

• 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.

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.