The Brick Store Museum has been celebrating local history, art and culture since 1936.
Read on for more information about what’s ahead.
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To Our Community.
The past days and months have been stressful and frustrating in many different ways.
As a cultural history museum, we have the particular responsibility of stepping up our work in these times. We have the specific duty to listen to experiences, record histories of our communities, and educate future generations.
Does this sound like something you want to do? Volunteer to help us expand, even in the age of COVID-19. Get started here.
We’ll see you soon at the Museum –
Kathryn, Leanne, Alex, Jeannine, Julianna and Cynthia.
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Looking for a quick overview of this newsletter? Look no further!
Click “play” on the video below to hear the updates enclosed.
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Three Cheers! Re-Opening July 1st!
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The Brick Store Museum is expecting to open to the public on Wednesday, July 1 at 9:00am. We are currently working on enhanced scheduling, cleaning, safety and programming procedures to ensure our staff, visitors, and neighbors are all safe and comfortable at the Museum. We will be posting these guidelines, and any adjustments, to
brickstoremuseum.org/welcomehome
.
Once our guidelines are finalized, we will be sending you a special newsletter to explain our procedures, too.
We are excited to re-open our doors on July 1st, but that does not mean our digital initiatives and active outreach will fade. We will do both – because we need both to achieve our mission of using history to enhance understanding and empathy.
If you are excited and ready to visit the Museum next month – welcome back! If you would rather stay safe at home – we’ll be delivering content straight to you.
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- 17th Century Saturday Portal Opens, 12:00PM. Includes video lectures, pop-up exhibit, and at-home activities for all ages. Free, donations gratefully accepted. More…
Wednesday, June 10:
- Museum Sage Mindful Break with the Brick Store Museum, 5:30PM. In this half-hour session, join Museum Director Cynthia Walker for a unique experience using museum collections to help answer life’s questions. Register for the free program here.
Friday, June 19:
- Juneteenth Observance, all day. More activities to be announced to observe the holiday of Juneteenth, which signifies the same day in 1865 in which the last remaining African American slaves were freed in the United States. More…
Saturday, June 20:
- Virtual Shipbuilding Odyssey, 11:00AM. Take part in a virtual odyssey! This year we’ve turned our popular Shipbuilding Odyssey into a virtual tour. Hop aboard your screen and join us to explore our town’s shipbuilding history! Registration: $10 general admission; $5 Members. More…
June 20 through June 28:
- Take part in this community-wide history celebration! The goal is pretty simple: tell us about your house by placing a few facts about it on a posterboard for all to see (near the front sidewalk of your house) for one week, June 20 – 28, 2020. More…
Wednesday, June 24:
- Kennebunk Bicentennial Day! Join the Museum for virtual events all day, including the Distance Challenge Virtual Race Start, the historic weathervane unveiling & a Bicentennial History virtual lecture.
- Distance Challenge Virtual Race: More…
- Historic Weathervane unveiling & lecture: More…
Tuesday, June 30:
- Members’ Virtual Sneak-Preview & Happy Hour Toast, 5:30pm. Zoom in for a sneak preview of the Museum’s “Perspectives|2020” exhibition. Bring your favorite cocktail and snacks, and gather virtually for this fantastic exhibition of art and history. Register (free) to reserve your spot. More…
Wednesday, July 1:
- Museum Opening Day, 9am – 5pm. Vintage Dress Day at the Museum & Online. More…
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June is Pride Month!
Can you help the Museum collect local LGBTQ+ history? Take part in our
Museum Pride Project
by donating memorabilia, oral histories, written memories, artifacts, and archives relating to LGBTQ history in southern Maine and the Kennebunks.
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Black Lives Matter/June 2020 Protests artifacts sought
Help us capture this pivotal moment by saving your signs, buttons, articles, and more. Imagine what would happen in the future if we did not have these artifacts to explain our culture to future generations. Cultural and seismic shifts in the historic record are incredibly important to capture – we’re depending on your help to collect it.
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PLEASE NOTE: We ask that you save your items until July 1st when we will be open to accept your artifacts. Do NOT leave them outside the Museum – we cannot guarantee we will find them. If you have specific questions on donations, please press “reply” to this email and let us know.
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17th Century Saturday premieres Saturday, June 6!
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Our Bicentennial Century Saturdays Continues!
The 17th Century explores the era of contact between indigenous peoples and European-settlers in the area that is now Maine.
While the June 6th program was supposed to be
a physical event, the Museum staff has created an online “17th Century Portal” that will open on Saturday, June 6th at noon.
The site will feature speakers Astrida Schaeffer, who will discuss 17th Century clothing and costumes; and Ginger Lauritis, who will discuss native plants before the European arrivals.
In addition to recorded talks, the Museum will also be offering an online “pop-up exhibit” to explore its collection of 17th Century history in the Kennebunks.
Visitors will also find at-home/outdoor programs that families can undertake together, including making 17th Century recipes and hands-on activities to explore.
The Museum’s 16th Century Portal saw over 150 visitors its first day and can be visited
here.
Studying one century per month allows for easy compare and contrast, observation of change, and a focused discussion about social systems and everyday life in Maine over hundreds of years.
The 17th Century Portal will OPEN on Saturday, June 6 at 12pm. You’ll receive an email invitation to explore the 17th Century prior to the launch!
The Century Saturday Series, which features one century of Maine history every month (May – October) is supported by the Maine Humanities Council.
See our entire schedule here.
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The Bicentennial Distance Challenge is a unique way to celebrate Kennebunk & Maine’s 200th birthdays this year.
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The Brick Store Museum and Historical Society of Wells & Ogunquit are teaming up to highlight our shared history with a virtual race!
Take part in this fun Bicentennial Distance Challenge Virtual Race by running, walking, or biking 7 miles on the course of your choice.
Why 7 miles?
At the time, people in the Kennebunk district of Wells had to travel 7 miles—usually by foot—to the First Congregational Parish of Wells in order to attend meetings. In 1750, these residents founded their own parish, which they called the Second Congregational Parish of Wells.
By the time 1820 came around, the two parishes – in Wells and Kennebunk – sat seven miles away from each other, and that’s where members of the Second Congregational Parish of Wells (now the Unitarian Universalist Church) voted to separate and become its own town.
Get active and support history!
The race kicks off on June 24, 2020, through October 17, 2020. Run (or bike or walk) your race at your pace and on a course of your choice – as long as it’s seven miles! – and send us your finishing time.
Registration: $35 per person, $10 for children under 16.
Every participant receives a Challenge Bib and information packet upon registration, and a challenge medal in October 2020!
Click the link below to learn more and register.
Presented by our generous sponsor:
Southern Maine Health Care
With special thanks to the Museum’s Marquee Sponsor:
Kennebunk Savings
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Plant a Bicentennial Tree
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Choose between American Elm or paper birch trees!
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Celebrate Maine’s birthday by investing in our shared future and memory by planting a tree for your family to enjoy today, and our descendants to enjoy tomorrow.
Choose between two stately Maine trees, the American Elm tree, one of the “Grandest of American Trees,” or the classic Paper Birch tree. Click through to learn more about these trees, their meanings, and how you can help build a legacy!
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Each Kit comes with
:
Peat pot
Soil pellet
Tree seeds*
Mini-32 page book about the tree
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Explore the Digital Learning Center:
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Digital History Lectures:
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Museum staff is bringing the collections to you! We will be uploading new histories and presentations each week.
Here are a few we have already (links to Youtube):
Check out all of our Museum Multimedia (including podcasts, videos and more)
HERE.
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Explore online exhibitions:
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Online exhibitions are a way to explore the Museum’s collections outside of our walls.
Please enjoy exploring the collections and stories included
HERE
on this site – and please let us know what stories you would like to see next!
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Plan ahead! Here’s what’s coming up in July:
- July 6: “Vintage Postcards of the Kennebunks” by the Brick Store Museum book released! Pre-order now!
- July 17: 18th Century Dinner & Lecture (reformatted to be a boxed dinner and virtual lecture!); tickets: $50 per person. Tickets available soon.
- July 18: 18th Century Saturday (online and in-person)
- July 31: Kennebunk’s (real!) birthday celebration! More information soon.
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Follow the Museum on Facebook and Instagram to visit collections storage areas!
Weekly, the Museum staff visits different areas of our Collections Storage to talk about artifacts and histories in our care. These quick videos give you a glimpse behind the scenes and new histories to consider!
(Here’s a sneak peek video, at right!)
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Brand-New Online Museum Store Launched!
Don’t miss unique, local items for sale through the Museum’s Mercantile! Local history books, artwork, cards, toys, soaps, candles and more are waiting for you here at the online store!
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With the onset of COVID-19, this place that is a community gathering place has gone quiet – but not gone away.
Although our physical space is currently closed, we are still with you – and will continue to be here.
The Museum needs your help to do that. If you are able, please consider
donating
to keep our local mission of history, art and culture alive.
We will see you soon, friends.
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