The Arts Works In Progress. By J.P. Standish.

Works In Progress

BY J.P. STANDISH

Jay Piscopo

Jay Piscopo, who harbored a desire to be a cartoonist for Marvel comics, creates painted wood sculpture that he feels is a blend of comicbook fantasy, cosmic awareness, and ordinary man-on-the-street. His wood cutouts of different characters are based on folk art. The son of the Piscopos who own F.O. Bailey, he grew up among fine examples of folk art. His work will be shown there on June 3. In art school, he found himself drawn to the life and originality of folk art. One of his creatures, a spaceman about four feet high, made of solid clay and perlite, lights up. For Piscopo, it represents a blend of two sides of him: the spiritual side that celebrates the ability of human beings dreaming of going to the moon, and the scientific side thats a province of math and physics. \ " rn ~Ii!JIS!E,I~~"

Carolyn Chute

Carofyn Chute, author of The Beans Of Egypt, Maine, is back this summer with a new book, called Letourneau's Used Auto Parts, and she's glad that the writing part of it is over. She says, ''I'm tired of being locked in the attic for 11 hours a day, seven days a week. I get pretty withdrawn during a book ... scared of people ... very very shy ... .1 get kind of used to the !!lake-up ones in the world I create for my novel. I really love them and feel good with them. I try to give the bad guys (like land developers etc.) real small parts. In real life they get BIG parts. The BIGGEST parts."

When you hear Chute speak, you're impressed with a quality about her that seems so in touch with her feelings as to appear almost childlike. But it's the kind of child-wisdom that's a result of great intelligence, the kind that always demands to know why. Appropriately enough, her plans for recuperation after writing this novel involve entertaining her grandson Brandon. She says, "I want to do a lot of fun stuff with him ... you know, books, treehouses, pretending taking pictures, going for walks, playing Simon says." She adds, "He's four and a half now. Tomorrow he'll be 34. Every minute counts."

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Amy Clampitt

Amy Clampitt went to Maine for a visit about 20 years ago, and finds that she keeps returning every summer. This well-known poet says, "I have written more about the coast of Maine than any other place in the world." She grew up in a farming community in Iowa and finds a lot of parallels between farmers' lives and lobstermen's. An early book, What the Light was Like, is about the place . on the Gouldsboro Peninsula that she first visited. Based in New York, she has just finished a play about Dorothy Wordsworth, sister to William Wordsworth, and published a new book, The Archaic Figure. Johnnie Ross

Artist Johnny Ross is the visual opposite to Amy Clampitt in terms of his feeling about place. He has lived in Portland for m6rc than a decade, but he says, "I have always considered myself to be working in a national or international way. I've never paid attention to my locale." And, in turn, Portland has paid little attention to him. He finds himself sought after by galleries and museums in New York, Boston, and Dallas where he will have shows this summer, but it wasn't until Barridoff Galleries discovered him here recently that this nationally known artist started to be recognized in Portland. He says his newer paintings, which will be on exhibit at Barridoff this November, are "more sensuous, more toward the essence of what I do. They're like something familif, but you haven't seen it."

Ruth Sargent

This writer of children's books and author of 125 articles started her career by taking snapshots of events on Peaks Island. She put them together with a few words, called herself a photojournalist, and worked for the Gannett newspapers. Currently the author of six books, she saw her latest book, The Island Merry-Go-Round, published by Windswept House this spring. She likes to gather first-hand experience to give her books a physical presence. For Abby Burgess: Lighthouse Heroine, she persuaded the Coast Guard to give her permission to climb Portland Head Light. She s~ys watching the scene from up above is like watching a silent movie. You can see the waves breaking but you can't hear them crash and you can watch the seagulls flying, but you can't hear them scream.

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"We saw the natives as people to be admired, hard-working, industrious souls. They had been here a long time, which was an admirable quality, too. We were taught always to deal with the locals on the up and up, but it was implied in the instructions that we, the sUplmer people, were in charge during the summer. In the larger sense, everybody was the same, of course; but in the summer they, the natives, were anxious to work for us and they'd do a good job. I think one thought that was threatening to the summer people in general was the notion, possibly somewhat correct, that the native population knew a hell of a lot more about you and what you were like then you'd care to know. The locals, after all, could remember your grandparents. " "Strangely," Fair wept on, "the quality that the summer people most fear is to seem patronizing; but there's some short circuit there because they can't spot it when they are being so; and I still find myself making these awful gaffes." . Fair told me about how, even after summering and now living year-round m ,~he sam~, small town, how awkward he still feels among the natives.

Just gomg to buy crabmeat and approaching a local's house. Which door to .use? The safe one ~s the kitchen door, the front door has probably been naIled shut for ten years. I know this person. She is the wife of a lobsterman.. She know~ who I am. I pull the car in the dooryard, and I fear I am parkmg the car m the wrong place somehow. I walk to the kitchen door. Have I knocke? too loud? I'm standing outside the door wetting my pants at 41. Am I comIng here when they are busy having a meal or something? And then, the door opens. 'Please come in, Fair.' This whole servant bit starts and suddenly I'm in control of the situation and this person is waiting ?n ~e and that makes it worse. So it was bad outside, and then you go mSI?e. There's no way that I know of to break through this. Certainly, you don t put your arm around the lobsterman's wife and say, 'Listen, you're no different from me!'" "No, you don't; but some who don't know any better do try things like that," I said. "Did you make any friends among the locals when you were growing up?" "Only a few older people with whom I'm still friends, and now you. When I was summering here, I was fascinated by the locals because they seemed to m'ove around so. They'd disappear, while we stayed put on Haven Point. We knew we were a form of entertainment for them. We knew we were the outsiders. A key item about Maine boys: They had special information. They knew all these wonde~ful secrets, the dark stuff, who was doing what to whom. But as far as MaIne women were concerned, they were inaccessible. I never got into any position with a Maine native woman to be able to find out anything. I was much more apt to hear about dark stuff from a male. Basically, here in Maine still, I am treated with such extreme politeness that it's not real." "So what's going to happen along the Maine coast? What do you see in the future? Are the natives and summer people going to be closer?" . ''I'd like to believe that, but I'm not sure." • "Well, look at us." "Yes, but for work, we've both had to leave the coast. There's this car

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(May 19 to June 18); selections by new artists Sue Pedersen. James Charette; and others (June 23 to July 23); finishing with a two-person exhibit by Natasha Mayers and Kathy Bradford (July 28 to September 3). Monday through Saturday. 10:30to 6 (until 9 on Thursdays). Sunday 11 to 5.774-8919.

Hobe Sound Gallerle. North. 1 Milk Street. Portland. Featuring contemporary Maine artists Don Stone. John Muench. Marsha Donahue. Gary Buch. and Camille Cole working in painting. sculpture. and-mixed media pieces (May 18 to June 19); Beverly Hallam (June 28 to July 23); works that represent all aspects of marine/maritime life, both above and below the waterline. Opening night is a benefit for the proposed Portland Aquarium. (July 27 to August 27). Next, irs Abby Shahn (August 31 to OCtober 1). Gallery hours 10:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through saturday. 773-2755.

Maine Po"e,. Market. 376 Fore Street. Portland. This stoneware. porcelain. and earthenware cooperative will show April Mams (April 15 to April 30); wedding presents (June 1 to June 15); Nancy Button (June 15 to June 30); patriotic themes (July 1 to July 15); Chris Peck (July 15 to July 30); a summer grouping (August 1 to August 15); Heather Thomson (August 15 to August 30); and Toby Rosenberg doing Judaica (September 1 to September 15). Open 10 to 6 daily. 774-1633. Gallerle. Around the State

Art for America Gallery. Ne'M;astle Square. Newcastle. Exciting and continuously changing exhibitions featuring some of Maine's most outstanding artists. Monday to Wednesday, 9:30 to 6; Thursday. Friday. Saturday. 9:30 to 8; Sunday 12 to 5. 772-4880.

The Chocolate Church Art Gallery. 804 Washington Street. Bath. Call 442-8455.

Leighton Gallery. Parker Point Road, Blue Hill. The first show will open with Robert Shetterly. Edwin Gamble. Becky McCall. Melita Brecher. Tatlana de Fidler (May 29 to June 24 ); next, Ivan Massar with vintage photographic prints of old Paris. William Eliot. Philip Barter, Sean Morrissey. and a commemorative show for sculptress Lenore Straus (June 26 to July 22); Ragna Bruno. Nancy McCormick, Rosalind Moore, Leslie Rand, Wendy Lewis (July 24 to August 19); Lynn Duryea, Marilyn Bllnkhorn, Paul John. Jim Zasoski, Alice Steinhardt (August 21 to September 16); as well as David Little. Judith Nelson. Bill Reynolds. Wendy Kindred. Also showing on and off during the summer are: Eliot Sweet. Judith Leighton. Ray Carboe. Sirl Beckman. and Doris Wolters. Opening receptions for gallery events will be from 5:30 to 7:30on the first day of each opening. 374-5001.

Maine Coa.t Artl ••• , Russell Avenue, Rockport. Featuring seven shows this summer. the gallery will present the Maine Coast Artists 10th Annual Juried Exhibition (June 4 to June 26); the Cranberry Isles Artists, a long-overdue recognition of a group of Continued cn page 36

An Insider's Guide To ...

Summer Stock

BY CYNTHIA MULKERN

IF YOUR life at Union Mutual or Maine Savings Bank has become too secure and predictable - have I got ajob for you. Just because there are already 35,000 of us in the union, the average salary is about $5,000 a year, and 85-percent of these union members are unemployed on any given day ... well ... these are incidental inconveniences. We work in the theater - as actors, directors, choreographers, designers, etc., and probably the best place to start - if you want to join us - is in summer theater.

AINE has some of the more established and varied examples of summer stock on the East Coast, so if you're the next Linda Lavin or Judd Nelson from these shores, you might want to take notes from this point on.

First let me quote from several of the "10 Reasons To Do Summer Theater" from the Summer Theater Directory of 1988 - a great resource book for your new . profession. Just because 34,999 other actors - your competition - are also reading this too is no cause for discouragement so early In your career:

1. The .variety that summer theatres offer is endless. You can spend your summer working on a . river showboat, in a barn in the mountains, in a restored opera house or under the stars, on a horse, in front of 3000 people

(Maine has modified versions of all of these - minus the horse). 2. Most summer theaters are established in places where tourists are, which means they're nice places to be in the summertime. Ergo, if you're working there, you're working in a nice place to be in the summertime. Of course, it may cost you as much to eat and sleep as the tourists, but fortunately, most companies have found some way around that. 3. How hard do you have to look for an excuse to get out of New York for the summer? (I'll get to the part about your living in New York momentarily.) And don't let your agent tell you about all the commercials you'll miss Nothing happens in New York in the summer except that people try to get away from-it. 4. If you're a performer - you'll probably get to perform roles in the summer that you'd never have the chance for elsewhere. That could be good or bad, since there might be a perfectly valid reason why you should never perform that role in your entire life, but at least . , . It S experIence. 5. Most summer theatres are run .along some form of a shoestring, some more frayed than others.

This can be a valuable experience in reality, especially for students from embarrassingly well-endowed college departments. . 6. Actually, the next three have to do with talent, auditions, and timing. And, not insignificantly, being able (in many instances) to audition and read for your Maine summer theater part in New York (that Gotham connection again) -before the season starts - (skillfully avoiding performing selections from Cats, Evita, and A Chorus Line), and at least maintaining the pretense of having a I-room studio flat in New York City, yours for a modest $800jmonth. But who's kidding who? We're really in it for Number 10:

10. For that little bit of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in us all.

Now I guess we're down to brass tacks: Where to work in Maine? Here is a brief taste of some of the diverse possibilities.

The Maine State Music Theatre. Celebrating her 80th birthday in New York recently with lifelong theater friends, Victoria Crandall, the "grand dame" of Maine summer theater and executive producer at Brunswick, told me she is always homesick when she is not in Maine. She established the theater 30 years ago "when it wasn't so easy for a woman to want to be a producer." Maine State Music Theatre has been a stepping stone for many professional careers in New York and Los Angeles and many performers

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artists whose work islinked by an ongoing association with the Cranberry Isles(June 29 to July 24); Curator's Choice. Bruce Brown's selection of work from 6-8 Maine artists whose work will be on view at Maine Coast Artists for the first time; Maine Photographic Images: 1973-1988outstanding images by distinguished faculty and students who have been associated with the Maine Photographic Workshop over the past fifteen years (July 27 to August 21); Contributor's Showcase (July 27 to August 13); Abstractions (August 24 to September 25); and 7 From '87. the winners of the 1987 Juror's Recognition Awards return for a group exhibition: Tia Bradbury. James Charette. Larry Hayden. Paul MaddrelL Scott Reed. Christopher Signorino. and Dobee Snowber. Tuesday through Sunday. 10 to 5. June 4 through september 25.236-2875.

O'Farrell Gallery.46 Maine Street. Brunswick. Fora smallish gallery. this place features some rather large names. New acquisitions include work by Louise Nevelson. Andy Warhol. Larry Rivers. Alex Katz. Claes Oldenburg. Robert Stackhouse. and Shelia Gardner. Exhibits this summer include work by Philip Barter, a folk artist (April 16 to May 28); paintings, prints, drawings by Neil Welliver, one of the best known artists living in Maine (June 1 to July 20); paintings and prints by Will Barnet. whose symbolist palette captures portraits of people. cats and birds (July 23 to september 10); and fabric works by Fraas/Slade. a husband and wife team from Edgecomb who paint on fabric with procion dyes and then later do stitchery by machine and hand (september 14 to November 5). Monday through saturday. 10 to 5.729-8228.

Nancy Margolis Lee Gallery nee Maple Hill Gallery, 367 Fore Street. Portland. Summer events at this gallery include: lighting design by Rick Melby. jewelry by Nadine Zenobe. fumiture by Peter Barrett. and ceramics by Carolyn saleber 5). Monday through saturday 10 to 5.

Thomas Moser, Cabinetmakers are nationally recognized designers and builders of high-quality fumiture. Visitorsare welcome to their showroom at 415 Cumberland Avenue. Special exhibits include Portland by Design. 1980-1988,an architect show (May); sarah camptelli, a display of pen and ink drawings (July); and the Errbroiderer's Guild of America (september). Monday to saturday 9 to 5. call 774-3791.

The Pine Tree Shop and Bayview Gallery. 75 Market Street. Portland. Fine art. prints. posters, and custom framing. Tuesday to saturday, 9:30 to 5:30. 773-3007.

The Stein Gla•• Gallery, 20 Milk Street, Portland. The most significant glass sculpture show in the northern United States, featuring the work of nationally recognized glass artists. Special exhibits include: Neil Duman, noted for his work in color and crystal, flowing shapes and free-form glass sculpture (May 11 to June 29); and Bruce Pizzichillo, who concentrates on multi-layered, innovative sculpture. featuring blown and constructed shapes (July 6 to September 6). Monday to Saturday, 11 to 6; Sunday 12 to 5. Call 772-9072. Continued from page 33

pool migration to Bangor. More disturbing questions are: What happens with the collapse of the welfare state? There are only so many summer people, so many clams and lobsters. What happens to the juvenile delinquent of 30-35 who loves anything with a motor that goes fast?" "The type that lives for gas and beer money?" "Yes, the 'road people' who drive back and forth, back and forth: run over cats, backfire. Your impulse is to run for your shotgun when they've torn by your window at eleven at night." "These are the natives you can do without?" "Y " es. "The problem there, Fair, is that these are often the very same people who are also during the day selling you crabmeat, waiting on you in the stores, and fixing your car at the garage. It may appear as contradictory behavior on the surface, but these may be the very same people. The police chief's kid may be breaking into summer cottages and stealing, but he may also be a good worker some place else. We do contain multitudes, don't you think?" "s " ure.

In one of our talks when we were, as usual, talking about life Downeast, Fair happened to say, "Maine is the last right address, you know?" "No, what do you mean? Portland being the in-city for the yuppies?" "No, those types think Maine's the last right address for a different reason; and it's not the last for them, only right for now. It's in fashion, These types have no particular loyalty, especially if something 'better' comes along: Yuppies are into acquisitions they can polish and buying sports gear galore from L.L.Bean. They are in an interesting squeeze position, for you can't really be a Mainer and a colonist at the same time. Yuppies can always fall back on money, so they are not what I'm talking about." "So who is Maine the last right address for?" "It's an increasingly older crowd to whom things of the mind and spirit are most important. People who admire a sense of privacy, a traditional sort of life." "You're talking about your people - the old summer family types from both Taunton and Haven Points?" "Yes, perhaps. Certainly not the Portland and its suburbs part of Maine, but the rural country Maine where a person can still live the _91dway, as the so-called 'aristocrats' have always lived: in comfort in one's old clothes, driving one's old out-of-date car, a place wher~ one doesn't have to keep up with the faddists, where one can be totally unfashionable, e",entric as one pleases, and oneself. The house can be run-down, the refrigerator can be filled with rotten stuff. Decay has always been in fashion in the East. Back in the Teens and Twenties, you had Society, and you had Cafe Society. Society started coming to Maine, but not Cafe Society because there was nothing here for them to do." "So you see the yuppies as making Portland into this city with lots to do. The yuppies are modern day cafe society types?" "Yes, you might say that," "Society types would laugh at these people re-decorating all over the place?" "Yes, and do." "What else is important among the old Eastern aristocrats?" "Manners, for one thing, and being brought up in the tradition of service and with a heavy duty education. The people I'm talking about have a graceful self-confidence that they seem to be born with. This includes remnants of the old boy network. The yuppies, you know, aren't benefactors or patrons. The patron class is dying out." "What's a major change you've noticed among the old-timers at Haven Point?" "I find it a tremendous source of embarrassment that the archetypal summer person's social event is a cocktail party based on a dubious chemical and a lot of second-rate conversation." "Do you think the conversations were better over tea in the old days?"

"I don't know. That used to be the standard, though. Probably the cocktail party is a reaction of our parents' generation against the restrictions from their parents.' There are among the summer people some social gatherings where there is still good conversation, smaller dinner parties, say, but that's not the staple anymore." "What about all the other people moving now to the towns along the coast?'" "Obviously you're going to have some people coming here to live because it's beautiful and they'll mind their own business and whatever. And then, there are the people who come and want to change the place and make it better and usually they'll get deep into that for about five years, and then there'll be some tussle in which they'll be heavily battered and then they'll retreat and lick their w()unds. There's also a minority of people who are older who want to fit in in some strange way. They get to be fifty years old and they want to be one of the boys at the general store or hardware store, if they can find one, and go and hang out." "Yes, 1know some men from Taunton Point who live here year-round now who do just that." "Sure, it's a desire to belong. That's part of it; searching for the general store that doesn't exist apymore. 1 wonder if some of them take up smoking, even if they don't smoke?" "We both broke the pattern, Fair, wouldn't you say?" "If you mean, ~e both refused to accept the world we were handed, yes, 1 guess we did. Y91.ldidn't become a lobsterman or a truck driver, and 1didn't do what my grandfathers, father, and uncles did either. Both of my grandfathers were people of great achievement, and so was my father and his brothers. It's the turn of my generation to do something, but all of my cousins and me, we all went into service occupations: teaching, nursing. The black sheep of our family, my cousin Marlie, became an airline stewardess. That didn't go down in the family well at all." "But they all summer in Maine, right?" "Most of them." "Any other theories about Maine and Maine's future? Is it going to continue to be the last right address?" I "I do have this theory that the older coastal Mainers were and are sort of like the Japanese in their sense of extreme neighborhood and also in their ability to compartmentalize. You know, the Japanese live in a house where there really aren't walls. There are iust nice paper partitions tha~ sli~e and you can hear anything that g~s on I? the hou:se; ~ut beca~e t~etr mInds are compartmentalized, they don t hear It. All thIS wtld stuff 15 gOIng on all the time in these little coastal Maine towns, but they don't talk about it. Gives everyone protection from having to think about it. But with your writing, you've been taking out the partitions'" . "Well, if Maine people are like the Japanese, and If th~ 2~st century belongs to them, as some people seem to think, then MaIne s future could be bright'"

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Be Sure To See

The Old Port FestlYa" a tradition in Portland's Old Port district. in conjunction with the Children's Mu~m. presents a day-long event with music from jazz to blues. juggling and stiltwalklng. puppets. food. and special activities for children. saturday. June 16.11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information. call the Intown Portland Exchange at 772-6828.

The Spring Point FestlYa" South Portland. June 25. rain date June 26. a family fun day. proceeds happily through a number of different events including helicopter rides. a fireman's parade. stage shows featuring 'Nell-known musicians. kids' events from hayrides. moonbounces. and tot races to a sand castle contest. an arts and crafts show. and ethnic food and drink. 799-3381.

Rotary Crans Show. saturday. July 9. 773-7157.

Downeast Dulctmer Festival features folk music. workshops. instrument makers. traditional dance. dulcimer and autoharp events. There will be song sharing. a contra dance. and sales booths. The eventtakes place at the V.M.CA in Bar Harbor on July 8 to 10. 288-5653.

The Rockport Folk FestlYal presents two nights of fine traditional music. For more Information. call 594-8317.

The 22nd Annual Varmouth Clam FesUval reminds us that there's nothing like a plate of fresh Maine seafood. especially when irs served along with music. a parade. a craft show. and a variety of entertainments. July 15 to 17. 846-3984.

The Deering Oaks Family FestlYa" from July 19 to 24. offers a midway. a parade on saturday (July 25). a camlval. food booths. crafts shows. a children's show. and evening en1ertalnment. 772-2811.

The Two-Cent Bridge FestIY8l in Waterville will highlight this town's centemlal celebration with an old-fashioned theme. There will be a large parade. an old-fashioned kitchen. apothecary. crafts. horse and buggy rides. antique vehicles. a fireman's muster. and French Candian dancers. Call 873-3315 or 873-0721.

Art In the Park is an exhibit and sale of paintings and prints in Mill Creek Parte In South Portland. PrIzes offered include $6.000 in donations and purchase prizes; International food and music will round out the event. saturday. August 13. with a rain date of Sunday. August 14.799-2204 .

Sidewalk Art Show. a day In which the streets of Portland (well. Congress Street anyway) turn into an outdoor art gallery. Three hundred and fifty artists. prizes. and purchase prizes are sponsored by WCSH-TV.saturday. August 20.772-0181.

A revolution in productivity and quality.

442 Riverside Industrial Parkway Portland, Maine 04103