by Dick Rauh
For the first time in my memory we will be revisiting the site of a previous conference. Originally scheduled to be held at another location, difficulties arose that required a last minute switch. Happily the College of the Atlantic was available. We will again (the last time was 2001) be holding the meeting at a location everyone loved, and left hoping to return. It’s no surprise. For one thing the College is just our size. We will be taking over the entire campus, and no venue is more than a five-minute walk from another. Located at the western edge of Bar Harbor, and off the main highway leading from the mainland to the town, the campus has a lovely green surrounded by great old trees, a scattering of new and old buildings, gardens, and even a bit of rocky coastline with a dock, and a stony beach where (if you are brave enough) you might test the icy waters of Frenchman’s Bay.

The conference will pretty much follow the pattern of past meetings. The board will meet all day on Sunday, and registration for the rest of us will take place from 8 in the morning until 5. The meeting officially starts with lunch Sunday, followed by a couple of field trips, both on the water and along the National Park trails and a workshop.

For a number of reasons the theme of the conference this year will be “Back to the Basics” (frankly I can’t remember if other meetings had a particular ‘theme’). We are scheduling more opportunities to sketch during the conference than ever before. Starting Sunday afternoon, there will be a workshop in making your own hardcover sketchbook (hopefully for you to fill during the rest of the week). From then on each presentation section (Monday PM, Tuesday AM, etc.) will start out with a different sketch theme. A fifty-minute introduction by one of our colleagues, will give you a start, and you can decide to continue on your own or to return to the regular program. Workshops in landscape drawing, sketching at Sea Wall, mixed media for your sketchbook and life drawing among others, will continue the theme through Thursday and Friday. Friday night we will have a sketchbook share.

Getting back to the overall picture of the meeting, a Sunday night portfolio share will be followed on Monday morning with Keynote speakers, lunch and our annual group photo. Presentations will fill your days from Monday afternoon through Wednesday. This is the point where you will wish to clone yourself, or figure some way to be at two (or three) places at the same time. We have tried to schedule tracks of interest (education, business, projects, history, techniques) so that they flow from one to another. With the talent of our membership, their generosity and willingness to share, there will be difficult decisions to make.

The digital classroom facilities at the college are minimal and that is another reason we decided to focus our program this year on the basics. Although there will be no computer workshops as such, there will be a track of digital presentations that will keep you busy and up-to-the-minute continuously from Monday afternoon through Wednesday afternoon. Evenings will be busy, too, and after dinner (the College has a well deserved reputation for providing delicious food) we will have the Sketchbook exhibition, and a PowerPoint presentation of the Oregon Show, followed Tuesday by our auction, Wednesday our awards banquet, Thursday a contra dance and Friday a sketchbook share. The annual business meeting will take place at lunch on Tuesday; and there will be field trips on Thursday and Friday. We have to be out of our rooms on Saturday morning, but space has been secured on campus for Day 2 of Margaret Saul's workshop (Saturday), and Gretchen is hoping that, before we leave, some of us will spend more time informally sketching around the island.

College of the Atlantic Revisited
by Gretchen Halpert

Can you dream of a better placed to be in August than on the coast of Maine? Ocean breezes, salt air, scenic views—even if you do have other favorite locations, the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine is the site of the 2005 annual conference.

An introduction for those who have never been there, and a reminder for those who have: Ocean views are everywhere. Lots of porches, balconies, lawns, gardens and beaches to relax in between sessions. Dorm rooms are comfortable. One can see the stars at night, sit out on the dock, identifying the constellations, looking for luminescent creatures, playing music or talking quietly. Downtown is within walking distance and filled with shops, restaurants, clubs and tourists. The college itself is devoted to human ecology, marine biology and natural history—a perfect fit for us. We will have full use of the campus: The Natural History Museum, dormitories and cottages, dining hall, library, reading and conference rooms, auditorium, computer and science labs. The library is full of reference material on ecology and the reading room overlooks the islands.

The dining room is small—two sittings are arranged—and the food is good! Much of the produce is grown right on campus and is supplemented by local organic farms and fisheries. After the core conference, box lunches will be provided so we can eat wherever and whenever we want.

A little background on the area: College of the Atlantic is in Bar Harbor on Mt. Desert Island. Originally the island was named “Pemetic” (“sloping hills”) by the Wabenaki Tribe. Local encampments of native Americans have been dated back 6000 years. In 1604, French explorer Samuel Champlain claimed discovery of the island, renaming it “L'Isles des Monts Désert” for its rocky desert-like peaks. You will hear the island pronounced Mt. Dez´-ert and Mt. De-zert´. Acadia National Park comprises 46,000 acres of the island. Cadillac Mountain is the tallest (1530 feet) of the 26 mountains in the park and is THE place to watch the sun rise and set. There are 50 miles of carriage roads to walk or bike and 120 miles of hiking trails in the park. You just may want to expand your stay to explore the islands and villages, hike, shop, fish or sail. Whatever you decide, pack your bathing suits, fleece jackets and drawing supplies and join us in Maine!

Copyright © Dick Rauh