The Maine Farmland Trust and its Joseph A. Fiore Art Center will host an Open Studio Day from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26, at Rolling Acres Farm, 152 Punk Point Road in Jefferson.
Studios will be occupied by the August artists-in-residence and there will be music on the lawn, performed by Sara Trunzo, and free coffee, tea and ice cream. The resident gardener also will offer hourly garden tours.
Trunzo has a unique take on country music; her songs take from her own history, such as her time running a food bank farm in rural Maine. Her debut album was released in July 2017 and a second is due out sometime this year.
Michel Droge is an abstract painter whose work reflects a poetic connection to the land, climate change research and the philosophy of the sublime.
Estefani Mercedes is an activist artist with deep connections to Maine. She is excavating local Brooksville archives that document a family who escaped political prosecution during the Argentine Dictatorship (1976-1983).
Heather Lyon, the performing arts resident, was born on a farm in Maine. Her art practice is site responsive and she is creating new performance work at the Fiore Art Center, by “responding to this unique place where the connections between art and farming can be explored and lived.”
Rachel Alexandrou, whose organic gardening experience spans a decade, is this year’s seasonal resident gardener. She lives on the grounds and grows produce for the residents.
The Gallery at Rolling Acres also will be open. It is currently showing “Nature Observed: The Landscapes of Joseph Fiore,” featuring oil paintings and pastel drawings of the late artist and environmentalist.
The final Open Studio Day for the summer with new artists-in-residence will be Sept. 30th.
The third annual Agrarian Acts, a celebration of agriculture through music, will follow from 4 to 7 p.m.
This year’s lineup will feature three, all-female bands with deep roots in rural Maine. Sibylline, known for folky harmonies, is comprised of Hannah Daman, Megan and Francesca Martelle. They blend guitar, violin, mandolin and drums (played by Dan Capaldi) to create their atmospheric folk sound. They released their latest album this past May.
Sugarbush, whose most recent album was released in June, is an indie-rock trio featuring Amy Green, Becca Biggs and Camille Giglio. All raised in Maine, these ladies have a passion for speaking truth through their music.
Before the music begins, the Fiore Art Center will hold its monthly Open Studio Day from noon-3 p.m. and feature work from the Center’s August artists-in-residents.
Tickets cost $35 for adults and $15 for children 6-15, young children will be admitted free. Tickets include a meal by Uproot Pie Co. A cash bar will be open. Guests are encouraged to bring their own blankets and chairs to picnic and watch music on the lawn.
For more information, visit mainefarmlandtrust.org.
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