UPDATES FOR 2012
We are gearing up for a great summer season this year. The winter has been full of planning and we are excited to share our developments with you. The Museum will open June 13th, with a special preview party June 12th for the new exhibit. The Cultural Heritage Series has been finalized and the class list and registration form are updated and post here on our website. Please check those out.
This winter, we also improved upon our mission statement and finished putting together our new five year plan outlining our goals for the next few years. Click here to read the Strategic Business Plan, 2012-2015.
Our mission is to increase the the enjoyment, knowledge and pride of our communities by bringing to life the world and inspiring works of Rufus Porter--- a remarkable American artist and inventor.
The Rufus Porter Museum and Cultural Heritage Center, Bridgton, Maine
Exciting New Updates
EXCITING NEWS! Rare 1840 Murals Gifted to the Rufus Porter Museum
* * *
When the Rufus Porter Museum in Bridgton, Maine announced its plans in January to move to an historic house in center Bridgton, it did not know that an exciting new development was waiting. As plans were evolving for an expansion of the museum into a new, attached gallery planned to house the remarkable set of Rufus Porter murals on loan to the museum, another set of exceptional murals in nearby Baldwin, painted by the nephew of Rufus Porter, were deemed at risk.
The James Norton House wall murals in East Baldwin, Maine, signed and dated by Jonathan D. Poor in 1840, have just been donated to the Rufus Porter Museum in Bridgton. The Deed of Gift was signed by owners Glenn and Norma Haines on Saturday, April 2, and the house is being readied for the extrication of the murals. “Although it is preferable to keep the walls in situ, in this instance the owners and the realtor handling the sale of the property have agreed that the walls are of such monumental significance in the folk art world that they should be where they will be conserved and preserved for future generations, rather than at risk of demolition or damage,” said Jane Radcliffe, Board member of the Rufus Porter Museum who was on hand for the transfer.
Read more...
Welcome to Rufus Porter Museum
"Rediscovering the Murals of Jonathan D. Poor"
by Jane Radcliffe.
Click here to open PDF
by Jane Radcliffe.
Click here to open PDF
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Linda is an artist, teacher and scholar of the historic decorative arts known for her research into many of the historic decorative fields, makes her home in Penn Yan, New York. She has taught and lectured for years on various topics such as historic watercolors, school girl arts, love tokens, wall murals and theorem painting. Linda is co-author of The Art of Theorem Painting, and is currently serving as an advisor to the Rufus Porter Museum. Read a great review of her book Folk Art Murals of the Rufus Porter School, New England Landscapes 1825-1845, from the Historical Society of Early American Deocration's Decorator Fall 2011 Issue. Jane is a resident of Hallowell, Maine, served the Maine State Museum in a variety of capacities for close to twenty years, currently as an Adjunct Curator. Since 1988, she has been a partner in Museum Research Associates, a firm specializing in the documentation and computerization of historical collections and records. Their keynote address and new book is the culmination of many years of research on Porter School murals. Jane is a member of the Board of Directors of the Rufus Porter Museum.
