May events in Mechanics' Hall

 First Tuesday Book Club,May 6th

Mountains beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder (biography)
“[A] masterpiece . . . an astonishing book that will leave you questioning your own life and political
views . . . Kidder opens a window into Farmer’s soul, letting the reader peek in and see what truly makes the good doctor tick.”
—USA Today
This compelling and inspiring book shows how one person can work wonders. In Mountains Beyond Mountains, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Tracy Kidder tells the true story of a gifted man who loves the world and has set out to do all he can to cure it.
In medical school, Paul Farmer found his life’s calling: to
cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of
modern medicine to those who need them most. Kidder’s magnificent account takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia as Farmer changes minds and practices through his dedication to the philosophy that “the only real nation is humanity.” At the heart of this book is the example of a life based on hope and on an understanding of the truth of the Haitian proverb “Beyond mountains there are mountains”—as you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too.
“Mountains Beyond Mountains unfolds with a force of gathering revelation,” says Annie Dillard, and Jonathan Harr notes, “[Paul Farmer] wants to change the world. Certainly this luminous and powerful book will change the way you see it.”..............http://www.tracykidder.com/books/mountains/

Meeting held in the Maine Charitable Mechanic Assoc. Library at noon.  519 Congress St. Portland ME, second floorElevator accessible
Bring a lunch; dessert and drinks (tea or lemonade) provided.
All are welcome. Pre-reading of the book is not required.FMI call Pat at 773-8396 or mcma1857@gmail.com 

ZOO CAIN ART EXHIBIT-"Mixed up Media Show"
May artist in the library, viewing -Tuesday, Wed. and Thursday, 10:00 am-3:00 pm

April Events in the Mechanics' Hall

First Tuesday Book Club,April 1st

Any Title by Jane Austen  (our classic selection) @ Noon

Thursday, April 3rd member Lesley MacVane will have a private opening for her art exhibit “2X2X4” on the second floor in the old class room next to the library, 2 Families- 2 Generations-4 Artists. 

Members and friends are invited, exhibit opens at 5:30 pm

Friday,April 4th

First Friday Artwalk and April artist in the library, Tess Morford, exhibiting Ceramics and Pottery.

5:00-8:00 pm Friday and during library hours

 Wed.,April 16, 2014 will be our Annual Members Meeting in our beautiful Ballroom, starting at 5:00PM.

There will be a full program and refreshments, more details to follow!       

Please plan to attend.

MCMA TRAVEL LECTURE                                             

   Monday, April 21st, 2014

       The Heart of San Francisco

Filmed & Presented by-Sandy Mortimer

    The multi-award-winning producer and travel lecturer Sandy Mortimer once again performs her cinematic magic as she guides viewers through one of America's most picturesque cities, San Francisco. Not only does she capture the city's iconic images, from the Golden Gate Bridge, Cable Cars, Golden Gate Park, Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, Coit Tower, Nob Hill, to Alcatraz, but what elevates this program to more than a guided tour is her ability to capture the heart of San Francisco, its people and neighborhoods, its geography of steep hills offering unforgettable vistas of the Bay, its skyline of unique architecture, and a history of moving forward for over 100 years since the devastating 1906 earthquake. Produced by Sandy Mortimer. 2012 JSCA 80 min.

Where?

CATHERINE Mc AULEY HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM

     631 Stevens Avenue

           opposite Evergreen Cemetery

     Parking Lot off Walton St.

         7:30-Doors open @6:45

  Wheelchair accessible

 Free to members and open to the public, a  $5.00 ($4.00 for Seniors/Students)donation suggested for non-members or guests.Dvd’s of the travel lecture are also usually available  to buy from the presenter.

FMI, CALL THE LIBRARY AT 773-8396 OR e-mail mcma1857@gmail.com

MCMA March Events

First Tuesday Book Club, March 4th

      Any Title by Elizabeth Strout   (Maine author)

http://www.elizabethstrout.com/about/

About Elizabeth Strout  

Elizabeth Strout was born in Portland, Maine, and grew up in small towns in Maine and New Hampshire.  From a young age she was drawn to writing things down, keeping notebooks that recorded the quotidian details of her days.  She was also drawn to books, and spent hours of her youth in the local library lingering among the stacks of fiction.  During the summer months of her childhood she played outdoors, either with her brother, or, more often, alone, and this is where she developed her deep and abiding love of the physical world: the seaweed covered rocks along the coast of Maine, and the woods of New Hampshire with its hidden wildflowers.

During her adolescent years, Strout continued writing avidly, having conceived of herself as a writer from early on.  She read biographies of writers, and was already studying – on her own – the way American writers, in particular, told their stories.  Poetry was something she read and memorized; by the age of sixteen was sending out stories to magazines.  Her first story was published when she was twenty-six.

Strout attended Bates College, graduating with a degree in English in 1977.  Two years later, she went to Syracuse University College of Law, where she received a law degree along with a Certificate in Gerontology.  She worked briefly for Legal Services, before moving to New York City, where she became an adjunct in the English Department of Borough of Manhattan Community College.  By this time she was publishing more stories in literary magazines and Redbook and Seventeen.  Juggling the needs that came with raising a family and her teaching schedule, she found a few hours each day to work on her writing.

First Friday Artwalk, March Artist in the Mechanics’ Library Virginia March-"Art on the Spot".  "If you have a frame that needs new life, bring it in and let Virginia's inspiration fill it with magic."  

Virginia A. March

2014

“I just turned nine on February 4^th.  I love to draw.  From the age of four I would use every scrap of paper I could find to draw on.  I have done a little art in acrylic, oil pastels, and collage but I prefer colored pencil drawings.  My best style of drawings are animated characters.  Although I love drawing my other love is fashion.

My dream is to do fashion or interior design.  I like drawing scenes inside a house.  I love clothes and creating outfits.  Drawing gives me the chance to create fashions, design and have fun.

I hope you like my art”.

MCMA TRAVEL LECTURE
Monday,March 24, 2014 Buddy Hatton presents
“The Treasures of Taiwan”
For more info checkout http://www.buddyhatton.com

“Taiwan hasn’t yet made it to the top of everybody’s “to visit” list, but, it’s partially a result of people not quite knowing what Taiwan has to offer. See what lies on this small island – a world of contrasts and mixed cultural influences you’re not likely to find anywhere else on the planet. Taiwan offers a hi-tech society, a culture filled with traditions and an aboriginal soul. Partial highlights in Taipei: Chiang Kai-Shek and Sun Yat Sen Memorials, Elephant Hill, Dragon Boat Races, Ye Liu Scenic Park, Grand Hotel, Yang Ming Shan Sulfur Springs, Fish Markets, Taipei 101, Shilin Night market for the infamous stinky tofu. Sun Moon Lake; Taroko Gorge National Park; Wulai Hot Springs.”

CATHERINE Mc AULEY HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM 631 Stevens Avenue
opposite Evergreen Cemetery Parking Lot off Walton St.
7:30-Doors open @6:45 Wheelchair accessible
Free to members and open to the public, a $5.00 ($4.00 for Seniors/ Students)donation suggested for non-members or guests.Dvd’s of the travel lecture are also usually available to buy from the presenter.
FMI, CALL THE LIBRARY AT 773-8396 OR e-mail mcma1857@gmail.com 

February Events at the MCMA

MONDAY, Feb. 3rd, "LOUISIANA STORY" The last Film of the Robert Flaherty(1948) winter film series held at the MHS auditorium

“Documentary film pioneer Robert Flaherty's last feature is his most beautifully photographed work, but it also proved to be his most controversial as well. Sponsored by Standard Oil, the film can be seen as a paean to the minimal effect an oil company can have on the wilderness it seeks to exploit. Flaherty also picked a cast of amateur players to act out a simple story of a young Cajun boy (Joseph Boudreaux) and his parents living in Louisiana's magnificent bayou country almost side-by-side with a huge oil derrick, so the film's status as a nonfiction film has been challenged.The boy is at first disturbed by the clanging machinery, but the workers at the derrick soon show him the benefits of their labors and promise to leave the land unscathed when they've finished drilling. Aside from the arguable message the film's sponsor promotes, Flaherty's film is a continuation of his lifelong exploration of man's relationship to his natural environment, in such films as Nanook of the North and Man of Aran. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi”.............Internet source..”Rotten Tomatoes”

The film will shown at the;

Earle G. Shettleworth Jr. Lecture Hall

Maine Historical Society

489 Congress St., parking off Brown St. in the rear of MHS

film begins at 7:30pm, Doors open at 7:00 pm             

Admission- Open to the public, free for MCMA members, $5.00  for non-members and $4.00 for Seniors

First Tuesday Book Club, Feb.4th, 2014
The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein
Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.
Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human
condition, and he see...more......http://www.goodreads.com    Meeting held in the Maine Charitable Mechanic Assoc. Library at noon.
519 Congress St. Portland ME, second floorElevator accessible 
Bring a lunch; dessert and drinks (tea or lemonade) provided.
All are welcome. Pre-reading of the book is not required.
FMI call Pat at 773-8396 or mcma1857@gmail.com

Friday,Feb.7th-First Friday Artwalk, presenting an on going exhibit of ”Pen & Pastels” by artist Marie Galland-Dodin. 5-8:00 pm and on display for the month in the library

Tuesday, Feb.11th, Notice, rescheduled date is Tuesday, Feb. 18th,MCMA library noon time lecture-”Maine Ski Competitions” by Scott Andrews  from the Ski Maine Museum--Maine Charitable Mechanic Assoc. Library at 12;00 NOON

519 Congress St. Portland ME, second floorElevator accessible 
Bring a lunch; dessert and drinks (tea or lemonade) provided.

Friday, Feb. 14th-”Love Your Library and New Members Party on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14 from 4-7 pm in the Ballroom at Maine charitable Mechanic Assn.  All members and guests are invited; new members who have joined in 2013 will be specially acknowledged by the officers and board of MCMA.  There will be music & dancing, refreshments, historical slide show and door prizes. RSVP desired but not required. fmi call 773-8396

MONDAY, FEB. 24TH, 2014-Travel Lecture

 Doug Jones Presents

“Cruising the Orient on the QE 2”  

     Doug Jones, one of America's premier travel film producers, boarded the QE2 halfway through her World Cruise in Sydney Australia. He sailed with her for 40 days through the most exotic ports of the Orient to produce a new film, CRUISING THE ORIENT ON THE QE2.

       The film begins in Sydney Australia. The QE2 sails from Sydney on to Melbourne and Perth before heading to Bali. From Bali the ship continues on to the exotic island nation of Brunei. From Brunei, QE2 sails to Manila and the Philippines. Then the ship makes its way to Hong Kong, where we travel overland to Xian and Beijing. The next stop on the Orient cruise is Tokyo and the wonders of Japan. Then QE2 heads back to the South stopping in Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore.

CATHERINE Mc AULEY HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM

     631 Stevens Avenue

           opposite Evergreen Cemetery

     Parking Lot off Walton St.

         7:30-Doors open @6:45

  Wheelchair accessible

 Free to members and open to the public, a  $5.00 ($4.00 for Seniors/Students)donation suggested for non-members or guests.Dvd’s of the travel lecture are also usually available  to buy from the presenter.

FMI, CALL THE LIBRARY AT 773-8396 OR

e-mail  mcma1857@gmail.com

January, 2014 Events

     Artist Marie Galland will be exhibiting  her Mixed Media Art Work on the First Friday Downtown Art Walk Jan. 3rd, 5:00-8:00pm and will be on exhibit for the month January in the library.

            MCMA First Tuesday Book Club

     Jan.7th, 2014-Mr.Churchill’s Secretary by Susan E. MacNeal.

Mr. Churchill's Secretary (Maggie Hope Mystery #1)

by Susan Elia MacNeal (Goodreads Author)

3.6 of 5 stars

For fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Laurie R. King, and Anne Perry, Mr. Churchill’s Secretarycaptures the drama of an era of unprecedented challenge—and the greatness that rose to meet it.

London, 1940. Winston Churchill has just been sworn in, war rages across the Channel, and the threat of a Blitz looms larger by the day. But none of this deters Maggie Hope. She graduated a...more

Paperback, 354 pages

Published April 3rd 2012 by Bantam (first published January 1st 2012)

from-goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10161216-mr-churchill-s-secretary

    Meeting held in the Maine Charitable Mechanic Assoc. Library at noon.519 Congress St. Portland ME, second floor

                    Elevator accessible

    Bring a lunch; dessert and drinks (tea or lemonade) provided.  

    All are welcome. Pre-reading of the book is not required.

    FMI call Pat at 773-8396 ormcma1857@gmail.com

                    JANUARY 8TH, 2014

    The next Quarterly Member Meeting is on Wed., Jan. 8, 2014 at 4:00PM in the MCMA Library.

    We have a lot of exciting things going on and this would be the best way to be a part of it.  Come meet the Board and bring your ideas for keeping the MCMA vibrant.

                Hope to see you there,

                                    Donna Knoblock

                                            MCMA Secretary

    Because of the icy conditions on Dec.9th the film Nanook of the North was canceled at the last minute because of the weather's changing conditions making travel unsafe. And the Maine Historical was very gracious and helpful in rescheduling the film to Monday evening Jan 13th, 2014.

                MCMA Winter Lecture Series

    Monday, Jan.13th, 2014, "Nanook of the North" by Robert J. Flaherty

Nanook of the North (also known as Nanook of the North: A Story Of Life and Love In the Actual Arctic) is a 1922 silentdocumentary film by Robert J. Flaherty. In the tradition of what would later be called salvage ethnography, Flaherty captured the struggles of the Inuk Nanook and his family in the Canadian arctic. The film is considered the first feature-length documentary....................The film was shot near Inukjuak, on Hudson Bay in northern Quebec, Canada. Having worked as a prospector and explorer in Arctic Canada among the Inuit, Flaherty was familiar with his subjects and set out to document their lifestyle.....copied from Wikipedia

Monday Jan.27th, 2014

Man of Aran (1934)

Flaherty's 'Man of Aran'

By ANDRE SENNWALD.

Published: October 19, 1934

“Robert Flaherty, the mellow wanderer with a camera, has made a memorable film out of the tragic and beautiful fundamentals of human behavior in his "Man of Aran," which British Gaumont presented at the Criterion last evening. With the fervor of a poet and the skill of a magnificent cameraman he once more examines the theme which lies close to his heart, the grim and ceaseless struggles of primitive beings to preserve their lives against the crushing assaults of their environment. As in his "Nanook of the North," he strips his new work of dramatic artifice and plunges it to the heart of earthy and basic experience. It is bare, cruel and authentically real; it is ardent with life, and it represents the pure cinema at its best. Expelling everything which is artistically alien to the camera, Mr. Flaherty employs only one ally, and that is music.”       

Internet source

The films will shown at the;

            Earle G. Shettleworth Jr. Lecture Hall 

         Maine Historical Society

    489 Congress St., parking off Brown St. in the rear of MHS

    film begins at 7:30pm, Doors open at 7:00pm            

                Admission- Open to the public, free for MCMA members, $5.00  for non-members and $4.00 for Seniors

MCMA DEC.EVENTS.

  Dec.3rd,2013 MCMA-First Tuesday Book Club

Glass castle by Jeanette Walls

“Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever”.....from Amazon.com

The MCMA library book club meets on the first Tuesday of each month in the library at 
12:00 noon, bring a sandwich, dessert coffee and tea provided.

  For more information you can call   Pat @ 773-8396 during libraryhours,Tue.,Wed,Thurs.10:00 am to 3:00 pm, 519 Congress St, 0r e-mail  mcma1857@gmail.com

First Friday downtown Artwalk should be festive with Congress St closed to car traffic.It will be a "potpourri" of Authors and Artists on the second Library in Mechanics' Hall, 519 Congress St.,elevator accessible. 

Featuring Artist & Authors

Joanne Fitzpatrick and her Pressed Flower Cards

Author John Moon-"Portland, Then and Now"

Paintings and Quilt work by Madeline Young
On going exhibit of Liz Potter-"Tree Cookie Art"

Author Rebecca Goodale, Chilren's Books(Island Dog) & Art 

Illustrator Michael Connors

Author Illustrator Patrick Harrison-"Quiet Courage"

Monday Dec.9th@7:30 pm

The first of the  three MCMA winter film series  of documentary filmmaker  Robert Flaherty,showing in a new venue at the MHS lecture Hall-Monday Dec.9th@7:30 pm

North (also known as Nanook of the North: A Story Of Life and Love In the Actual Arctic) is a 1922 silent documentary film by Robert J. Flaherty. In the tradition of what would later be called salvage ethnography, Flaherty captured the struggles of the Inuk Nanook and his family in the Canadian arctic. The film is considered the first feature-length documentary....................The film was shot near Inukjuak, on Hudson Bay in northern Quebec, Canada. Having worked as a prospector and explorer in Arctic Canada among the Inuit, Flaherty was familiar with his subjects and set out to document their lifestyle.....copied from Wikipedia

The film will shown at the;

Earle G. Shettleworth Jr. Lecture Hall   Maine Historical Society489 Congress St., parking off Brown St. in the rear of MHS            

 film begins at 7:30pm, Doors open at 7:00pm            

Admission- Open to the public, free for MCMA members,               $5.00  for non-members and $4.00 for Seniors

MCMA NOV. NEWS & EVENTS

MCMA NOVEMBER ARTIST in the Library

LIZ POTTER 
NOVEMBER 1st,2013

“Liz enjoys incorporating her love for nature and her love for art by painting on pieces on natural-edged reclaimed wood. She affectionately calls her canvases “tree cookies”, and the preparation for them is almost as intensive as the art making. Her work is bright and bold, drawing influence from the Art Nouveau movement, comics, and children's books.”

Friday Nov. 1st
519 Congress St. Portland Me. Second Floor 
Elevator accessible 

Art Illustration- Exhibit opens on The First Friday Downtown Art Walk, Nov.1st, 5:00-8:00pm

On exhibit in the
library for the month of November, viewable during library hours; Tues,Wed & Thurs. 10:00 am-3:00 pm, for more info PH.#773-8396 or e-mail at-

mcma1857@gmail.com or check out Liz Potter at - lizpotterart.com 

Nov.5th,2013 MCMA-First Tuesday Book Club

"White dog fell from the sky" by Eleanor Morse

Meet Local author Eleanor Morse Who will be attending 

  “Botswana, 1976. Isaac Muthethe thinks that he is dead. Smuggled across the border from South Africa in a hearse, he awakens covered in dust, staring at blue sky and the face of White Dog. Far from dead, he is, for the first time, in a country without apartheid. A medical student in South Africa, he was forced to flee after witnessing a friend murdered by white members of the South African Defense Force.
  Walking along the road into Gaborone, Botswana’s capital, White Dog following close behind, a chance encounter with an old school acquaintance changes the course of his life”..........For more info-  

http://eleanormorse.com/bkDog.html

The MCMA library book club meets on the first Tuesday of each month in the library at 12:00 noon, bring a sandwich, dessert coffee and tea provided.

  For more information you can call   Pat @ 773-8396 during library

hours,Tue.,Wed,Thurs.10:00 am to 3:00 pm, 519 Congress St.

                                            0r e-mail  mcma1857@gmail.com

Monday Nov.18th-Travel lecture
“Eastern Canada” presented by John Holod and Jodie Ginter

The Canadian Maritimes are a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Our video includes the Gaspe Peninsula and Newfoundland/ Labrador for a spectacular adventure that should be on every travelers "to do" list! The video includes: Tadoussac - whale watching - St. Lawrence River - lighthouse history - Forillon National Park - Bonaventure Island and Percé Rock.

http://www.rvadventurevideos.com/videos.php#eastcanada

CATHERINE Mc AULEY HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM

     631 Stevens Avenue

           opposite Evergreen Cemetery

     Parking Lot off Walton St.

         7:30-Doors open @6:45

  Wheelchair accessible

Free to members and open to the public, a  $5.00 ($4.00 for Seniors/Students)donation suggested for non-members or guests.Dvd’s of the travel lecture are also usually available  to buy from the presenter.

FMI, CALL THE LIBRARY AT 773-8396 OR

e-mail  mcma1857@gmail.com