The delights of coastal debris

From “Coast,’’ a collection of smalll altered found objects and constructions, by Abbie Read, at Boston Sculptors Gallery, that recalls a natural history exhibit.

The gallery explains:

The exhibition pays homage to the artist’s strong connection to a particular place, the shoreline of Matinicus Island, in Maine, where Read’s family has had a home since the 1950s.

“Coast’’ emerged from a lifetime of collecting debris there. “Detritus from the shoreline, much of which consists of remnants of the fishing industry, has provided an ongoing inspiration for her artistic practice, finding its way into both two– and three– dimensional work. The exhibition also features a 100–page artist book of drawings.’’

Matinicus Harbor at low tide. Matinicus is the farthest out inhabited U.S. land off the East Coast.

— Photo by Jim Kuhn

Keep your virus off our island!

On Matinicus, 20 miles off Maine’s mainland

From Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com

The reaction of residents of  islands off the New England coast, from big ones, such as Nantucket, to tiny Matinicus, off Maine, to the pandemic has, in a way, been paradoxical. These folks (more than a few of whom tend to be recluses) sometimes feel safer because they are separated by water from the worst COVID case densities, on the mainland, while fearful that a few cases will make their way onto their islands and explode.

There have been some ugly scenes, such as locals stretching chains across driveways of summer people “From Away’’ trying to shelter in place from COVID there and nasty notes.

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Of course,  New England’s islands are a big lure in the summer. I wonder how the vaccination surge will affect how many tourists and vacation-home residents  visit them this summer as they play travel catch-up.

Like going to another country

The harbor of Matinicus island, Maine. It’s the easternmost inhabited island in the United States.

New Englanders like to visit their many islands in the summer, especially Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and those seemingly innumerable islands along the Maine Coast.  Even visiting a big if often over-crowded island such as Martha’s Vineyard can give a nice sense of escape, almost like going to another country.  Unlike a lot of travel, just getting there, mostly by boat, is part of the pleasure. On the other hand, this year many of us feel that we’ve long been trapped on our own little islands on the mainland.

— From Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com