The Bollard Bulletin: November 21, 2024
What Trump got right about Portland
WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED
It is not safe to walk the streets of Portland at night. That’s a tragic fact about Maine’s largest city, and until we accept this fact and take real action to address it, more people like my friend Christine will get hurt, or worse.
Last Sunday, Christine Arsensault, a working mom who raised two daughters in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood, posted selfies on social media taken after she was attacked while walking home in her neighborhood. She wrote that she felt compelled to do so after two neighbors told her of similar recent attacks.
TV news covered her story and contacted our police department for comment. “Portland police would not comment on Arsenault's case, but say they have not seen an increase in assaults in the city, adding they have no reason to believe there's a serial attacker assaulting Portland women,” Anna Coon of WGME reported.
That’s classic law enforcement spin on an intolerable public safety breakdown. Who gives a fuck if cops have “seen an increase” in street crime or not when the amount of street crime is such that residents fear being outside after sunset? And there doesn’t have to be a “serial attacker” on the loose to sound the alarm.
Don’t expect the tourism-and-development boosters in City Hall to be honest about this situation either. They serve to protect property values from stories like Christine’s.
President-elect Trump is wrong about just about everything, but like the proverbial clock, he is correct about exactly two things: the war in Ukraine must end and big cities in this country are crime-infested shitholes. We cannot allow our political shades to blind us to reality. The Democrats in charge of Portland and Maine have utterly failed to keep our cities safe, and the degree to which we give them a pass because they’re not Trumpist goons is the degree to which we’re cutting our own throats.
Universal housing and health care, particularly for mental heath and substance abuse, are obvious antidotes to the plague of random street violence. The Dems in charge of our city and state have simply never been willing to raise the public money (from the rich and big corporations) necessary to ensure public safety through those social supports, relying instead on cops and cages that cause more crime than they prevent. Until we demand they change course and embrace science and logic, this horrible shit will continue.
And until then, Christine’s advice and ideas are worth heeding. Never walk alone in Portland at night. Be aware of your surroundings at all times (take out the ear buds, bud!). And note: cops didn’t save Christine that night; her friends and neighbors did. In the absence of competent and effective government, we must look out for one another. Keep your porch lights on and (when it’s not too cold) your windows open. Always respond to calls of distress immediately (you can call 911 later; chances are they won’t arrive in time anyway). Offer friends and acquaintances a ride home or ride fare if they need it.
Portland’s city management, elected officials and police have all failed us big-time, and there’s sure as hell not gonna be any help from Washington. Our only hope is our own community. Let’s start living and acting like we have one.
Music
Andy’s Old Port Pub
Henry Honkonen
7 p.m., no cover (all ages)
The Apohadion Theater
Ed Mitchell Quintet, The Jays, Sean Ahern, Dylan Jarrell
8 p.m., $10-$20 (all ages)
Blue Portland Maine
Gumscab, Prayer Position, Pocket Knife, Qualms (hardcore)
7 p.m., $12-$15 (21+)
Camp Pennant
Mike Taylor & Nate Soule
6 p.m., no cover (all ages)
Chocolate Church Arts Center
Groovetide (jam rock)
7:30 p.m., $10 (all ages)
The Frog & Turtle
Ciers MacKensie
7 p.m., no cover (all ages)
Henry’s Public House
King Kyote (singer/songwriter)
7 p.m., no cover (all ages)
Lenny’s Pub
Cumberland Crossing (bluegrass)
6:30 p.m., no cover
Mayo Street Arts
Hildaland, Liz Simmons with Casey Murray (string music)
8 p.m., $12-$15 (all ages)
One Longfellow Square
The Portland Jazz Orchestra
8 p.m., $15-$20 ($10 seniors, $7 students)
Portland House of Music
Assembly of Dust
8 p.m., $35 (21+)
Portland Public Library (5 Monument Sq.)
Timothy Burris (classical guitar)
noon, free
The Thirsty Pig
Skip the One Man Band
4 p.m., no cover (all ages)
Three Dollar Deweys
Don Campbell Duo (country)
6 p.m., no cover (all ages)
club guide
Performing Arts
Poetry showcase featuring Trans Poetics Archive and past Portland poet laureate Maya Williams at Novel Book Bar & Cafe (643 Congress St., Portland) at 7 p.m. Free (RSVP at novelmaine.com). 370-9593.
The Broadway-style burlesque show Red Hot & Ladylike at The Hill Arts (76 Congress St., Portland) at 7:30 p.m. Tix: $20-$24. 347-7177. thehillarts.me.
Happenings
Frederic L. Thompson discusses the life and work of Maine portrait artist Mary Neal Richardson at Mechanics’ Hall (519 Congress St., Portland) at 6 p.m. Free. 773-8396. mechanicshallmaine.org.
Visual Arts
82Parris Shadows We Saw on the Way Home, a group show, shows through Nov. 22. Hours: Fri. noon-2 p.m., Fri. and Sat. noon-3 p.m. 82 Paris St., Portland. 82parris.com.
The Barter Art House Works by Matt Barter, Philip Barter, and pottery by Tim Fischer show through November. Hours: Wed.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 68 Cumberland St., Brunswick. 460-1453. thebarterarthouse.com.
Bowdoin College Museum of Art
• Witnessing War: Ogawa Kazumasa and Visual Culture in Early Twentieth-Century Japan shows through Dec. 15
• Re/Framing the Collection: New Considerations in European and American Art, 1475-1875 shows through Dec. 31
• Currents: Art Since 1875 shows through March 2, 2025
• Etruscan Gifts: Artifacts from Early Italy shows through Feb. 9. 2025
• Hello, Stranger: Artist as Subject in Photographic Portraits since 1900 shows through March 23
Free admission. Hours: Tues., Wed., Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thurs. 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sun. 1 p.m.-5 p.m. 245 Maine St., Brunswick. 725-3275. bowdoin.edu.
Casco Bay Artisans A Few of My Favorite Things, paintings by Diane Dahlke, shows through November, along with new paintings by Paul Brahms. Hours: Mon., Thurs. and Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 68 Commercial St., Portland. 536-1577. cascobayartisans.com.
Center for Maine Contemporary Art i forgot to remember, large-scale works by Katarina Weslien, and From the Collection of Lord Red, wall sculptures by Kyle Downs, show through May 4. Cut, Bend, Burn, photography by Letha Wilson, and Paint the Air, paintings by Lauren Luloff, show through Jan. 12. Hours: Wed.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m. Admission: $10 ($8 students and seniors, under 18 free). 21 Winter St., Rockland. 701-5005. cmcanow.org.
Colby Museum of Art
• Eastman Johnson and Maine, 19th century paintings by Johnson, shows through Dec. 8
• Surface Tension: Etchings From the Collection, shows through Jan. 12
• Alex Katz: Repititions, paintings by Katz, shows through March 29, 2026.
• Into the Wind: American Weathervanes shows through June 8
• Some American Stories, works from the museum’s Lunder Wing, shows through Sept. 26, 2026
Free admission. Hours: Tues., Wed., Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thurs. 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m. 5600 Mayflower Hill, Waterville. 859-5600. colby.edu.
Cove Street Arts Just Between Us, work by Thaddeus Holownia, Lissa Hunter and Tom Hall, shows through Nov. 30. Homescapes / Travelscapes, photography by Reid & Nina Callanan, shows through Dec. 7; Foundations, work by Ben Boothby, Celeste Henriquez, Geoff Masland, Dean McCrillis, shows through Dec. 14. Hours: Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sat. 10 a,m,-5 p.m. 71 Cove St., Portland. 808-8911. covestreetarts.com.
Farnsworth Art Museum
• Magwintegwak: A Legacy of Penobscot Basketry shows through Jan. 5
• Lynne Drexler: Color Notes, paintings by Drexler, shows through Jan. 12
• Andrew Wyeth: 1982, painting by Wyeth, shows through March 23.
Hours: Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission: $20 ($18 seniors, $10 students, under 16 free). 16 Museum St., Rockland. 596-6457. farnsworthmuseum.org.
Greenhut Galleries Foundlings and Flowerings, work by Crystal Cawley and Maret Hensick, shows through Nov. 30. Hours: Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 146 Middle St., Portland. 772-2693. greenhutgalleries.com.
The Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art & Design Objects and Power, a group exhibition exploring power relationships in the art world, shows through Dec. 13. Hours: Wed., Fri.-Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Thurs. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 522 Congress St., Portland. 800-639-4808. meca.edu.
LA Arts Gallery Homecoming, paintings by Sam Onche, shows through Dec. 20. Hours: Tues.-Thurs. 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Fri. noon-6 p.m. 168 Lisbon St., Lewiston. 782-7228. laarts.org.
Maine Jewish Museum The Teaching of Isaac Luria to Reflections on Melville and Other Paintings, by Arthur Yanoff; A Paler Shade, paintings by Yvonne Maiden; and Echoes of the Other, paintings and photography by Don Peterson, show through Jan. 3. Hours: Mon., Wed.-Fri. and Sun. noon-4 p.m. Free admission. 773-2339. mainejewishmuseum.org.
Maine Historical Society Rearranging History: Waynflete School & Maine Memory Network, collage and other artwork by students using historic images of Maine, shows through Dec. 31. Music in Maine, artwork, photography, clothing, instruments and objects documenting Maine’s musical history, shows through Dec. 31. Maine’s Untold Vegetarian History shows through May 17. Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: $10 ($5 kids 6-17). 489 Congress St., Portland. 774-1822. mainehistory.org.
Maine Museum of Photographic Arts Energy in Flux, a group exhibition, shows through Nov. 30. Hours: Tues., Thurs.-Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Donations encouraged. 15 Middle St., Portland. 808-8919. mainemuseumofphotographicarts.com.
Mayo Street Arts Veil/a fine thread of sanity, work by Bee Daniel, Brian Doody and Sam Kemmerer, shows through Dec. 22 by appointment. 879-4629. mayostreetarts.org.
Moss Galleries Falmouth Gallery (251 Rte. 1; 781-2620): Here and There, Then and Now, oil and watercolor paintings by Marguerite Robichaux, and If You Want to Be My Lover, gouache-on-paper works by Annika Earley, show through Nov. 23. Portland Gallery (100 Fore St., 804-0459): Light in Every Room, paintings by Gail Spaien and Lynne Drexler, shows through Jan. 4. Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (both locations). elizabethgmossgalleries.com.
NOTCH8 Gallery 8x8, a group exhibition, shows through Dec. 14. Hours: Thurs.-Sat. 2-6 p.m. 58 Center St., Portland. 358-9433. notch8art.com.
Ocean House Gallery A selection of work from the gallery archive shows through Nov. 22. Hours: Tues.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 93 Ocean St., South Portland. 956-1988. oceanhousegallery.com.
Portland Art Gallery Paintings by Eric Hopkins, Jill Hoy, Mary Lynn Burke and William Crosby show through November. Hours: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. 956-7105. portlandartgallery.com.
Portland Museum of Art As We Are, work in various media by 14 artists, shows through April 27; Peggy Bacon: Biting, never Bitter, shows through Feb. 2. Passages in American Art, works from the museum collection, is ongoing. Hours: Wed., Thurs., Sat. & Sun. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Fri. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Admission: $20 ($18 seniors and students; under 21 free). 775-6148. portlandmuseum.org.
Portland Public Library O Lar: Illustrators Inspired by Home, work by various artists, shows through Dec. 31. Hours: Mon., Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tues.-Thurs. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 871-1700. portlandlibrary.com.
Richard Boyd Art Gallery Serenity, a group show of paintings, shows through Nov. 29. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. 15 Epps St., Peaks Island. 712-1097. richardboydpottery.com.
SPACE Proto-Farm Communities (What If We Get It Right?), photo collage by Olalekan Jeyifous, shows through Dec. 1 in the gallery window. Hours: Thurs. & Fri. noon-6 p.m., Sat. noon-4 p.m. 534 Congress St., Portland. 828-5600. space538.org.