August 3, 2026 - August 29, 2026

Currently on display at the Blue Hill Public Library is, “Honoring Frank,” a comprehensive exhibit at the Blue Hill Public Library of the works of Francis Hamabe (1917-2002), beginning with prints created in the 1940s while he was overseas during World War II, until his last drawings, made from a hospital bed in 2002. “Honoring Frank” will open on August 3^rd and continue to the 29^th. The public is invited to an opening reception on Friday, August 7^th from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.  The special exhibit is presented in conjunction with the Castine Historical Society, which is hosting “Francis Hamabe’s Maine: A Life in Art” through October 12.

Works on display will include cartoons, cubist style paintings, abstract works, painted ceramics, silkscreens on nautical charts, and posters. Frank was multifaceted as he worked fluidly between his varied styles depicting images of Blue Hill, his home for 47 years, and coastal and eastern Maine towns from Camden to Bangor to Machias in watercolors and prints.

The artists Hamabe most admired were Stuart Davis, Alexander Calder, and John Marin, whose influence is evident in Hamabe’s recurring themes of  harbor views, fishing boats, churches, Maine villages, and children playing.  His work was also rooted in both the Japanese and Swedish cultures, reflecting his own heritage. His later calligraphic images leap off the page in exuberant color with gestural movement, while his line drawings of village life are reminiscent of Scandinavian folk designs.

Many of the works included in the exhibit are on loan from private collectors, some of whom worked with him at the University of Maine in Orono when he was the director for the Maine Public radio station. Down East Magazine covers, greeting cards, notes, and the leather satchel he used to carry his painting supplies will be on view. There will be a selection of prints and paintings for sale with part of the proceeds benefiting the library.

Accompanying the exhibit is a catalogue featuring items culled from the library’s Hamabe archives, donated by his widow, Phyllis Hamabe, in 2012.  These items touch on his early years in Orange, New Jersey where he was born and raised, the son of a Japanese immigrant father and Swedish immigrant mother.  Photographs document his time as an enlisted medic in the US Army and later as the first art teacher at the Farnsworth Museum.  Also included are press clippings from his puppet performances, his 1996 honorary degree from the University of Maine at Machias, and recollections from students, colleagues, and friends who knew him best.

Frank was an artist of extraordinary kindness and generosity, who loved his family, friends, and community.  Ultimately his legacy, through his work and the lives he touched, is one of joy and laughter.

“Honoring Frank” is curated by Jennifer Mitchell-Nevin, Anne Nevin, and Marcia Stremlau. The exhibition will be available for viewing during library hours in the Britton Gallery and Roland Howard Room through August 29^th, with access to artwork in the Howard Room subject to the meeting schedule. For more information contact the library at 374-5515.