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AUGUSTA – Two new rotating summer exhibitions focusing on women activists in Maine and the impact of “news deserts” on communities are on display at the First Amendment Museum, 184 State St.
The exhibitions are part of the free guided tours at the museum, which is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
“I Am Woman: Maine Activists” features the works of Maine Contemporary Artist Robert Shetterly. The exhibition features 12 portraits of activists, and 
further highlights the role that women from Maine have played in advancing movements globally and locally – both historically and today. A few of the portraits on view include: Deqa Dhalac, the first Somali-American mayor in the country; U.S. Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, of Skowhegan, who served for more than three decades and was a role model for women aspiring to national politics; and Rachel Louise Carson, a conservationist, biologist, and writer whose groundbreaking book, “Silent Spring” brought new awareness to the global environmental crisis.
“Democracy, Journalism, & the Informed Community: News Deserts” explores the effects of the absence of local journalism: how people become more disconnected from their communities, more uninformed about local events, and less aware of developments that have an impact on their own backyards. Insufficient news coverage has been linked to more corruption in local government, less competitive elections, weaker municipal finances, and the pervasiveness of party-line politicians who don’t care about their constituents. In a five-part podcast series made in partnership with Oral History and Folklife Research, visitors can listen to interviews with Eric Conrad, former executive director and editor, The Maine Monitor; Sarah Fuller, town council chair, Winthrop; Emily Hayes, former reporter and writer, The Lincoln County News; Judy Meyer, managing editor, Sun Journal; and Bill Nemitz, former columnist, Portland Press Herald. The five speak on recent consolidation in the news business leading to absences in local coverage.
PHOTOS: Portraits of influential Maine women by Robert Shetterly on display at the First Amendment Museum include Dega Dhalac, Margaret Chase Smith and Rachel Carson. (Robert Shetterly images)
