Summer retreat
The Maine Art Education Association is pleased to sponsor the 6th annual Summer Art Making retreat - no agenda except for time to breathe, relax, and create. Spouses, partners, family and friends are welcome.
July 29-August 1st at Pilgrim Lodge in West Gardiner, ME — with the option of staying an extra day through the 2nd!
$280 includes all food and lodging
$350 if you choose an extra day until Aug 2nd
All 17 cabins have bathrooms, showers, and screened-in porches and are connected by boardwalk to the Main Lodge. The lodge has 4 large rooms for setting up your projects and a porch with rocking chairs for simply hanging out and gazing at the lake.
NEWS FLASH!! PL held a fundraiser to buy new adult friendly mattresses for the whole camp and met the goal by the end of March! We'll have new mattresses-wooohooo!!
The waterfront (with lifeguards, paddle boards, canoes, and kayaks) is open at least twice a day, sometimes more, should you choose to take a break from art-making. There are also 100 acres of woods with trails and a forest labyrinth for even more natural inspiration.
Join us for three or four days of camaraderie and creativity (and 20 or 25 Contact Hours)! And don't forget to bring items to donate to the Silent Auction AND items to sell at the Artisan's Market.
Please note: Pilgrim Lodge is dry (no alcoholic beverages on site).
Highlights from Summer retreat 2025
By Allie Rimkunas
June 29th. Remember that beautiful day back when it felt like summer had barely begun and it stretched out ahead of us without a thought to the end of August? Now that most of us are back at school, that day is a distant memory. For me it was a day of intense excitement waiting for 50 teachers, artists, and friends to gather at Pilgrim Lodge for our 5th annual MAEA Summer Art Making Retreat. This year we had an influx of friends from Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and even California, in addition to our usual Mainiacs.
People came excited to spread out with their art supplies and have three glorious days to create. We had perfect weather for swimming, paddling, and porch lounging. Projects ran the gamut from drawing, painting, printmaking, and collaging, to clay, bookmaking, rughooking, weaving, and stitching.
Perhaps our most impressive collaboration was Snack Mountain, also known as Mt. Snackmore, a delicious venture that gradually disappeared as our appetites increased.
Artists were spread out from every part of the boardwalk, porches, the Lodge, and even into the Labyrinth. New this year we had an Artisan’s Market where folks could buy and sell their wares. On the last evening we had our final Art show, and of course, the Silent Auction. These were all wildly successful! Best of all we had many opportunities to make new friends, kindle old friendships, and create to our heart’s content in a beautiful setting.
Next year the timing will be different, starting on Wednesday July 29th, and going until August 1st with the option of going an extra day until August 2nd. The details have not been ironed out yet, but stay tuned!
I hope to see more of you next year for year 6 of the MAEA Summer Art Making Retreat!
Refund and Cancellation Policy
We recognize and understand that events come up that require a change in plans. Please understand that this retreat is a symphony of coordinated events. This concurrent timing requires extensive pre-planning, cabin assignments and coordination with the PL permanent staff. The cancellation/refund policy below reflects this. Requests for cancellations and refunds must go through the registrar. 2026 Registrar: Allie Rimkunas (she/her) allie.rimkunas@gorhamschools.org (207)-653-0941
Notification of Cancellation received by: July 15 - 100% conference rate refund minus Paypal fee; July 25 - 50% conference rate refund minus Paypal fee.
Questions
Please reach out to Allie Rimkunas for more info.
