An Ode to Summers By the Sea
The simplicity of childhood summers in Maine is etched into memory, where my family followed the serpentine roads to visit my grandparents’ rustic retreat at Martin’s Point. There, hidden behind the charm of tidal pools and the launching arc of perfected stone skips, lay an environment quietly accumulating the debris of human neglect.
Reflecting Through the Lens of History
Decades later, my journey took me to the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, where John McKee’s evocative photography exhibition, “As Maine Goes,” resurrected those summers. McKee’s lens captured the burgeoning environmental ruin of the 1960s, a testament to both oblivion and awakening, echoing the need for change then and now.
Photography: Pausing Time to See Clearly
Photography offers a moment of reflection: a static glimpse allowing forgotten details to resurface. McKee’s work frames Maine’s 1960s coastlines as they struggled with unchecked tourism and industrial waste. His images, harmonizing the state’s natural beauty with the stark evidence of ecological disregard, stir a persistent resonance today.
Transformation or Persistence?
Maine’s coastal management has seen triumphs, the visible litter receding thanks to systemic changes. Yet, the unseen makes its silent advance—excessive runoff, chemically saturated waters, and closures like that of Harpswell Cove due to pollution. This insidious threat demands another movement of McKee’s magnitude to stir collective vigilance.
Looking Inward, Planning Forward
The health of Maines’s coastlines now lies obscured under the surface, in stark contrast to the vibrancy of visible cleanliness achieved. Learning from the past, we tread cautiously forward, understanding that sustainability requires foresight and action against the chemical pathways flowing from everyday lives into our cherished waters.
As Maine Goes, So May We All
Underlining the exhibit’s importance, “As Maine Goes” urges us to reflect on past transformations and imagine proactive solutions. The imagery connects a passage in Maine’s history with the timeless struggle for sustainable stewardship. As McKee’s exhibit closes, we are left to ponder Maine’s next transformational chapter—an invitation to embrace change.
Go witness McKee’s chronicle until November 9 and allow the images to stir recollections of what once was, all while contemplating Maine’s future—a future shaped by us.