Georges River Land Trust invites the public to experience Apples Jubilee, Saturday, Sept. 6, at Langlais Art Preserve.

This day of apple-centric celebration will include art-making, local tree history, cider pressing and tasting, a pie sale, and more. At the heart of this celebration will be the return of Apple Magic, an immersive, site-specific performance and installation by Rockland-based artist Nate Luce.

Incorporating video, painting, embroidery, monologue, and music, Apple Magic can be experienced through 20-minute guided tours  beginning every hour at the top of the hour from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Apple-themed art projects will be offered in the Preserve’s Teaching Studio from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

John Bunker, founder of the Maine Heritage Orchard in Unity, will present about the history and biology of apple trees in the Midcoast area starting at 1:30 p.m.

Cider pressing demos will take place from 1 - 4 p.m. Rocky Ground Cider will provide tastings from 4 - 6 p.m. Pie will be available for sale all day.

This event is free and open to all ages. Learn more and RSVP at georgesriver.org/events.

Nate Luce’s work explores twenty-first-century community-building through an interdisciplinary creative practice. First presented at the Langlais Preserve in September 2024, Luce’s Apple Magic weaves together artistic biographies with themes related to alchemy, spirituality, and the environmental crises to encourage engagement with the natural world. Luce first explored the concept of guided tours through built environments in his 2020 work Circle of Protection, which was installed in various incarnations across Maine, including the Lincoln Street Center in Rockland and Hewn Oaks' Wild Light Festival. Apple Magic, which is interspersed among Bernard Langlais's monumental wood constructions and in his extant workspaces, is a deepening of this area of Luce’s practice. Selected works from Apple Magic were included in a two-person exhibition, Fruition, at CMCA from February 1 to May 4, 2025.

About the Langlais Art Preserve

Owned and operated by Georges River Land Trust, the Langlais Art Preserve encompasses the homestead and outdoor art environment of Maine sculptor Bernard Langlais (1921–1977) in Cushing, Maine. With over a dozen extant wood sculptures by the artist and over 80 acres of undeveloped conservation land, including 2.3-miles of woodland hiking trails, as well as a robust program of family nature walks and creative workshops, the preserve is a unique destination for art and nature experiences for all ages.

About Georges River Land Trust

Georges River Land Trust has been conserving and caring for the St. George River watershed since 1987. The land trust has conserved over 5,400 acres of forest, farm, and shoreline, and provides over 75 miles of public trails in 16 towns from Cushing to Liberty. This conservation work is supported by over 1,000 community members. Visit georgesriver.org to join the community and learn more.