Georges River Land Trust brings "SEED" a series of participatory art experiences to Midcoast Maine, in collaboration with 2026 Maine Arts Commission Visual Arts Fellow Lihua Lei Farley.

SEED is a multi-site art project which invites the community to draw closer to the St. George River and respark childlike wonder, according to GRLT, in a news release.

The project will span nearly 50 miles and include participatory opportunities for community members. Project sites include a sculpture installation in Bernard Langlais’s workshop at the Langlais Art Preserve in Cushing; two events along northern and central sections of the St. George River in Thomaston and Searsmont; and a closing performance at a special site where the river meets the sea at Olson Field Preserve in Cushing, 

These events will be connected by the presence and activation of dozens of “seed sculptures.” Crafted by Farley from biodegradable, environmentally safe materials, these ephemeral sculptures contain native riparian seeds, poems, drawings, and letters to the river from Searsmont, Hope, Thomaston, and Cushing fourth graders, and fragments of her own handwritten “heart sutra”—a Buddhist prayer about the interconnection of all things. Attendees at the events will be invited to deliver these hopeful “seeds” to the river through different experiences.

At the opening reception, Friday, June 26, from 4 - 6 p.m., at the Langlais Art Preserve, these sculptures will be on display as part of a larger installation by Farley in the historic Bernard Langlais workshop. This family friendly event will include brief opening remarks by the artist, a butterfly wing-making art activity, native riparian plant presentation, and a special reading by one of the project’s student participants.

As a child in Taiwan, Farley remembers making a boat out of a large bamboo leaf, placing it into the water, and then following it downstream to see where it would go. That sense of wonder about the natural world continues to shape her work today.

“The only way we can understand our natural environment,” she says, “is to imagine ourselves as the water, a fish, a plant, or a butterfly. We have to think of the river as being like a vein in our body.”

Farley came to Maine in 1998 to attend the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture and has remained here ever since. Now based in Cushing, with a studio overlooking Broad Cove on the St. George River, Farley explores themes of healing, transformation, and humanity’s relationship to the natural world through sculpture, installation, and performance. Marked by childhood polio and years of physical and emotional pain, she came to art for its capacity to hold suffering and foster empathy. She has shown her work at the Colby Museum, CMCA, and the Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts, among other venues.

"Farley and Georges River Land Trust hope SEED will inspire participants to see themselves as part of the river’s living system—and to care more deeply for its future," said the news release.

See the full schedule of events below and visit georgesrvier.org/events to reserve your spot.

Opening Reception

Langlais Art Preserve, Cushing | Friday, June 26, 4-6 PM

SEED Community Paddle

Thomaston Harbor Boat Launch | Sunday, July 26, 8:30–11:30 AM

Rain date: Saturday, August 1, 10:30 AM-1:30 PM

Participants should bring their own kayak, canoe, or paddle board and personal flotation device

Messages to the River Family Day

Gibson Preserve, Searsmont | Sunday, August 16, 10 AM–12 PM

Rain or shine

Closing Performance

Olson Field Preserve, Cushing | Saturday, August 22, 5 PM

Rain date: Saturday, August 29, 10 AM

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 more than 5,600 acres of forest, farm, and shoreline, and maintains over 80 miles of public trails in 19 towns from Montville to Cushing. This conservation work is supported by over 1,000 community members. Visit georgesriver.org to join the community and learn more. 

About Langlais Art Preserve

A program of Georges River Land Trust, the Langlais Art Preserve stewards the place-based art environment and creative legacy of Bernard Langlais and provides enriching art experiences that bring people closer to the nature of the St. George River watershed. More information at www.langlaisartpreserve.org.