Featured News

Joyce Tenneson Wins Lifetime Achievement Award

Joyce Tenneson, Maine Media Workshops (MMW) instructor and former board member, received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) on January 17, 2012 at the Imagining USA convention in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Internationally lauded as one of the leading photographers of her generation, Tenneson is the author of sixteen books. Her work has been exhibited around the world and is included in the collections of many museums. An American Photo poll voted her among the ten most influential women photographers in the history of photography. Her work graces numerous magazine covers including Time, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, Premiere, Esquire, and The NY Times Magazine. She was named “Photographer of the Year” by Women in Photography, and awarded both the International Center of Photography’s “Infinity” award and the coveted Lucie Award’s “Professional Fine Art Photographer of the Year”.

Vicki Goldberg, New York Times critic and author, writes, "Tenneson possesses a unique vision which makes her photographs immediately recognizable. She creates enigmatic and sensuous images that are timeless and haunting." Tenneson has been teaching at Maine Media Workshops for thirty years. She says, "My workshops are a learning lab where the students are encouraged to make photographs that reflect their exploration of their own creative roots."

This spring and summer Joyce will teach a new workshop that she developed to enrich the personal photographic journey of each participant. This workshop, "Photographing from the Heart," will be offered twice at MMW: May 6 – 12 and July 15 - 21.  Come enjoy the magic of Maine's spiritual landscape and brilliant light, and give yourself the gift of a memorable week.

Writing by the Sea in Maine

Every writer’s dream must be to wake up one day in a place where the pressures and distractions of one’s daily routine have miraculously disappeared. A place where one’s sole obligation is to the writing gods, where one has time and space to think about a story, go deep, build, revise, throw away perhaps and then rebuild it again with stronger foundations. For our group of twelve screenwriters from the Columbia Film MFA program, Maine Media Workshops was indeed such a place. During our 7 days there, everything was generously taken care of, and as opposed to working in the chaotic city of New York, we were offered time and space to create.

The beautiful setting of Rockport plays a vital role. At night we ate at the nearby restaurants, my personal favourite being the terrific Shepherd’s Pie. In between writing sessions we took walks, most of them involving the seashore. I myself am from Iceland and standing by the Rockport Harbour looking out at the vast and majestic winter sea, I felt very close to home.

In Antonioni’s 1964 film, Red Desert, a character says, “The more I look at the sea, the more I lose interest in what happens on land”. The sea is indeed a perfect place to rest your gaze while solving story problems, and I wasn’t the only one doing so. Here and there I could see my fellow screenwriters looking out onto the vastness, no doubt immersed in the world of their screenplays. We all left Maine with new and stronger drafts, eager to come back to this wonderful place!

Our deepest thanks,

Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir, Columbia Film M.F.A. Candidate

Invitation to Friday’s Film Screenings and After Party

This Friday, February 3, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., enjoy the collaborative work of The Farnsworth Art Museum and The Strand Theatre for Rockland Shorts: An International Film Series. This premiere screening at The Strand Theatre in Rockland, Maine will feature a dozen films followed by a question and answer session via Skype with Mike Mills, 2012 Academy Award nominee for Best Director.

After the screening and discussion, go around the corner to The Yvette Torres Fine Art Gallery, 21 Winter Street, for the after party featuring hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and dancing to D.J. Sergio Kawasaki’s tunes. All of this for only $10 for Farnsworth members and $12 for non-members!

Mark your calendar for the April 6 and June 1 Rockland Shorts showings. And, if you are a filmmaker, make a plan to submit your short film.

While there, visit with one of Rockland Short’s program directors and Maine Media Workshop’s instructor, Sally Levi. Then, expand your knowledge and filmmaking expertise at Maine Media Workshops' Four-Week Film School under the direction of film icon, Sally Levi.