Learn about copyright and ownership issues, contracts, the legalities of E-commerce, and more. Panelists include artist Connie Hayes; Jean McGinnis, executive director of the Maine Center for Creativity, Portland; and Andrew Zulieve, intellectual property attorney. Pre-registration is required.

This is a three-day showcase of a hundred regional artists that includes fifty open studios, gallery exhibits, group shows in Bath, Brunswick, Bowdoinham, and surrounding towns, and a dozen performances, including dance and theater. Sponsored by Five Rivers Arts Alliance.

From Fitz Henry Lane to Leo Brooks to Nancy Morgan-Barnes, the Maine waterfront has caught the eye of artists for centuries. In his slide talk “Artists of the Maine Waterfront” at the Penobscot Marine Museum, art writer and poet Carl Little offers an array of art highlighting this remarkable obsession. In addition to classic Maine waterfront subjects by the likes of Edward Hopper, George Bellows, and Marsden Hartley, Little includes many images by today's artists, including those featured in the show.

Join the Penobscot Marine Museum in its first “wet paint” art auction as part of Searsport’s Fling in to Fall celebration. Arts in all media are invited to create a Searsport scene on the day of the event. A public viewing of the artwork will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. All artists and guests and the community are invited to join a reception and silent auction scheduled to be held in the Old Vestry on the Penobscot Marine Museum Campus.

Start off the Columbus Day weekend with an evening of art in Brunswick and Topsham. More than 130 artists have contributed work to the second annual 10 X 10 Benefit Art Exhibit & Sale on view at Gallery Framing, Points of View Gallery, and Curtis Memorial Library, all on Pleasant Street in Brunswick. This annual event is a benefit for Arts Are Elementary, a nonprofit that brings artist residencies to Brunswick elementary schools. Thirty exhibits and open studios are open across downtown Brunswick and Topsham during this self-guided walk.

“Promoting Your Arts Event: Pixels, Press Releases, and Web Calendars” is the subject of the Five Rivers Arts Alliance Members meeting at Frontier Café, Cinema + Gallery.  It is made possible, in part, with support from Women, Work & Community. The focus of the meeting is to improve the publicity skills of artists, businesses, and organizations as they promote their fall and holiday arts events. Alana Post, a Portland-based Web and graphic designer discusses Photoshop techniques to prepare digital images for print, newspaper, and the Web.

Designing Women invites you to their annual Holiday Show at Woodfords Church in Portland. This is a “must shop” show for the holiday craft show season, bringing together the best women of fine art and craft. Local artisans will be showing and selling  independently designed goods. The mission of Designing Women is to showcase high quality arts and crafts by women artisans and promoting a quality made-by-hand aestheticto benefit local nonprofit services that support women and families.

To benefit Coastal Studies for Girls (www.coastalstudiesforgirls.org), the new leadership school for girls based in Freeport, designing women (www.designingwomen.org)  host their fifth annual fine crafts show and sale. Twenty-four fine crafts women exhibit their fine hand-crafted pottery, jewelry, handweaving, painting, quilting, hand-bound books, and more. Refreshments, luncheon, and baked goods will be available.

This documentary by Dale Schierholt takes you inside the studio and life of Belfast artist Harold Garde. Get a rare glimpse of the life of an artist through interviews and observations. Garde shares  insights into his influences, the structure of a painting, and the conceptual forces behind some of the major themes found in his work.

“Cross-Cultural Experiences: Literature of New Voices in America” is the theme of the fourth annual Maine Literary Festival. Join acclaimed authors and speakers for a weekend of lectures, panel discussions, and social events