CAE supports arts programming that connects people with nature and to this unique landscape.
Note: We are committed to developing programs that center queer and BIPOC composers, voices that have been creating fantastic art for a long time, but have been excluded from the canon
Winter Events 2026
Over and Under the Snow
A Winter Ecology Story Walk
Come learn how animals live during the snowy months of winter at the Desert of Maine. This winter ecology walk will loosely follow the story, Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner, as we learn about the hidden 'subnivian" world between the snow and the ground. Feel free to bring Nordic skis, sleds, and snowshoes. We will provide marshmallows for roasting over a bonfire. This event is free to members. Please register below if you plan to attend.
MEMBERS FREE
January 29, 2026
4pm
Individual $15
Family $20
Guided Star Gazing
at the Desert of Maine
A guided tour of the evening’s constellations, stars, visible planets, and the Milky Way. Participants will learn the wonders of what they can see with their eyes alone. Our guide, John Meader, will point out meteors (shooting stars), satellites, and, if visible, the aurora borealis (northern lights). John routinely shares some skyline, astronomy news, a discussion of ways to fight light pollution, and will answer all your questions to be best of his ability.
MEMBERS FREE
February 10, 2026
6pm
Individual $15
Family $20
Past Events 2025
Inspired by the music, stories, and crafts that have historically brought joy to the seasonal rhythms of life in Maine, this series will feature artists and craftspeople who connect us to the history of the land and help us imagine a joyful future of sustainability and ecological reciprocity.
Farmhouse Folk
A folk-infused singer-songwriter concert at the historic Desert of Maine Farmhouse. An intimate acoustic performance in the resonant, historic farmhouse at the Desert of Maine. This traditional folk-inspired singer-songwriter performance features local Maine talent and will allow the audience to connect with the artists and hear the stories behind their songs. Featured musicians: Chris Moore, Jeff Christmas, Sorcha Cribben-Merrill, Caroline Cotter, and Emilia Dahlen
Farm Frolic Days
An eco-history tour and animal husbandry talk illuminating how the Desert of Maine land has changed since it was a farm in the 1800s. Fun activities for all ages included opportunities to see sheep with lambs, demonstrations of the shearing, carding, spinning, and weaving process, and opportunities to try some of the fiber crafts that helped sustain agricultural life on the Tuttle farm.
Tom Wessels
Tom Wessel's interpretive walk explored Desert of Maine history based on the evidence encountered in the property's woodlands. It included how to age its trees, evidence of past logging, and when areas were abandoned to grow back to forest. We also covered some of the unique adaptations of the trees that have recolonized the site, plus a look at successional patterns on sand and the unique role that lichens play.
David Lynch's Dune on the Dunes
In the year 10,191, the most precious substance in the universe is the spice Melange. The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spice is vital to space travel. The spice exists on only one planet in the entire universe, the vast desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune. Its native inhabitants, the Fremen, have long held a prophecy that a man would come, a messiah who would lead them to true freedom.
Our first outdoor film screening which was sold out!
Contra Dance
A concert and kitchen junket contra dance held in the Farmhouse with Drive Train and caller Maggie Robinson. A unique opportunity for dancers to immerse themselves in the feel of regional music while in a unique and historic venue.
Past Events 2024
Songs in the Round
An intimate and exclusive songwriter's circle in our 1800s farmhouse featuring 4 local Southern Maine artists playing with no amplification.
Featured musicians:
Fine Pioneer, Kate McCann,
Molly Gibbs, and Melvin Gradiz.
Woven from Land & Lineages
A series designed to explore the deep, entangled relationships between the ecological history of the land and our own personal and familial histories. Three distinct authors from different genres will share their process, guide participants through prompts, and provide feedback.
Featured writers:
Julia Bowsma (Maine Poet Laureate), Irene Drago, and Jason Brown.
Past Events 2023
In 2023, we hosted five events which helped us home in on our mission to focus on Nature-Centric Arts.
Juan Wauters
Founding member of Queens-based garage act The Beets, Wauters has spent the better part of the last decade on the road as a solo artist, traversing the US and Latin America to collaborate with other musicians. This was his first time performing in Maine in over a decade and this "destination concert" in our historic Farmhouse was a memborably special standing room-only affair.
The Sand Princess
High drama and low comedy featuring clever scoundrel who threatens the future of an empire in the sand. The show contained magic, masked creatures, and evocative music performed live out on the dunes.
Kat and Brad
Drawing from 50s and 60s pop, American Songbook standards, and much more, this vibrant duo channels and fuses these influences through two voices, a guitar, and violin to bring you a mixture of original songs and dusted off covers from the past.
Classical Uprising Presents,
Choose your own Musical Adventure
A bold rethinking of the classical music experience through an immersive event which stations musicians at different areas of the Desert of Maine landscape to encourage audience participation and ask questions like–will you be the conductor, the drummer, a singer, or a music critic?
Sarah Quintana
A rare solo performance from a singer-songwriter from New Orleans with a background rich in jazz, folk and popular music. This was her debut concert in Maine.