In conjunction with its current exhibition, “Song of the Wild,” Maine Art Gallery is hosting two upcoming programs relating to the environment.  First is a talk on Saturday, July 11, “The Impact of Air,” by well-known naturalist and Community Science Director for Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust (CRCT), Sarah Gladu. Second is a panel discussion on Thursday, July 16 on creative inspiration provided by the natural world.

Using photos of flora and fauna from artwork in the show, Gladu will explore how air -- and the things in it, including light, moisture, and pollution -- impact the landscape around us. The shapes of trees, the ways pollen is transferred from flower to flower, and the patterns clouds make in the sky, are all impacted by air and its various attributes. She’ll talk about the reciprocity between air and mountains, owl feathers and flower anthers, among other things.

Gladu has worked in environmental education since 1992 and was hired by CRCT in 2005. She has a B.A. in Environmental Policy from Brandeis University and a Master of Environmental Learning and Leadership from the University of Minnesota. The talk will be at 4:30 p.m. and will be followed by a reception.

“Nature as Muse” will explore how the natural world inspires creative individuals representing three different artistic fields. Emily Sabino, whose artwork is part of the exhibition and who served as co-curator, is a visionary naturalist painter whose work expresses an elemental connection with plants, trees, creatures, water and the sky.

“My paintings celebrate harmonious human interaction with the natural world. I am especially fascinated by plants as evolutionary catalysts, inspiring humans to expand into healthier ways of being, in sync with the natural cycles and rhythms of the earth,” Sabino said. 

Jonathan Lavan is photographer, citizen scientist and wildlife expert. He’s been SCUBA diving for 30 years and taking photographs both above and below the waterline for the past decade. He’s been a teacher, research associate and speaker for many well-known and little-known environmental organizations and leads diving, photography, and naturalist trips all over the world. He says: “Nature has been my muse since I was a small child snorkeling  around the rocks in the shallow waters of Lake Kezar in Lovell, Maine looking for snapping turtles and their kin. To this day, sharing my discoveries of the natural world with others has giving me no end of personal satisfaction and joy."

Kay Tobler Liss is an author of two literary novels that center on the human connection to the natural world. She also writes a monthly Nature Journal she posts online. She’s taught nature studies to children and classes on nature poets, essayists and novelists to adults. “Nature has been my primary inspiration since I was a young girl, out in the woods writing poetry. I try to convey the interconnectedness of all life in my writing, and how nature can not only be a source of beauty and solace but of personal transformation and expanding compassion for all life.”

The panel will be held on Thursday, July 16 at 4:30 p.m. followed by a reception with wine and hors d’oeuvres. The gallery is thankful to Sherri Dunbar of Tim Dunham Realty and Ames True Value Hardware for being season and capital sponsors, respectively, and to CRCT for being the exhibition sponsor. The gallery is located at 15 Warren St. in Wiscasset and regular hours are Thursday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit maineartgallerywiscasset.org.