Maryhill's Luscious Grounds; a Refuge for Visitors
Current Programs & Exhibitions
Retirement Party for Executive Director Colleen Schafroth

Visit Maryhill to Enjoy our Peaceful Grounds

It's the perfect time of year to not only visit Maryhill's current and permanent exhibitions, but also to enjoy the sprawling grounds around the museum. Come picnic on the lawn, find a quiet place to relax and perhaps journal, or contemplate life, art and your role in the way the world and planet are changing. Maryhill has long been a refuge, not only for humans but for many different visitors. 

Recently, great horned owls, red tail hawks, golden eagles and quail were spotted on the grounds. Mike Clough, Maryhill's Caretaker says: "Maryhill is a habitat corridor in a fragmented ecosystem. Especially in the Summer, when its hot and dry, Maryhill provides a resting place for migrating wild life." Being the Sun and Sage Loop of the Aubudon Great Washington State Birding Trail, a large variety of avifauna can be spotted at Maryhill, including bald eagles, osprey, and song birds. Clough: "Because of the mature elm trees, shade and water we have here, Maryhill is an oasis not just for humans but also for wildlife." 

In addition, the museum grounds are being updated with a renewed impetus for the William and Catherine Dickson Sculpture Park. Maryhill is looking forward to a dedication of the renewed sculpture garden in the near future. 

Another place to relax and enjoy our views is provided on the terrace of Loïe's: The Museum Café .Loïe's is open every Friday thru Monday, providing sandwiches, soups and snacks to enjoy while taking in the magnificent vista of the Eastern Columbia River Gorge. We look forward to welcoming you in our fascinating museum, on our lush grounds and in the inviting museum café. 

Free with admission

The beginning of this month saw the successful opening reception of the impressive racial justice mural Children of the River. This 40 foot mural was created by artist Michelle Yamamoto in collaboration with Black, Indigenous and People of Color students and advisors of Hood River Valley High School. 

The mural was funded by the Oregon Racial Justice Institute and will be installed at Hood River Valley High School to create a welcoming atmosphere for all students. It will be on view at Maryhill throughout the month of July. 

Free with admission

We still have a few spots left in our 2023 Summer Art Institute. Sign up today to explore art history through science; from the chemical composition of art materials to the breakthroughs of science represented in art.  

This year, the Summer Art Institute offers workshops in printmaking, painting, poetry, and batik, as well as lectures on world renowned painters. Sorcha Meek Paul, Curator of Education, will be co-presenting the Institute with Colleen Schafroth, Executive Director, as lead instructor. Guest instructors include artists Michelle Yamamoto and Laurel Bushman aswell as Maryhill's Curator of Art, Steve Grafe.

Clock hours and Professional Hours are available. STEM and STEAM Certificates can also be issued. Credit available through Antioch University for additional cost. Additional information on this exciting 2023 Summer Art Institute can be found here.

Registration required,  $270 nonmembers, $250 members. 3-Credit hours are available for $150 from Continuing Education, Antioch University, Seattle, the first day of class.

Thru November 15, 2023 | 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily
The Hound of Heaven Series 

We invite you to come see this Season's main exhibition: A Pictorial Sequence Painted by R. H. Ives Gammell Based on The Hound of Heaven series on view at Maryhill. The series of paintings is inspired by a 182-line religious poem by English poet Francis Thompson (1859–1907). The poem was first printed in 1890 and was later included in the Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse (1917). Thompson’s work was an influence on J. R. R. Tolkien, who presented a paper on Thompson in 1914.

R.H. Ives Gammell, an American painter of the Boston School, was drawn to the poem from childhood. Upon his first reading the poem at age 16, Gammell retained many of its pictorial ideas. His ultimate interpretation, however, was a very personal expression, the product of a temperament beset by unresolved tensions and conflicting beliefs. The paintings reflect the recurring patterns of human life such as birth, death, love, anguish, ecstasy and guilt.

An important influence on Gammell were the writings of renowned 20th-century psychologist, C.J. Jung who linked myths and symbols with a collective unconscious. In his use of symbols in The Hound of Heaven, Gammell fully intended that they would convey different meanings to different people. The paintings were last displayed together at Maryhill in 2013.

Free with admission