Unseen Hands: The Hidden Elements of Labor

Maine MILL preserves and celebrates extraordinary stories of work and the industrial ingenuity of Central Maine. But many labor-related stories of Maine people remain untold. This exhibit expands the story of people working in Maine, and the story of their work—seen and unseen. The show is organized thematically, with sections focused on Black labor, child labor, union labor, unpaid labor, and women’s domestic labor. Each of these has been essential to the workplace, and to home and family, but have often been overlooked, trivialized, or simply stolen.

Art has the power to connect history with the present and inspire the future. To that end, we worked with two artists to create interactive works that invite your own contributions. Tanja Hollander, a local artist, photographed selected objects from our collection as well as from community members as part of her larger Ephemera Project. The Anxious / Hopeful work is inspired by artist Candy Chang’s A Monument for the Anxious and Hopeful. Both artists’ works speak to and incorporate the museum’s memorial project and the Lewiston community at this particularly poignant moment. 

This exhibition was made possible in part by Historic New England. Additional support is provided by Maine Community Bank and Sherwin Williams.

Who We Are / Who Are We

Immigration and Identity are ever-present and contentious topics locally, nationally and globally. The United Nations International Migration report found that 281 million people live outside their country of origin. Two-thirds of those international migrants live in just 20 countries. Of those 20 countries, the United States is the largest destination, hosting 51 million international migrants in 2020.

As is true of the United States broadly, immigration to Maine has changed over hundreds of years and is still happening every day. This exhibition aims to shine a light on the varied groups of people from around the world who have chosen to come to Maine, and specifically Lewiston-Auburn; why they have stayed (or left); and the stories and identities that make up our community.

The exhibition is made possible in part by the Maine Humanities Council. The MAINER project is made possible by Androscoggin Bank, with additional support provided by Community Credit Union. The identity tapestry is made possible by Berman & Simmons. The oral history booth is made possible by Hammond Lumber Company.

The Industrial Heart: 

Enterprise — Innovation — Creativity

Focusing on the textile, shoe, and brick-making industries, the exhibition featured the core of Maine MILL’s collection—both the objects and the stories of the people who worked in those industries. The show engaged the community and Maine artists to respond to the collection, tying our history into the present and future. Virtual tour created by University of New Hampshire English 510, Introduction to Digital Humanities

Our Working Waterway

An exhibit about the industrial history along the Androscoggin River

This exhibit was on view in our galleries from July 10, 2020 – December 29, 2021. The show explored the history of the Androscoggin River and its effects on the industrial development of many cities throughout Maine. From the generation of water power to the passage of the Clean Water Act, visitors learned how people have used this important waterway to develop manufacturing centers, polluted the river’s waters, and worked hard to clean and maintain the river throughout history.

Click the play button below to start the tour and navigate our gallery to learn more about the history of life, labor, and industry along the Androscoggin River. Feel free to zoom in to read the exhibit labels and click on certain photographs and items to learn more. Photographs of the river were submitted as part of the former Museum L-A’s Androscoggin River Photo Contest held through May 2020. 

This exhibit was funded in part by a grant from the Maine Bicentennial Commission.

All Work and No Play

A virtual exhibit about child labor in Maine

Click the play button to start the tour and navigate our gallery to learn more about the history of child labor in Maine’s cannery, textile, and farming industries. Zoom in to read the exhibit labels and click on certain photographs and items to learn more.