Langlais Sculpture Preserve Videos

Several short films feature the large wooden art sculptures of Bernard “Blackie” Langlais and his history from Cushing, Maine. A special thank you to the filmmakers for the enormous amount of time they put into producing these films.

At Blackie’s, Summer 1977
Melanie Wissemann Essex and John Wissemann have shared their Super 8 footage from a visit to the Langlais homestead in the summer of 1977. This 22-minute film shows the grounds, sculptures, and livestock/pets that lived there and a brief moment of Blackie at work. The film shows many works that are no longer on the property, including some on display in Maine on the Langlais Art Trail.

Return to Langlais 2021
Melanie Essex spent more than 150 hours in summer 2021 capturing footage at the Langlais Sculpture Preserve. Her beautifully woven visual story, Return to Langlais was part of the exhibition Bernard Langlais: Live and Let Live ON, at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 2021-2022.

The Wonderful Wooden World
This film was created by Win Reber, a seasonal resident of Cushing, Maine, who is a great historian and first created this program to present to the Cushing Historical Society. Kindly he adapted it for the Land Trust to show at the Langlais Sculpture Preserve during the summer months. It is the story of Blackie and Helen Langlais, their upbringing in Maine, their passion for their home state, and his life at their Cushing home creating amazing and whimsical art.

Oral History About Langlais’ Time in Cushing
In collaboration with Meghan Vigeant of Stories To Tell, we are recording stories of Langlais’ time in Cushing from the people who knew him and visited the property. This is the first installment, a story by Dee Karnofsky, who modeled for Langlais and had many adventures with the artist.

The Conservators
Filmaker and GRLT artist-in-residence, Michael Sacca, produced this 15-minute documentary to tell the story of the Kohler Foundation art conservators who spent more than 3 years lovingly restoring Blackie’s art. The Kohler Foundation gifted 3,000 pieces of art to nonprofit and educational institutions across Maine, many of which are available to the public on the Langlais Art Trail.

How the Langlais Sculpture Preserve Came to Be
This 10-minute documentary tells the story of the collaboration of three organizations – Colby College Museum of Art, Kohler Foundation Inc., and Georges River Land Trust – and the effort to restore and preserve Langlais’ artistic legacy.

Bernard Langlais Footage from 1981 – “Noon Excercise”
This 23-minute documentary is roughly edited footage made a few years after Langlais’ death in 1976. It includes an interview with Helen Langlais and images of many of Langlais’ works no longer displayed at the Preserve. Special thanks to Maine Public for helping us find the archived footage. The link below will allow you to view the film on Vimeo.
Maine Public Langlais 1981 Film