Applications open for Allagash Wilderness Waterway Visiting Artist Program

Applications are now open for the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW) Visiting Artist Program, which brings artists to the remote wilderness of Maine for two weeks of solitude. The program provides artists with the opportunity to immerse themselves in a remote, rustic wilderness, to interpret and share their experiences through their medium. For summer 2020, one chosen artist and a guest will receive complimentary lodging at the AWW Lock Dam Camp for two weeks during August, and orientation by AWW rangers. The application deadline is April 30, and artists are encouraged to apply now online.

Lock Dam Camp is a one-room cabin on the northern end of Chamberlain Lake, one of the largest and deepest lakes in the North Maine Woods. For 28 summers, it was the home of Dorothy Boone Kidney and her husband Milford – where they provided information to canoeists and tended the dam. Dorothy wrote two books about their life at “Lock Dam, Wilderness Journal: Life, Living, Contentment in the Allagash Woods of Maine” and “Away from it all.”

Lock Dam Camp is located approximately 10 miles from the boat launch at the southern end of Chamberlain Lake and 60 miles from the nearest town, Millinocket. Amenities include hand-pumped running water, a wood stove, gas appliances including a cookstove and refrigerator and solar-powered lights. 

Lock Dam is a favorite spot for canoeists traveling the AWW, anglers, and those who are looking for a quiet retreat from our modern world. 

To apply for the AWW Visiting Artist Program, visit https://bit.ly/awwartist or contact Matt LaRoche, AWW superintendent and Registered Maine Guide, at 207-695-2169 or email Matt at matt.laroche@maine.gov.