This exhibition features twelve projects by twelve students of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD), results of an advanced studio in the fall of 2021 taught by Toshiko Mori, the Robert P. Hubbard Professor in the Practice of Architecture. Students researched and analyzed Maine’s potential to pave a path into the future. This analysis sought to balance the current climate crisis and sustainable ecology with Mainers’ traditional ethos of self-reliance and living in balance with nature.

The studio’s project was sited on an abandoned 72 acre stretch of farmland outside of the rural town of Monson. Monson is located in Central Maine in Piscataquis County, the poorest county in the state and all of New England. The region suffered major job loss when paper milling and other industries closed, but slate quarrying and furniture production continue to employ the local population and utilize the nearby forests’ abundant natural resources. Yet, according to a recent report by ProPublica and the New York Times Magazine, Piscataquis County will be the one of the areas of the United States least affected by climate change. Monson’s ecological resilience will provide greater stability into the future.

In an effort to revive the town, the Libra Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, recently established Monson Arts, an artists’ and writers’ residency program. The Libra Foundation aims to practice “disruptive philanthropy” by donating to downtrodden regions of the state to reverse trends of depopulation and poverty. As opposed to other nearby artists’ residencies like the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Monson Arts is situated in town and aims to engage with the everyday life of the community.

Each student produced a program for their project based on their individual interests and analyses. Their projects represent potential springboards for discussion within the community, centering on a broad range of topics such as environmentalism, hospitality, education, tourism, and cultural preservation. Local members of the community, including Penobscot Nation Tribal Ambassador Maulian Dana, Director of the Maine Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future Hannah Pingree, The Chair of the Maine Arts Commission David Hopkins, and artist S.B. Walker, were invited alongside architecture critics to offer insights and commentary about the projects.

Monson is the gateway to the Hundred-Mile Wilderness, the northernmost hundred miles of the Appalachian Trail which stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The Hundred Mile Wilderness is famous to hikers as one of the most strenuous, yet breathtaking portions of the Appalachian Trail which crosses virtually untouched Maine backwoods wilderness. Monson is the last place for hikers to gather supplies and rest in a hostel or inn before embarking on the trek to the summit of Mount Katahdin.

The forest through which the Hundred Mile Wilderness traverses was historically occupied by the Penobscot Native Americans, one of the four nations (along with the Micmac, Maliseet, and Passamaquoddy) that comprise the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Confederacy is federally-recognized and plays an important role in maintaining the history, traditions, and community of the indigenous peoples of Maine.

Over one hundred and fifty years ago, Henry David Thoreau was introduced to this forest by a Penobscot guide and chronicled his journey in his collection of essays, The Maine Woods. At the end of his journey when he asked his guide if he was glad to have returned home, the guide replied, “It makes no difference where I am.” To him, he belonged to the land, and the land belonged to no one - a fundamental mindset for living in harmony with nature.

Maine is nearly 90 percent covered by forests, which are notable for their abundance of deciduous trees that produce hardwood suitable for furniture making. However, these local hardwoods have been underutilized, with foreign hardwoods imported in their place. This provides an enormous opportunity to expand local resource utilization. For example, we can examine the entire life cycle of the use of wood – from forestry practices, to lumber production, to furniture fabrication, to waste management – to gain an intimate and ecologically sustainable understanding of this industry.

Monson no longer quarries slate. Instead, the factory here is focused on the specialty fabrication of items such as sinks, countertops, monuments, and memorial plaques. Known as the blackest stone on earth, Monson slate was utilized for the headstones of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy in Arlington National Cemetery. Because abundant groundwater is freely available for this process, fabrication waste and dust byproducts are minimal.

This region is also the origin point of the organic farming movement, with the nearby town of Unity housing the headquarters of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). MOFGA is the largest and oldest organic farming association in the U.S. and has been a major force in bringing seasonally-oriented eating to the American public. MOFGA’s renowned Common Ground Country Fair has been held yearly since 1977.

Through their research, the students discovered a variety of natural assets in and around Monson. Abundant aquifers, a rich migratory bird population, and clear night skies free from light pollution both enrich the environment and attract hikers, artists, and astronomers, local and international. The projects on display reflect their findings.