WHS art teacher expands his creativity beyond classroom with goal of community through murals

By Sophia Atherton

Art has always been a part of Joe McLaughlin’s life, and he wanted to share the love of creativity by becoming an art teacher. But little did he know how far his love for painting would take him. McLaughlin, who currently teaches painting, street art, printmaking, and drawing at Windham High School, has broadened his canvas beyond the classroom and onto walls of businesses throughout Maine.

Windham High School art teacher Joe McLaughlin finds
artwork, including murals, to be a rewarding opportunity
to create transformation and change the way people
experience the world. Here he shows a mural he painted
for Big Swing Golf Sim in Windham.
PHOTO BY LORRAINE GLOWCZAK 

Recently, you’ll find McLaughlin’s talented artwork at a few businesses in Windham including the Big Swing Golf Sim. He explains how that opportunity took place.

"My first public mural came about unexpectedly,” McLaughlin said. “While visiting Flight Deck Brewing in Brunswick, I noticed a large white wall at the entrance and immediately wanted to fill that blank space with artwork. I asked the owners what they planned to do with it. When they told me they didn't have any plans, I suggested a mural.”

That project led to a second mural for the brewery and showed McLaughlin the power of community connections and word-of-mouth recommendations. He not only enjoys painting for businesses and community members, but also the relationship that art creates.

“I've met incredible people and have been given opportunities I never would have expected. I enjoy the interactions with the owners and patrons and seeing their excitement at the outcome, watching their business and space grow from just a shell of a room to an art installation."

He said that he has painted subjects that he never imagined doing, from aviation scenes to bees and golf courses, and his murals have taken him to places he otherwise might never have visited.

One of McLaughlin's favorite parts about creating murals is watching the pieces come together.

“Seeing the progress each time I complete the next step is very rewarding to me,” he said.

McLaughlin also finds artwork rewarding because it has the power to create transformation and change the way people experience the world.

"Art has always been a part of my life. I've been teaching art for 25 years at every grade level, from kindergarten through high school, but my passion for drawing and painting began long before I ever stepped into a classroom,” he said.

When McLaughlin was in high school, he said he was always creating, and that passion eventually grew into painting murals. His parents gave him the freedom and the space to paint a wall in his bedroom. At first, it was just one wall that featured a mural of Jerry Garcia, then before he knew it, every wall in his room was painted. The support of his parents gave him more than just a spark for mural painting but in changing the way he looked at blank walls.

Although painting, drawing and street art come naturally to McLaughlin, he admits that some things do not come easily while creating murals professionally.

“Some challenges that I face include scaling up a small drawing,” McLaughlin said. “When designing the golf ball, for example, I sometimes need to make changes on the wall adjusting the size from the original sketch. I will need to scale and proportion the artwork, so everything doesn’t appear too massive or too small.”

McLaughlin also takes a lot of photographs and will look at them at home to discover how things can be improved, learning to deviate from the original sketch.

“I also receive a lot of help from my wife, Kristin, and sometimes we work as a team to improve the artwork,” he said.

McLaughlin's view on the value of public art in the community was formed from traveling nationally and internationally.

“Sometimes public art can change the landscape of downtrodden communities and become a tourist attraction,” McLaughlin said. “Even changing the energy of a space. When things are so divisive these days, art can act as a universal language to bring people together."

McLaughlin’s love of art is more than a creative and teaching endeavor and, as a result, he hopes to add more art in the Windham and Raymond areas.

“Ultimately, I hope my work inspires others to see the value of art,” he said. “Murals have the power to transform businesses and strengthen communities.”

For his next mural, McLaughlin has been commissioned to provide artwork for a private individual in Casco. <

Local Revolutionary War patriots subject of historical presentation

By Ed Pierce

As the nation celebrates its 250th birthday this weekend, contributions made by Raymond and Casco patriots to the cause of liberty are easily overlooked. But thanks to a new presentation being offered by the Raymond-Casco Historical Society, the bravery of Revolutionary War patriots living in Raymond and Casco will not be forgotten.

Sue Pride of Raymond will highlight the lives and
service of 28 Revolutionary Way patriots during a 
free program at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 6 at the
Raymond-Casco Historical Museum, 1 Shadow
Lane in Casco. SUBMITTED PHOTO  

Sue Pride, the Collections Manager for the Raymond-Casco Historical Society Museum, will discuss and highlight the lives and service of 28 Revolutionary War patriots from the area during a free public program at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 6 at the museum, 1 Shadow Lane in Casco.

Her presentation includes a richly illustrated PowerPoint talk focusing on the remarkable stories of early local settlers who answered the call to defend America long before Maine became a state.

Pride was inspired to create the presentation while sorting through the historical society’s collections to organize them. It prompted her to research how Revolutionary War veterans ended their journeys in Raymond and Casco.

“This year is the 250th birthday of the United States, and I thought the museum should do something to bring Raymond and Casco into it. I thought we must have some veterans.”

In conducting research, Pride found that some patriots were living in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775, and responded immediately to the alarm of the Lexington and Concord opening of the American Revolution. Others were already living in the district that would become Maine, and they enlisted shortly afterward and marched to Cambridge to join American troops during the Siege of Boston.

When the Revolutionary War for American independence from Great Britain erupted, Raymondtown, now known as the towns of Raymond and Casco after the communities split in 1841, was part of the Cumberland County Militia territory, with its members serving under the command of early settler Captain Joseph Dingley of Raymondtown. Their membership roll was used as a recruitment tool for soldiers to join the Continental Army once it was founded and placed under the leadership of the Continental Army’s General George Washington in June 1775.

“Before the army, it was just the militias fighting,” Pride said. “Lexington and Concord were fought by the militia.”

The area’s sparse population at the time meant that not many men from Raymond enlisted and Pride’s research found four residents who had traveled south to fight. However, she has discovered at least 28 Revolutionary War veterans are buried around Raymond and Casco, which shows the influx of former soldiers locally after the war ended.

“Many of the 28 patriots later served under Capt. Richard Mayberry, taking part in the Saratoga Campaign, a turning point in the war, and enduring the harsh winter encamped at Valley Forge alongside General George Washington’s troops,” Pride said.

Her new program will also touch on the broader story of Maine during the Revolutionary War, including the Battle of Machias, which is often called the first naval battle of the war, and the devastating burning of what is now known as Portland in 1775.

“I found one veteran who only served three days and never served again, but he was at Lexington and Concord, so it was a pivotal three days,” Pride said. “I think there were four who were living in Massachusetts and marched to Lexington and Concord.”

She also found a story of one soldier who was captured by the British and then held in the notorious prison ships afloat in the harbor of New York City, which were decommissioned or damaged ships that were used to hold prisoners in overcrowded conditions, where many died due to illness or malnutrition. He survived to be discharged from the army six months after his service was meant to have ended. Pride also discovered two men buried locally that died while serving. One drowned after falling from a floating bridge and the other died of fever.

Both Dingley and his son Samuel volunteered for military service at the start of the Revolutionary War in the company of men from Raymond and Windham and returned to the fast-growing Raymondtown as Captains, a title that Joseph retained for the rest of his life, even though he later held the rank of Colonel in the militia.

The 28 patriots highlighted in Pride’s presentation came to reside locally and helped to build and shape the community’s legacy.

“As the nation marks its 250th birthday, the Raymond-Casco Historical Society emphasizes the importance of honoring their service and recognizing their influence on the region’s early growth,” Pride said.

To learn more about Raymond and Casco’s role in the Revolutionary War, visit www.raymondcascohistoricalsociety.org or find them on Facebook. <