NORWAY – The focus feature for the 2008 Norway Arts Festival is Lake Pennesseewassee. To kick off the festival weekend and highlight the importance of our cultural heritage for the Norway Arts Festival, there will be a lecture by Christopher Glass titled “Art and Quality of Place” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 10, at the Norway Memorial Library.

Christopher Glass is president of Maine Preservation, was formerly an art history professor at Bowdoin College, and is author of the text for the book “At Home in Maine.”

He will talk about the importance of preserving a landscape such as Lake Pennesseewassee as subject matter for art. In addition, an exhibit of paintings and photographs of Lake Pennesseewassee and a display of lake memorabilia will be on view at the Norway Memorial Library starting June 30 and during the evening of the lecture.

It has been a tradition for the past five years to make the festival an occasion to celebrate one of Norway’s historic persons starting in 2003 with Mellie Dunham, then Vivian Akers in 2004, George Howe in 2005, Lajos Matolcsy in 2006, and Minnie Libby in 2007. This year for the first time the tradition will shift from an historic person to the art and history of a specific feature of the town.

Following the lecture a handmade book celebrating Lake Pennesseewassee created especially for the Norway Arts Festival will be released for public view and sale. Titled “Lake Pennesseewassee: Art & Poetry,” this small book features 12 art prints of oil and watercolor paintings and photographs, and 12 poems about the lake. The art and poems include some older and some newer creations by artists and poets who have been inspired by beautiful Norway Lake.

The 2008 Norway Arts Festival is co-sponsored by Norway Downtown and Western Maine Art Group. The public is invited to participate in the many free activities throughout the day on July 12 in downtown Norway.