Friends of Allen and Benner Islands

The Island Campus–A Living Laboratory for Critical Research

Colby College has become the new steward of two historic islands off the coast of Maine where renowned American artist Andrew Wyeth painted some of his greatest works—inspired and influenced by the landscape and architecture that were curated by his wife, Betsy Wyeth. The College has taken ownership of Allen Island and Benner Island from the Up East Foundation and the Wyeth Foundation for American Art as part of an important initiative to preserve these extraordinary areas and continue to utilize them as centers for learning, research, and creative inspiration.

Allen and Benner are adjacent private islands five miles south of Port Clyde in the Gulf of Maine. Betsy Wyeth purchased Allen Island in 1979, and in 1990 acquired Benner. There, she established a model for conservation and the preservation of Maine’s working waterfront and created an extraordinary built and natural environment.