An eight-week series of lectures and companion art shows in Old Lyme will explore the history, geology and wildlife of Plum Island. The series, co-hosted by Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library and St. Ann’s Church, was conceived by the painter John Sargent.

Sargent, a retired art teacher from Quaker Hill, and Robert Lorenz, a retired commercial photographer, have worked together to develop the touring art show that introduces the public to Plum Island’s landscapes. The unprecedented access granted the artists has allowed them to create works depicting rarely-seen beaches, rocky shorelines and coves and wildlife.

Chris Cryder of the Connecticut Fund for the Environment and Save the Sound will kick off the lecture series at the Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. with his virtual tour of Plum Island, introducing the island’s key features and the fight to save it from private development. Future lectures in October and November will delve deeper into the history, geology and wildlife of the island.

Art receptions will be held Friday, Sept. 16, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library, 2 Library Lane, Old Lyme, and Sunday, Sept. 18, at 11:45 a.m. at St. Ann’s Church, 82 Shore Road, Old Lyme.

Registration is required for lectures. To register for the Sept. 22 lecture, call (860) 434-1684 or visit www.oldlyme.lioninc.org.