Waterville, Maine — Common Street Arts, the programmatic arm of Waterville Creates!, is pleased to present River Stories Day, a day of celebrating the Kennebec River through art, culture, storytelling, and community. On Thursday, July 26 at Common Street Arts from 11:00am – 6:00pm, artist Maggie Libby invites you to interact with her public art installation, River Stories. This installation celebrates the Kennebec River as a natural resource and as a central element for industry and recreation in Central Maine.

As part of the River Stories project, Libby invites guests to to erase portions of her large charcoal drawings with pieces of Hathaway shirts. During this inclusive and participatory process, Libby’s drawings are transformed and make space for other voices and viewpoints as they relate to the river. Libby asks participants to consider their vision for the river’s future during the erasure process and contemplate our relationships to the river over the erasures of its past.

In the evening from 4:00 – 6:00pm, Voices of the River will take place in the Common Street Arts Gallery, with brief presentations by special guests David Calder and James E. Francis Sr., followed by a conversation with the speakers, community audience, and artist Maggie Libby. This conversation will encourage community members to share their personal stories and views of the Kennebec River.

Francis is an accomplished historical researcher, photographer, filmmaker, and graphic artist, who recently conducted an extensive oral history project for the Penobscot Nation. Francis is also the Tribal Historian for the Penobscot Nation and he will share his perspective and the Penobscot Nation’s relationship to the Kennebec. David Calder, a Canaan singer-songwriter, worked as a river driver from 1966 until the last log drive along the Kennebec in 1976. Calder loved the outdoor work on the log drives and was inspired to write numerous songs about the river. He will perform a selection of this compositions during the event.

For more information about the event and featured guests, visit: http://www.commonstreetarts.org/event/river-stories-day/

About Waterville Creates!
Waterville Creates! promotes increased awareness of cultural opportunities and events while supporting enhanced programming and operations for its community partners and audiences.  Waterville Creates! provides marketing, administrative, and development services to arts and cultural institutions in the greater Waterville area. Learn more at https://www.watervillecreates.org