Harold Alfond Foundation provides $6M Challenge Grant in support of Paul J. Schupf Art Center

/in /by

Waterville, Maine — The Harold Alfond Foundation is providing a $6 million challenge grant in support of the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, a collaborative project between Waterville Creates! and Colby College.

For every dollar contributed to Waterville Creates’ community capital campaign, both past and future, the Harold Alfond Foundation will provide $3 in matching funds.  When the community capital campaign crosses the $1 million mark, the Foundation will commit another $3 million toward the total project cost of $18 million.

Waterville Creates! has already raised $680,000 in gifts and pledges from a diverse group of businesses, foundations, and individuals, and needs the community’s support to raise the remaining $320,000 that will unlock $6 million in support from the Harold Alfond Foundation.

“The Harold Alfond Foundation is proud to support Waterville Creates! and its partnership with Colby College to develop the Paul J. Schupf Art Center,” says Chairman Greg Powell. “The community has already stepped up in a major way to support the capital campaign, and we hope that this challenge grant will provide extra incentive for businesses and individuals alike to contribute to this incredible project, which we believe will be a cornerstone of Waterville’s downtown revitalization.”

This grant is part of the Foundation’s more than $500 million investment in Maine people and institutions to help grow the state’s workforce and economy and support quality health care and builds on a long-standing commitment from the Foundation to help the people of Maine thrive from birth through career. Learn more at https://www.haroldalfondfoundation.org/.

“The Harold Alfond Foundation’s investment in Waterville Creates! has enabled us to strengthen the long-standing, beloved arts organizations that have been a core part of Waterville’s identity for decades by developing a new model for collaboration.  The Paul J. Schupf Art Center will be the physical embodiment of that collaboration.  By bringing Waterville’s arts organizations together under one roof in the heart of downtown, the Paul J. Schupf Art Center will showcase our diverse arts programming and create new opportunities for collaboration and creative expression,” says Shannon Haines, President + CEO of Waterville Creates!

“There has never been a building like the Paul J. Schupf Art Center in Waterville.  This project will have a major economic impact on the entire region and will ensure that our community will have access to outstanding arts opportunities for generations to come.  Thanks to the Harold Alfond Foundation’s commitment to excellence in the arts both on Main Street and at Colby College, Waterville is poised to become a premier arts destination,” says James LaLiberty, Board Chair at Waterville Creates!

About Waterville Creates!

Waterville Creates! connects artists, organizations, and the public with arts and cultural events and programs happening in our community. Supporting and promoting arts education, exhibitions, theatre, film, music, and dance that is accessible to all, Waterville Creates! is leading the effort to make Waterville an exciting cultural destination and a thriving, vibrant community. For more information about the ongoing community capital campaign for the Paul J. Schupf Art Center visit www.downtownartscenter.org

Waterville Rocks! Returns for 5th Year with Virtual Livestream Rustic Overtones Concert on Facebook August 28th @ 7:00 P.M.

/in /by

Waterville, Maine — Waterville Creates!, one of Maine’s leading arts and cultural organizations with a mission to promote Waterville as a vibrant destination in central Maine, is pleased to announce the fifth consecutive year of Waterville Rocks! will happen thanks to a virtual Livestream Facebook concert with Rustic Overtones on August 28th at 7:00 p.m. This free concert will be streamed LIVE from the Waterville Opera House and available on Facebook.

The series of free and family-friendly outdoor concerts has in the past featured regional acts, including Enter the Haggis, The Mallett Brothers Band, and The Ghost of Paul Revere in downtown Waterville’s historic Castonguay Square. Waterville Rocks! is hosted by the Waterville Opera House and sponsored by local businesses, organizations and patrons of the arts. The series is designed to provide free cultural programming for the community and offer a new way to animate downtown Waterville. The 2020 virtual Waterville Rocks! sponsors are Kennebec Savings Bank, Colby College, and MaineGeneral Health.

“It was obvious due to COVID that an in-person series of concerts just would not be possible given the limitations on gathering sizes and lack of touring groups performing during the pandemic” says Tamsen Brooke Warner, executive director of the Waterville Opera House, the organizer and host of Waterville Rocks! “COVID has forced our organization and those like ours around the world to rethink how we serve our communities and remain fiscally solvent during a time when we cannot gather in person or sell tickets. This Livestream Event is our first serious foray into the world of streaming performances and we are looking forward to getting back in the business of entertaining, if only virtually for the time being.”

Waterville Rocks! is presented by the Waterville Opera House and Waterville Creates! and made possible by the generosity of Kennebec Savings Bank, Colby College, and MaineGeneral Health.

unEarth: an installation by Ian Trask at Common Street Arts

/in /by

August 11-December 31, 2020

Waterville, Maine — As human-induced climate change continues to evolve, the associated impacts on the Earth’s ecosystems are unfolding before our eyes in real-time. To hold a mirror to some of the destructive human behaviors that contribute to this widespread undoing of the planet, Common Street Arts will present a new work by Ian Trask entitled, unEarth.

unEarth is a large-scale installation made entirely from reimagined consumer waste on display at Common Street Arts (CSA) from August 11 through December 31. The unEarth exhibition will be on view through CSA’s social media channels including Facebook and Instagram; associated virtual programming and additional video content will be accessible throughout the duration of the exhibition. Special gallery hours will be available by reservation.

“We are thrilled to be able to host Ian Trask’s work at Common Street Arts.  This is the first large-scale installation at CSA, and we’re looking forward to creating new channels of engagement for our audience members,” says Patricia King, Vice President at Waterville Creates.  “While arts organizations are facing unique challenges, we are committed to finding creative ways to connect—through video, social media, virtual and innovative programs that facilitate art experiences during the time of COVID.”

“My goal for unEarth was to create something with significance that extends well beyond the appreciation of the gallery viewing experience,” says artist Ian Trask. “Beneath its ordered and beautiful surface, you will encounter memorable moments and connections that will stick in your mind and germinate into something even more profound. I’m excited to be partnering with such a smart, resourceful, and energized organization in this challenging moment.”

Ian Trask is a Maine-based sculptor who received a degree in biology from Bowdoin College in 2005. He worked many years in research labs, but eventually left the world of science to pursue a career in fine art. While transitioning away from lab work he got a job as a hospital groundskeeper cleaning up trash daily, an experience that proved to be formative in his artistic development. He learned to see the potential in garbage and gradually built a creative practice that drew inspiration from the waste streams around him. Trask chooses to create his art from discarded or otherwise unwanted material in the deliberate effort to let scarcity and access dictate the direction of his work.

Waterville Creates! is now accepting reservations to view Ian Trask’s latest work, unEarth, on view at Common Street Arts on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Visitors are required to wear a face covering for the entire visit while at the gallery. Click here more information about visiting the gallery.

unEarth is made possible through the generous support from the Ellis–Beauregard Foundation, MaineGeneral Health, and Waterfront Maine. For more information about unEarth and related programs please visit www.watervillecreates.org and the Common Street Arts Facebook Page.

About Waterville Creates!
Waterville Creates! connects artists, organizations, and the public with arts and cultural events and programs happening in our community. Supporting and promoting arts education, exhibitions, theatre, film, music, and dance that is accessible to all, Waterville Creates! is leading the effort to make Waterville an exciting cultural destination and a thriving, vibrant community. For more information about the ongoing community capital campaign for the Paul J. Schupf Art Center visit www.downtownartscenter.org

Waterville Creates! Awarded $2,500 for Art Kits for All Program by the United Way of Mid-Maine Community First Fund

/in /by

Waterville, Maine — Waterville Creates!, a non-profit supporting and promoting high-quality, accessible arts and cultural programs and institutions in Waterville, Maine, is the recipient of a $2,500 United Way of Mid-Maine Community First Fund Award for the collaborative Art Kits for All pandemic response program — an effort to help keep our community’s families engaged and entertained during this public health crisis by providing free art supplies and instructions for art projects that can be created at home.

“We’re utterly thrilled. This funding will make a huge difference to many local families who rely on our art programs, events, and scholarships to live a fulfilling and balanced life,” says Waterville Creates! President and CEO Shannon Haines. “Closing our doors during the COVID-19 pandemic was heartbreaking to us. Art Kits for All is an innovative, collaborative program designed to get art supplies into the hands of families and fulfill our mission to support and promote high-quality, accessible art experiences albeit in a completely reimagined way.”

The United Way of Mid-Maine’s Community First Fund supports community betterment and crisis recovery efforts, providing extra funding to local non-profit organizations by funding programs or projects that address a need in the community, or aid in the continuation of an organizations mission.

“We are honored to support Waterville Creates! and their effort to connect families with art resources,” says Bethany Drouin, Resource Development Director of the United Way of Mid-Maine. “The Art Kits for All program will provide value to the lives of families throughout our communities.”

A network of local non-profits powers the Art Kits for All program, generously providing volunteers and supplies to keep this popular relief program engaging and informative. Representatives from the Colby College Museum of Art, the Kennebec Montessori School, Waterville Public Schools, and the Family Violence Project gather weekly to plan future Art Kit themes relevant to the community, obtain supplies, develop instructional materials, and pack the Kits. Art Kits for All are distributed for free at the George J. Mitchell School and Downtown Waterville Farmers’ Market. The Art Kits are assembled at the Common Street Arts’ Studio, currently closed to the public. Masks and gloves are worn during kit assembly, and all art materials are disinfected to remove any risk of contamination. The kits are prepared and sealed a week prior to the distribution date to further minimize any transmission risk. Future Kit themes include activities inspired by the art of Bernard Langlais and Hew Locke on display at the Colby College Museum of Art, a Plein Air watercolor painting Kit, and a Pastels Kit. Past kits activities have included creating zoetropes, kite-making, and clay sculpting.

Community donations in support of this ongoing effort are requested; donors can sponsor one Art Kit for just $10, and all gifts are tax deductible. To donate, visit: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/waterville-creates/art-kits-for-all

About Waterville Creates!
Waterville Creates! connects artists, organizations, and the public with arts and cultural events and programs happening in our community. Supporting and promoting arts education, exhibitions, theatre, film, music, and dance that is accessible to all, Waterville Creates! is leading the effort to make Waterville an exciting cultural destination and a thriving, vibrant community.

23rd Maine International Film Festival Releases Program and Schedule

/in /by

Dedicates Event to Lives Lost to Racist Violence

 

Waterville, Maine — The Maine Film Center (MFC) announces the release of the complete lineup for the 23rd annual Maine International Film Festival (MIFF), which will offer programming this July 7-16 at the Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre, as well as having a selection of titles available online. Among the Drive-In’s programming highlights are the festival’s Opening, Closing, and Centerpiece films, and a showcase of Maine-made short films.

 

Premieres and special events comprise this year’s festival program. Opening Night, July 7, is the Northeastern premiere of HEROIC LOSERS, a comedic, suspenseful heist film starring Ricardo Darin in which a group of “losers” find a way to get back at those who stole from them. The Centerpiece film is the World Premiere of AMERICAN THIEF, an explosive, original and timely thriller set against 2016 election night. In the Closing Night’s THE LAST SHIFT, a midwestern white working-class lifer, played by Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins, discovers uncomfortable truths about himself and the culture and world he’s rarely questioned when he starts training his replacement, Jevon, a bright, aspiring young black man.

 

“We usually present about 60 features each year at MIFF,” said Programming Director Ken Eisen. “This year, with our slimmer program, I am thrilled to be able to share some of the absolute best of the best that we usually show: 10 carloads of films that our audiences can truly discover—almost all are major premieres—for themselves.”

 

“We’re proud to present a stellar program of films that might otherwise never be screened in Maine—especially this year,” said Executive Director Mike Perreault, “not only under the stars at the Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre, but also online for fans of MIFF from home and from away. I hope that our audiences will be inspired by these incredible films.”

 

One of the Maine Film Center’s core missions is to educate by exhibiting films that advance knowledge and understanding of U.S. and world culture. Toward that end, MFC reaffirms and pledges to be unceasing in its determination and commitment to exhibit and otherwise support films that depict and express black lives. This year’s MIFF is dedicated to the lives of all people of color lost to racism, both systemic and individual. In an effort to support training, development, production, funding, and distribution for black filmmakers at a time when this work is more important and challenging than ever, MFC will provide the opportunity for patrons to donate to a charity empowering black filmmakers to tell their stories.

 

Individual tickets and passes are now available to purchase online at MIFF.org. MIFF is a project of the Maine Film Center, and is made possible by presenting sponsors Waterville Creates!, Colby College, and the Cynthia C. and Seth W. Lawry Family Foundation.

 

About the Maine Film Center
The Maine Film Center (MFC) brings world-class independent film to Central Maine through Railroad Square Cinema, the only Sundance Art House Project cinema in Maine and the annual Maine International Film Festival, a 10-day celebration that attracts filmmakers and film aficionados from around the world, and by delivering impactful, accessible film exhibitions and education programs. MFC firmly believes that art and culture have the power to enrich lives, strengthen community bonds, and serve as an economic engine. MFC is a division of Waterville Creates! For more information visit http://www.MaineFilmCenter.org.

Maine-Japan Printmaking Exchange Celebrates Five Years with Exhibition at Common Street Arts May 18 – July 18, 2020

/in /by

Waterville, Maine —Common Street Arts in Waterville will host a collection of prints by artists from Maine and Aomori, Japan beginning May 18 through July 18 at the Hathaway Creative Center in downtown Waterville.  The traveling exhibition is part of MAPS (Maine-Aomori Printmaking Society), a cultural exchange program sharing art and artists between Maine and Aomori. The MAPS initiative is celebrating five years of collaborative exhibitions and artist exchanges. MAPS will be on view virtually through Common Street Arts’ social media channels including Facebook and Instagram.  Common Street Arts will provide associated virtual programming through its Afterschool Art Club Facebook series and provide additional video content to share the exhibition with viewers. There will also be opportunities to purchase prints through the Maine Aomori Printmaking Society.

Since 2015, curators Jeff Badger and Jiro Ono have coordinated the exchange of ten prints each year from artists in Maine and Aomori.  The prints have been exhibited in Maine and Japan and now the collection numbers over a hundred works. The prints exchanged in 2019-2020 will be exhibited at Common Street Arts in Waterville from May 18 through July 18. The same collection was shown at the Aomori Arts Pavilion in Japan during the Citizen Culture Days in October 2019.  “We’re thrilled to be partnering with MAPS and look forward to showcasing this beautiful collection of prints.  It’s a wonderful partnership and we are so pleased to be able to serve as a virtual venue,” says Patricia King, Vice President of Waterville Creates.

The official relationship between Maine and Aomori has been in place for over 20 years, but the fascinating connection between the two states goes back to the wreck of a ship from Bath off the Japanese coast in 1889, resulting in a daring rescue of American sailors by Japanese villagers. In addition to MAPS, Friends of Aomori – the all-volunteer non-profit that supports the partnership – also supports high-school exchange programs, educational workshops and events, and economic development opportunities.  “The MAPS print collection has grown into a beautiful representation of the diversity and excellence in printmaking that can be found in both Maine and Aomori. Our goal is to exhibit this dynamic and growing collection all over the State of Maine. We are proud to partner with Common Street Arts to share the work with the people of Waterville and neighboring communities,” says Badger.

The MAPS 2020 collection features work by: Lydia Badger, Stephen Burt, Susan Groce, David Harmon, Mary Hart, Emiko Kamada, Hitoshi Kikuchi, Osamu Kitamura, Michiko Kusakabe, Tadashi Saito, Hiroshi Takehana, Kiyohiro Toriyabe, Raegan Russell, Allison Derby Hildreth, Pilar Nadal, Noriyuki Ota, Lisa Pixley, Deloris A. White, David Wolfe, Tamiko Yamaya, and Tuya Yasuta.

MAPS is presented by Friends of Aomori and made possible by the generous support of the Rines-Thomspon fund of the Maine Community Foundation and Ocean House Gallery and Frame. The MAPS exhibition at Common Street Arts is sponsored by Kennebec Savings Bank.

About Waterville Creates!
Waterville Creates! connects artists, organizations, and the public with arts and cultural events and programs happening in our community. Supporting and promoting arts education, exhibitions, theatre, film, music, and dance that is accessible to all, Waterville Creates! is leading the effort to make Waterville an exciting cultural destination and a thriving, vibrant community. For more information about the ongoing community capital campaign for the Paul J. Schupf Art Center visit www.downtownartscenter.org

Waterville Creates! Launches Art Kits for All in Response to COVID-19 Public Health Crisis

/in /by

Free art kits for those in need available in May; community donations to support program

Waterville, Maine — In response to the COVID-19 public health crisis and the need to keep social distance, Waterville Creates! has launched a new collaborative program, Art Kits for All, an effort to help keep our community’s families engaged and entertained during this public health crisis by providing free art supplies and instructions for art projects that can be created at home. Beginning the week of May 11th the kits will be distributed at the Alfond Youth and Community Center (AYCC) and the Downtown Waterville Farmers’ Market. Waterville Creates! is seeking community donations to fund this ongoing program. Kit distribution dates and information on how to donate to the Art Kits for All program can be found at: http://www.WatervilleCreates.org.

“Closing our doors during the COVID-19 pandemic was heartbreaking to us. We realize how many local families and community members rely on our art programs, events and scholarships to live a fulfilling and balanced life,” says President and CEO Shannon Haines. “We took stock of our resources and capabilities and realized we could provide needed relief using the art materials we’ve gathered for our ongoing art programs – and with a little help from our non-profit friends and local institutions, our arts-loving patrons, and our amazingly supportive community.”

The Art Kits for All are assembled at the Colby Museum of Art; masks and gloves are worn during kit assembly and all art materials are disinfected to remove any risk of contamination. The kits are prepared and sealed a week prior to the distribution date to further minimize any transmission risk. Kits will be distributed in conjunction with the Alfond Youth Center’s Feeding Families Initiative and at the Downtown Waterville Farmers’ Market.

While Waterville Creates! developed the Art Kits for All concept, many local nonprofits are collaborating in this effort by providing volunteers and supplies. Partners include the Colby Museum of Art, the Kennebec Montessori School, Waterville Public Schools, and the Family Violence Project. The AYCC and Downtown Waterville Farmers Market are also lending a hand by providing a distribution network for the kits. Community donations in support of this effort are also being requested; Art Kits for All can be sponsored for as little as $10, and all gifts are tax deductible. To donate, visit: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/waterville-creates/art-kits-for-all

About Waterville Creates!
Waterville Creates! connects artists, organizations, and the public with arts and cultural events and programs happening in our community. Supporting and promoting arts education, exhibitions, theatre, film, music, and dance that is accessible to all, Waterville Creates! is leading the effort to make Waterville an exciting cultural destination and a thriving, vibrant community. For more information about the ongoing community capital campaign for the Paul J. Schupf Art Center visit www.downtownartscenter.org

The Maine Film Center (MFC) Launches New Railroad Square Cinema Website

/in /by

http://www.railroadsquarecinema.com/ Features Streaming Recommendations from the Maine Film Center and Ease-of-Use Functionality and Flexibility During Unprecedented Closure Due to COVID-19

 

Waterville, Maine – The Maine Film Center (MFC) is making the most of its unscheduled COVID-19 “intermission” (aka temporary closure) by launching a new website for the Railroad Square Cinema, Maine’s only Sundance Art House Project theatre. The new and enhanced website features a more mobile-friendly interface for visitors, allows for a greater diversity of content sharing, and for the first time ever includes streaming film recommendations from the Maine Film Center staff. The new website can be found at Http://www.RailroadSquareCinema.com.

 

“All of us at the Maine Film Center are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support during these difficult times that have literally reshaped the way we entertain, educate, and build community,” says Mike Perreault, executive director of the Maine Film Center. “While watching at home can in no way rival the experience of the cinema, the new Railroad Square Cinema website will feature a curated selection of titles available for streaming. We hope that by presenting some of the best American independent, international, and classic films available online in this way, our audiences will still be able to enjoy quality films and look eagerly toward the future when we can again project, congregate, discuss, debate, and revel in—to the fullest extent—our passion for cinema.”

 

Established in 1978, Railroad Square Cinema is a three-screen independent movie theater boasting the “best popcorn in the known universe.” Saluted by the Sundance Film Institute as one of the first theaters in the country to be included in its Art House Project, Railroad Square Cinema is consistently recognized as one of the region’s top theaters and according to Yankee Magazine is Maine’s “Best Art-House Theater.”

 

About the Maine Film Center

The Maine Film Center (MFC) brings world-class independent film to Central Maine through Railroad Square Cinema, the only Sundance Art House Project cinema in Maine and the annual Maine International Film Festival, a 10-day celebration that attracts filmmakers and film aficionados from around the world, and by delivering impactful, accessible film exhibitions and education programs. MFC inspires an appreciation for the art of film and works to make Waterville a key destination in the state of Maine. MFC firmly believes that art and culture have the power to enrich lives, strengthen community bonds, and serve as an economic engine. For more information visit http://www.MaineFilmCenter.org

 

About Waterville Creates!
Waterville Creates! connects artists, organizations, and the public with arts and cultural events and programs happening in our community. Supporting and promoting arts education, exhibitions, theatre, film, music, and dance that is accessible to all, Waterville Creates! is leading the effort to make Waterville an exciting cultural destination and a thriving, vibrant community. For more information about the ongoing community capital campaign for the Paul J. Schupf Art Center visit www.downtownartscenter.org

Youth Art Month (YAM), Common Street Arts’ March Exhibition, Spotlights Area Youth Art

/in /by

“A Journey Through Art” opening reception – Thursday, March 5 from 4:30pm to 6:00pm

Waterville, Maine — Waterville Creates! is filled with child-like excitement to host the Youth Art Month (YAM) exhibition at Common Street Arts! YAM honors the amazing art teachers in central Maine while celebrating the work of aspiring youth artists in grades K-12 from 17 participating schools. This year’s YAM theme is “A Journey Through Art” and is sponsored by Bangor Savings Bank. Each Saturday, Common Street Arts will host a series of free programs that explore the themes of travel, culture, and human creativity. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, March 5 from 4:30 – 6:00pm at Common Street Arts. For a complete list of the scheduled projects and programs, please visit www.commonstreetarts.org.

Gallery Hours:
Monday – Friday: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday: 12:00pm – 5:00pm
CLOSED SUNDAY

Featured Schools:

Albert S. Hall School
Canaan Elementary School
Carrabec High School
George J. Mitchell School
Glen Stratton Learning Center
Kennebec Montessori School
Madison Elementary School
Madison Junior High School
Maine Academy of Natural Sciences
Messalonskee High School
Messalonskee Middle School
Mount Merici Academy
North Elementary School
Warsaw Middle School
Waterville Alternative High School
Winslow High School
Winslow Junior High School

 

Free Youth Art Month Events:

Arts Around the World at the Chace Community Forum

Explore art throughout the world and become inspired by artists from different countries. Members from the Colby College International Club and Colby Museum of Art will assist in art-making projects and discuss art from various countries throughout the world.

Saturday, March 7 @ 1:00 – 4:00pm

Kids Art Yoga

Join yoga teacher Stephanie Pinnette as she leads a youth yoga class in the gallery. Participants will create unique poses inspired by artwork in the exhibition.

Saturday, March 14 @ 10:00 – 11:00am

 

Family Game Café

Every time we play games, we are transported to another world. Explore board games that bring us on journeys, from the more recent Settlers of Catan to the old school Oregon Trail.

Saturday, March 21 @ 1:00 – 4:00pm

Music from Around the World

Musicians from Snow Pond Center for the Arts will introduce participants to instruments from around the world. Families are invited to create art as they listen to music!

Saturday, March 28 @ 1:00 – 2:00pm

 

About Waterville Creates!
Waterville Creates! connects artists, organizations, and the public with arts and cultural events and programs happening in our community. Supporting and promoting arts education, exhibitions, theatre, film, music, and dance that is accessible to all, Waterville Creates! is leading the effort to make Waterville an exciting cultural destination and a thriving, vibrant community. For more information about the ongoing community capital campaign for the Paul J. Schupf Art Center visit www.downtownartscenter.org

 

Waterville Creates! Invited to Participate in 17th Annual Maine Nonprofit Day

/in /by

Waterville, Maine — Waterville Creates! joins the Maine Association of Nonprofits (MANP) at the 17th annual Maine Nonprofit Day at the State House. Nonprofit Day provides an opportunity for nonprofits and government to assert their commitment to working together in order to creatively, efficiently and effectively serve the people of Maine.

The Maine nonprofit sector is a major economic engine, employing 1 out of every 6 Mainers. Maine’s nonprofit sector paid over $4.7 billion in wages in 2017, or 17.9% of the state’s total payroll. These wages translated in an estimated $271 million of personal income tax revenue for Maine’s state and local governments. Nonprofit Day at the State House seeks to educate lawmakers on this critical piece of our economy and celebrate the importance of the work of exhibitors.

Waterville Creates! connects artists, organizations, and the public with arts and cultural events and programs happening in our community. Supporting and promoting arts education, exhibitions, theatre, film, music, and dance that is accessible to all, Waterville Creates! is leading the effort to make Waterville an exciting cultural destination and a thriving, vibrant community.

“Maine’s nonprofits are complex and strategic organizations. They create jobs, develop community leaders, and invest significant financial and human resources across the State,” said Jennifer Hutchins, Executive Director of MANP. “We are thrilled to highlight this diverse sector at the State House.”

“Waterville Creates! serves over 86,000 patrons annually through theatre, live music, and special events at the Waterville Opera House, daily film programming at Railroad Square Cinema and the annual Maine International Film Festival, ongoing arts education and exhibitions at Common Street Arts, and numerous collaborative community events,” says President and CEO Shannon Haines. “In addition to providing outstanding year-round arts programming, Waterville Creates! is a significant economic engine for Waterville and the region.”

Other exhibiting nonprofits include:

Auburn Public Library
College Guild
Community Concepts
The Ecology School
In Her Presence
Jackson Lab
Kids Peace
Pine Tree Hospice
NAMI Maine
Sexual Assault & Crisis Support Center

The 17th Annual Nonprofit Day takes place on February 11th, 8:30 am – 1:00 pm, in the Hall of Flags at the State House in Augusta. For more information on this event, please call the Maine Association of Nonprofits at 871-1885 or visit www.nonprofitmaine.org/nonprofitday.

About Waterville Creates!

Waterville Creates! connects artists, organizations, and the public with arts and cultural events and programs happening in our community. Supporting and promoting arts education, exhibitions, theatre, film, music, and dance that is accessible to all, Waterville Creates! is leading the effort to make Waterville an exciting cultural destination and a thriving, vibrant community. For more information about the ongoing community capital campaign for the Paul J. Schupf Art Center visit www.downtownartscenter.org