Who Are They? Waterfall Arts – Part 5

The Waterfall Family

This is the fifth of five blog posts in a series about Waterfall Arts, located in Belfast, and are posted April 20-24. Information is provided for the Maine Arts Ed blog readers to learn about community organizations and institutions that provide educational opportunities in the arts. You will learn that they are partnering with other organizations and schools to extend learning opportunities, not supplant.

Waterfall Arts (WA) was founded in 2000 on a rustic site in Montville by a group of local artists. Seventeen years later now located in a repurposed old schoolhouse in Belfast, WA is a vibrant midcoast arts hub with over 6000 visitors per year, still committed to its mission “to create community in harmony with nature through the transformative power of the arts.” WA offers resources to artists and arts enthusiasts of all ages, including classes, exhibitions, events, open media-specific studios (clay, print, and photography), free/sliding scale arts after-school programs for 4th-12th graders, public art projects, long-term studio space, and short-term rental facilities. As the co-founders and those involved are dedicated to an accessible, environmentally-sustainable center, they have embarked on a campaign to transform their old building into a model of creative energy efficiency and ADA-compliance.  Waterfall Arts is located at 265 High Street in Belfast. Website: http://waterfallarts.org, contact: info@waterfallarts.org or call 207.338.2222.

Waterfall Arts, Belfast

It was our Facility Manager’s birthday recently. Which is an awesome thing since we love to celebrate birthdays here at Waterfall Arts. Not just any ol’ office b-day party with a store-bought cake and candles, but a party with singing, stories, baskets of trinkets and special treats. One of us bakes, another brings a card and we each share a little of our own world. Lou and her husband process huge batches of the most delicious maple syrup – we each get a jar in our birthday basket. We give souvenirs from our journeys or samples of our artistic endeavors. We all eat way too much chocolate… We’re not just a team, we’re a family.

What does it take to create this dream team? Some say diversity. Some say clear goals and strategy. A fearless leader/visionary. Individual commitment. The perfect product or idea. Certainly public interest, funding, and creative thinking. Sure, all of these contribute to creating the perfect team — and the Waterfall team can check all these boxes. In addition we have an amazing group of volunteers. An active Board of Directors, successful granting records, dedicated donors, fantastic artist educators and a talented staff. And the community that convinced Waterfall Arts to move to Belfast 10 years ago continues to jump into our innovative programs and services.

This is all great, right? But there is more.  As a non-profit organization, Waterfall’s team raises its entire budget every year. This funding — grants, business sponsors and private donations — determines our capabilities. It also means that staff positions are part-time and salaries are lower than other comparable jobs in the area. Volunteers are crucial to successful project management. Reliance on city, state and federal spending priorities affect our abilities to run certain programs. It can be quite a challenge to juggle bills, coordinate programs, and care for the building. And in the face of all of this, we keep going and growing because this team is also a family.

Staff and board getting creative during the annual retreat.

A total cliché but so very true here at Waterfall Arts. We surprise ourselves every time we open the doors to a new exhibition, workshop, artist talk, performance…WOW – we did it! And the best part, when we’re done with the to-do lists, the meetings, the calendar updates, the long nights painting walls and cleaning floors, writing grants and soliciting sponsorships, we get to start all over again to bring another amazing creative experience to our community.

The Waterfall family may not be united by genetics but we are related through our passions. We share a passion for the Arts, a passion to engage others in creative experiences, and a passion to make a difference in our community. And passion is what it takes to power a non-profit. To power any team to go beyond. It’s the gas in the engine.

I moved here about 5 years ago. Seeking out a community in the arts I found Waterfall Arts. I signed up to volunteer in the gallery and am still here, now President of the Board. Waterfall Arts is family to me. What we do is significant and makes a difference to the world around us and we enjoy being together doing it.

That is the perfect team.

Costumes happen more than once a year around here!

“How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” ~Anne Frank

This post was written by Karin Otto, Waterfall Arts Board Chair and volunteer Coordinator of Programs.

Who Are They? Waterfall Arts – Part 4

Facilities

This is the fourth of five blog posts in a series about Waterfall Arts, located in Belfast, and are posted April 20-24. Information is provided for the Maine Arts Ed blog readers to learn about community organizations and institutions that provide educational opportunities in the arts. You will learn that they are partnering with other organizations and schools to extend learning opportunities, not supplant.

Waterfall Arts (WA) was founded in 2000 on a rustic site in Montville by a group of local artists. Seventeen years later now located in a repurposed old schoolhouse in Belfast, WA is a vibrant midcoast arts hub with over 6000 visitors per year, still committed to its mission “to create community in harmony with nature through the transformative power of the arts.” WA offers resources to artists and arts enthusiasts of all ages, including classes, exhibitions, events, open media-specific studios (clay, print, and photography), free/sliding scale arts after-school programs for 4th-12th graders, public art projects, long-term studio space, and short-term rental facilities. As the co-founders and those involved are dedicated to an accessible, environmentally-sustainable center, they have embarked on a campaign to transform their old building into a model of creative energy efficiency and ADA-compliance.  Waterfall Arts is located at 265 High Street in Belfast. Website: http://waterfallarts.org, contact: info@waterfallarts.org or call 207.338.2222.

Waterfall Arts, Belfast

Five years ago when I joined the Waterfall arts crew as facilities manager I was pretty confident that I had landed a comfy position at a quiet little community art center. For the first couple of months that seemed to be the case. Set up some tables here, fold up some chairs there, maybe set up the projector and tape down the wires. Mow the lawn now and then. Make sure the trash was taken out and the floors were swept…

The building itself is a grand old elementary school covering over 16,000 sq. ft. with classrooms (complete with chalkboards and coat “cubbies”) converted into over a dozen private studios and offices. Several common areas include what was once the cafeteria (and the fallout shelter!), now a 1200 sq ft performance space. Many locals come to Waterfall for an event and end up going room to room, nostalgically pointing out where they had class when it was the Anderson School.

Although almost a hundred years old, the building seemed solid and steady, just needing a bit of paint here or there, maybe a call to the oil burner tech if the heat went out – easy! The best part was that I got to spend my work day in the company of fellow artists (which by the way is still the best part for sure). But my sleepy little gig ended abruptly on a Sunday morning in February when I got a call that a pipe had burst in the third floor ladies room sometime during the night and the basement was flooded; the ceiling in the 2^nd floor ladies room collapsed. The water had been shut off but the damage was extensive. And so began a repair and renovation project that lasted over a year and required all the skills I had managed to acquire – including calling in outside help. Things are not always as they seem and this old elementary school is no exception! The pipe that burst appeared solid and in good order, the galvanized surface looked much as it did the day it was installed, but inside the cast iron pipe had rusted until it was paper thin and finally burst. And the building has many such pipes.

My second year here the heating system failed. In the middle of winter – again, old metal had failed. One minute you got heat the next minute you got a problem! We managed to make it until spring when we began the involved process of installing a pump system to heat and cool the building and to trash the existing oil fired steam heat system. The new system was not operational until late in December though, and we had to heat the entire building for several weeks using a flotilla of electric space heaters. Several extra-cold nights I slept on the couch in the basement to keep an eye on things. Now in our third season with the heat pump system, I can say it is a great improvement over the old system. AC in the heat of summer sure is sweet!

Soon we will begin a major renovation project to -among other things- super insulate the building, install new windows and a solar array on the roof – all with the goal of attaining net zero energy usage. This building has had quite a life cycle!

The last couple of years have provided me with plenty of opportunity to use a lifetime of construction skills, not only in dealing with crisis situations but also in the construction of new studio spaces including a fully equipped printmaking studio and a photo darkroom.

You could say my cozy little job at Waterfall Arts ended with the flood of 2012 – with the realization that this dear old building that provides this community with a home for the arts was a needy old building that required much attention… but in turn gives back so much. And yes, I still set up tables, fold up chairs…

This post was written by Mike Fletcher, Waterfall Arts Facilities Manager and the coordinator of the life drawing program. Mike is a 1991 graduate of Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts, and later went on to study at the Art Students League where he monitored for the Russian realist painter Leonid Gervits. An active member of the Mid-Coast Maine arts community for over two decades Mike has performed with the Belfast Maskers, exhibited with Art Fellows and taught at Waterfall Arts. Mike’s most recent solo exhibition was at Aaurhus gallery, in 2012.

Who Are They? Waterfall Arts – Part 3

Making the Connections

This is the third of five blog posts in a series about Waterfall Arts, located in Belfast, and are posted April 20-24. Information is provided for the Maine Arts Ed blog readers to learn about community organizations and institutions that provide educational opportunities in the arts. You will learn that they are partnering with other organizations and schools to extend learning opportunities, not supplant.

Waterfall Arts (WA) was founded in 2000 on a rustic site in Montville by a group of local artists. Seventeen years later now located in a repurposed old schoolhouse in Belfast, WA is a vibrant midcoast arts hub with over 6000 visitors per year, still committed to its mission “to create community in harmony with nature through the transformative power of the arts.” WA offers resources to artists and arts enthusiasts of all ages, including classes, exhibitions, events, open media-specific studios (clay, print, and photography), free/sliding scale arts after-school programs for 4th-12th graders, public art projects, long-term studio space, and short-term rental facilities. As the co-founders and those involved are dedicated to an accessible, environmentally-sustainable center, they have embarked on a campaign to transform their old building into a model of creative energy efficiency and ADA-compliance.  Waterfall Arts is located at 265 High Street in Belfast. Website: http://waterfallarts.org, contact: info@waterfallarts.org or call 207.338.2222.

Waterfall Arts, Belfast

Hi, I’m Bridget Matros, Youth and Families Outreach Coordinator for Waterfall Arts. I help Waterfall share the power of art with people that might not naturally end up in the building, and I love it! When I first came to Belfast, this position didn’t exist. The “hundred-million dollar questions” I asked the first time I met Co-Director Martha Piscuskas were, “what does Waterfall do for local families? Do mostly wealthy people or professional artists come here?” I come from another small town where tourists enjoy what the local kids barely realize is there – so of course I was called to this disconnect, in what soon became my new hometown!

During my time at Boston Children’s Museum, my job was to engage urban families in artmaking. It sounds easy – it wasn’t! I think people in the arts forget how laden with psychological discomfort self-expression is for adults who were “scarred for life” during childhood. The arts also tend to be “bestowed” on communities by privileged people who speak a different language (sometimes literally!) and have a whole different set of values – so people can’t really make a connection in a real, deep way like they do with music from their home country, dancing in their living rooms, or a favorite photo. I developed many strategies for getting people comfortable with the arts on their terms – and one has been at the center of my approach here in Maine – fun! More specifically, free or cheap fun!

Kids learn through play, and it turns out adults do, too (especially with a running narration of the creative processes going on, and their practical applications)! By creating together, adults become advocates for the arts, and seek out more opportunities. We get the most newbies through our doors during “AAAH” events – All Ages Art Happenings. These are interactive community parties ranging from making a mini waterpark in the front yard to sitting down at a giant dinner table for a playdough pot luck.

Over 250 attendees at the fourth annual Glow Show

Our largest annual AAAH is The Glow Show – over 200 visitors enjoy a two-floor interactive installation of illuminated artwork, black light dancing, and glowing art activities. Fun that hinges on creativity is almost always cheap – Cardboard Boxes Are Really Fun involves collecting a couple hundred boxes from local businesses and donations of packing tape! Adults help kids erect an amazing castle-town and leave thinking about how easy it is to get creative at home. They also leave with a brochure of our classes, and some check out the gallery on their way out (a first for most, even with a town that has more art galleries than places to eat). Success! A “next step” might be for a dad to bring his son to one of our free Art Together Mornings, as a first ‘art class’ experience.

I think it’s critical that “outreach” be determined by the needs of the community, not the whims of an organization. For example, kindergarteners are “my people” –  but my first mission at Waterfall was to address the fact that in our school district, 6th graders don’t have art in school. I don’t know about you, but that would’ve done me in. So our first program was a free afterschool art club (“Bridge”) for 6th graders – the school bus delivers them to Waterfall for two hours every week. Some of these kids identify as artists on day one. Others, not so much. The goal is for kids to connect to themselves, each other, and the community. We do so through games, journaling, art projects, interviews, public art, gallery visits, and events.

A “Bridge kid” interviews local artist, Abbie Read.

The very first crew not only signed up for every session, but still come to Waterfall every week, three years later; the Teen Art Studio is a drop-in program mostly serving tweens and teens who need a creative outlet, free of assignments and judgement. What I love most about working with this age group is seeing the difference a creative safe-space can make for kids; hearing from teachers and parents things that never came across in Bridge: he’s introverted, she’s on the Autism Spectrum, he’s homeless, she’s learning-disabled, he’s failing his classes – as one student said, “everyone’s got different kinds of smarts. Art is good for finding what you can do and not worry about the rest – you just get to be awesome here!”

My second year with Waterfall, we were contacted by the local elementary school – art classes had been halved due to budgeting. I was able to visit the school with artmaking sessions, making some 200 new friends! We then started an afterschool art program for fourth and fifth graders, which is still going strong. We have a generous scholarship fund so we never have to turn anyone away for any of our fee-based programs.

The Art Tent acts as a starting point for families, at Fourth Friday Art Walks in Belfast.

During the summer, Bridge kids help to staff our “Art Tent” at community events and during the monthly Art Walk downtown. Next summer we’ll equip families with a map to family-friendly galleries along with our guide to looking at art with kids, informed by local gallery owners’ enthusiasm (and trepidations) regarding young visitors.

During a 2014  town hall-type survey of interests among mid-coast artists, teachers, gallerists, and organizations, “connecting to more people” was a unanimous priority – my position was fully funded later that year by the Quimby Foundation. Now a generous collective of sponsors and supporters keep my work going and allow us to assess and address the changing needs in Waldo County. We’re so grateful for the opportunity!

I hope that every reader will support our young creatives by “liking” and following our Facebook page, Bridge:Young Artists Connecting:

www.facebook.com/WATERFALLBRIDGE

This post was written by Bridget Matros, Waterfall Arts Youth and Family Outreach Coordinator and BRIDGE Instructor. Bridget has been an educator for fifteen years, teaching at every level and setting from preschool circle-time, computer labs for the elderly, and seminars for teachers. Her academic and experiential background includes a BA from Oberlin College in Sociology and Psychology, informing her development of successful programs for diverse crowds. She developed and grew the Art Studio exhibit and program at Boston Children’s Museum for ten years and deemed one of 21 “young leaders in arts education” by Harvard scholars, is a published advocate for quality creative development in early childhood education.  As an artist she transmits through a range of visual media as well as producing video, singing, and writing. www.bridgetmatros.com. Bridget can be reached at bridget@waterfallarts.org.

 

Who Are They? Waterfall Arts – Part 2

Curating for Community

This is the second of five blog posts in a series about Waterfall Arts, located in Belfast, and are posted April 20-24. This is part of a series called Who Are They? Information is provided for the Maine Arts Ed blog readers to learn about community organizations and institutions that provide educational opportunities in the arts. You will learn that they are partnering with other organizations and schools to extend learning opportunities, not supplant.

Waterfall Arts (WA) was founded in 2000 on a rustic site in Montville by a group of local artists. Seventeen years later now located in a repurposed old schoolhouse in Belfast, WA is a vibrant midcoast arts hub with over 6000 visitors per year, still committed to its mission “to create community in harmony with nature through the transformative power of the arts.” WA offers resources to artists and arts enthusiasts of all ages, including classes, exhibitions, events, open media-specific studios (clay, print, and photography), free/sliding scale arts after-school programs for 4th-12th graders, public art projects, long-term studio space, and short-term rental facilities. As the co-founders and those involved are dedicated to an accessible, environmentally-sustainable center, they have embarked on a campaign to transform their old building into a model of creative energy efficiency and ADA-compliance.  Waterfall Arts is located at 265 High Street in Belfast. Website: http://waterfallarts.org, contact: info@waterfallarts.org or call 207.338.2222. This is the second of five on Waterfall Arts.

Waterfall Arts, Belfast

In the early days of Waterfall Arts, we were all volunteers running summer classes in a collection of rustic buildings and tents in rural Montville, Waldo County. All exhibits were pop-up, day-of, showing teachers’ and students’ work, often together. We were all about just getting the work out there. Prints, glass beads, earthmounds, dances performed under waterfalls, drawings and paintings, clay pots, floating burning boats.

Today, we annually exhibit about 200 artists of the highest caliber, and the variety is as eclectic and interesting as ever. Now in Belfast year-round, we plan two years out for our two exhibition spaces. We show work of artists near (in the building) and far (Japanese photographer Koichiro Kurita) and of all ages, from life-long painter Harold Garde at age 90 to 4-year-old Eliot Bee Andrews and her fairy sculptures.

Our curating process is by committee, with different staff or volunteers taking the lead.

Every spring two open (non-curated) community shows bring in work from all over: in March, the Young Artists’ Gallery Takeover exhibit features hundreds of works by Waldo County artists under age 18. In April, the Open Call show has attracted as many as 200 artists from all over the US. Themes have included the all-cardboard creations, works of exactly one square foot, Earth, and printmaking (celebrating our new print studio). These shows fill both the three-floor Corridor Gallery and the 725 sq ft Clifford Gallery.

True to our roots, we still like to show work outside — on the lawn, on the building, in the town.  We’ve made murals and chalk drawings, projected video onto the building from an old car parked on the lawn, and installed stone and metal sculpture.  Grants help drive some projects, such as our permanent Willow Dome on the front lawn and the seasonal Living Wall, a vertical garden on the south wall designed, cared for, and installed by students from partnering schools.

Some exhibitions are developed from scratch, in-house — usually long-term projects that require external funding and sometimes a large crew. The show “David McLaughlin: The Art of Salvage” was two years in the making. David, who had recently passed away, owned an entire cannery as his live/work environment, filling every nook and cranny with metal and salvaged objects. With his heirs, we reached out to find and catalogue the assemblaged and metal sculpture of this talented and beloved local metalworker. We also received permission to disassemble a small entryway, and then precisely reassembled it in the Clifford Gallery with all its contents, including several tons of metal tools. Large photographs of the cannery, as well as another built environment, graced the gallery to augment and highlight the sculpture. One visitor commented that it was “as good as a Smithsonian exhibit.”

Artists, teachers or friends sometimes propose a show; if the committee gives a green light, we’ll collaborate and curate together. In 2015, we worked with Waging Peace/Maine to bring together two well-known painters — Rob Shetterly (“Americans Who Tell the Truth” series) and Alan Magee (allegorical war-torn figures) — for a powerful exhibition, an artist talk broadcast on community radio, and well-attended workshops with national peace activist Paul Chappell.

And then there’s luck. Sometimes when you pick up the phone and call a famous artist, like Arthur Ganson, they say yes. The exhibition of his kinetic sculpture was one of the most visited and interactive we’ve ever had.

Waterfall Arts seeks to present work that is topical and community-minded, that emphasizes the rich artistic talent here in Maine while also introducing new or national voices, that provokes discussion, raises awareness of the creative process and provides a glimpse into the mind of today’s artist in a challenging world. While art sales matter, they are not a major curatorial factor —  inquiry and freshness are.

We’ve learned on the fly, had help from amazing artists both in shows and on our committee, and, without fail, are inspired with every new show.

This post was written by Martha Piscuskas, Waterfall Arts Director of Programming. Martha is one of the founders and longtime volunteers of the organization. She has 25 years of non-profit management experience, having worked for or directed numerous progressive organizations in Maine. Along with her four siblings, Martha is also an artist, making interactive installations and community performances. She holds a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Wesleyan University, and a BFA from the Maine College of Art. Martha can be reached at martha@waterfallarts.org.

Who Are They?: Schoodic Arts for All, Part 6

Intern program

This blog post is part of a series called Who Are They? where information is provided for the Maine Arts Ed blog readers to learn about community organizations and institutions that provide educational opportunities in the arts. You will learn that they are partnering with other organizations and schools to extend learning opportunities, not supplant. Please consider ways in which you can collaborate to provide excellent arts education for all learners.

This is the sixth and last blog post of the series highlighting the work of Schoodic Arts for All located in Hammond Hall, 427 Main Street in Winter Harbor. This area is called Downeast Maine and Schoodic Arts for All is at the intersection of Hancock and Washington Counties. Schoodic Arts for All is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering interest and involvement in the arts for all who wish to participate.

A special THANK YOU to Mary Laury and Anna Woolf for providing the content for the six blog posts on Schoodic Arts for All. These posts have provided a clear picture of the depth and breath of the programming that is offered. This post is especially fascinating and I am sure you will agree once you read it that, the future is in good hands knowing the opportunities and experiences that Schoodic Arts for All provides to young people as interns.

“Interning at Schoodic Arts For All has been an incredible opportunity. During my internship (along with technical skills such as working the lights and the sound board for performances) I learned how to work collaboratively with my coworkers, how to set goals and eventually reach them, and how to positively approach problems with innovative and creative solutions. Besides looking incredible on a resumé, interning and working at Schoodic Arts has given me the experience and skills necessary to survive in any work environment because of the broad amounts of tasks I was expected to complete. Working effectively in an office environment, getting out in the community through events and programs, and working with artists from around the state have made me incredibly confident and prepared for any and all directions I might go in the future.” 

Hannah Gignoux

Schoodic Arts for engages youth in leadership roles as Junior Interns (ages 12–15) and then as (paid) Summer Interns (ages 16 – 21). Many of these interns have moved on to become very successful, including 3 who have gone on to become executive directors before reaching the age of 25.

2001-RIVERA SUN COOK, Executive Director Rising Sun Dance Theatre

Rivera Sun Cook was the very first Schoodic Arts intern. Her job description as the very first intern consisted of “moving chairs, doing everything and anything, and having fun!” She is now a successful Executive Director of her company, Rising Sun Dance Theatre, and has written two novels, “Steam Drills, Treadmills, and Shooting Stars” and “The Dandelion Insurrection.”

 

 

 

 

2003-SHELBY HOWE GREENE, Executive Director Eastport Arts Center

Shelby Howe Greene became an intern with Schoodic Arts for All, shortly after graduating from high school in 2003. After interning, she continued to return during the summers for summer programming.

After graduating from college, she began working at the Eastport Arts Center in Eastport, Maine for 3 years. She wrote grants and worked with volunteers and the community. She left the Eastport Arts Center in 2011, and eventually became an Americorps member with the Washington County Food and Fuel Alliance in 2012, and Maine Sea Coast Mission EdGE after school program in 2013. She currently operates her own cloth diapering business, The Meanie Greene on Etsy.

 

 

2004-JEFFE GREENE, Engineer

Jeffe Greene was an intern at Schoodic Arts for All in 2004 after finishing high school. He attended Maine Maritime Academy and received a degree in Engineering with a BA in Science and Technology.

2006-CHARLOTTE GUERTLER, Yale

Charlotte attended many Schoodic Arts for All festivals, and took lots of workshops before becoming an intern. Schoodic Arts for All classes have helped her become a better artist and observer, and being an intern has helped her improve her job skills. One of the most important things she learned from her internship was how to overcome her shyness.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2007- BREANNA PINKHAM, Executive Director of Our Town Belfast

Breanna Pinkham was involved with Schoodic Arts for All from a very young age in workshops and performances. She joined Schoodic Steel and, shortly after, the Meetinghouse Theatre Lab. She began working as assistant and year-round helper at Schoodic Arts for All on her 21^st birthday. She began by using adobe design programs, and slowly took over graphic design and website duties as well as managing the office. She worked at Schoodic Arts for All while going to school for an undergraduate degree in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts. She became Executive Director of the Main Street program, Our Town Belfast in Belfast, Maine.

 

 

2010-LEILA SAAD, Director and Publisher, Maude Magazine

Leila has been involved with Schoodic Arts for All from a very young age. Raised in the festival, she was always involved in workshops, which eased her into becoming a staff member.

 

2011-2013-NICK RUCKER, Tech specialist

Able to sculpt and define his job, Nick Rucker was mainly involved with web design, lights and sound. He loved the freedom and macromanaged environment in the Schoodic Arts for All office. Trust was a big part of his job, being handed a task, and having the freedom to accomplish the task in his own way.

 

 

 

 

2011-OREN DARLING, Designer

Oren Darling is a Web and Graphic Design Associate for the Purdue Research Foundation, which works to improve Purdue as a world-class university by aiding in scientific investigation, research and educational studies, maintaining facilities, grounds, and equipment, and managing intellectual property. His work at Schoodic Arts for All helped him become familiar with promoting and organizing events.

 

 

2012-ELIZA HUBER-WEISS, student

Eliza Huber-Weiss, a talented cellist, was a summer intern for Schoodic Arts for All in 2012. She was often in charge of organizing events and publicity. Eliza is a very artistic young lady, and even designed the 2012 and 2013 Schoodic Arts for All festival t-shirts. She now attends Bowdoin college and studies Liberal Arts.

 

 

2012-ALEXANDRA BROWN, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

When Alexandra joined Schoodic Arts for All she was very interested in history. She decided to create a special summer project in her time as an intern, which was to curate a show of historic photos of Winter Harbor. The exhibit was displayed where people could go and write down any memories they had of these historic buildings. With these comments, she compiled a book called “Historic Photographs of Winter Harbor” which was registered with the Library of Congress. Her internship and printed book helped her resume grow, and as a result she moved on to get a job in the museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

 

2012-2014-BELLA DESISTO, Student

Bella DeSisto became involved with Schoodic Arts for All from a young age, starting as a volunteer and working her way up to become a staff member. She was mostly involved with the junior interns in Prospect Harbor and as the logistics person on staff.

 

 

 

 

 

2013-2014-HANNAH GIGNOUX, Student

Hannah Gignoux has been involved with Schoodic Arts for All from a very young age, taking a wide variety of workshops, performing at Brown Bag Lunches, opening for Last Friday Coffee Houses, and as a member of the Pandemonium steel band.

She worked at Schoodic Arts for All for two years as a summer intern, then as a staff member. Her main projects during her time here mostly involved organizing the annual Silent Auction and Final Showcase, and managing lighting for performances.

The arts are a big part of her life, and she plans to remain involved with the arts all the way through her college career.

 

 

2013-2014-PEPIN MITTELHAUSER, Musician and performer

Pepin became involved with Schoodic Arts for All through several performance groups, including the Schoodic Summer Chorus, Steel Pan groups, and eventually his own performing group. He is now a program assistant for Schoodic Arts for All, and is also in charge of Pecha Kucha presentations, and performance managing such as running lights and sound.

 

2014-HANNAH WOODWARD, Student

Hannah Woodward has been involved with Schoodic Arts since 2001. She began her relationship with Schoodic Arts by taking workshops and attending performances. She was a member of the original Pandemonium Steel Band. She became a junior intern in 7^th grade, and became a part time summer intern as a Summer Program Assistant. She has always had a steady relationship with Schoodic Arts for All and the festival.

 

 

 

2014, ELLEN JOHNSON, student

Ellen Johnson has been a junior intern since the age of 12. She is a member of the original Pandemonium steel band, and has been with Schoodic Arts for All from a very young age. She became a summer intern, in charge of press releases and organizing junior interns and Brown Bag Lunch, and is now summer staff.

2014-SINAI HERRERA, student

Sinai Herrera began her relationship with Schoodic Arts for All when she joined the Pandemonium Steel drum band in 7^th grade. She became a summer intern in 2014 and is now summer staff. She is mostly in charge of publicity but also compiled this biography of interns.

 

 

Intern positions give young community members an opportunity to have a fun, rewarding job involving the arts.

If you have questions about the Schoodic Arts for All Intern program or any of their other programs please contact the Executive Director, Mary Laury, at marylaury@schoodicartsforall.org.

Who Are They?: Schoodic Arts for All, Part 4

Schoodic festival

This blog post is part of a series called Who Are They? where information is provided for the Maine Arts Ed blog readers to learn about community organizations and institutions that provide educational opportunities in the arts. You will learn that they are partnering with other organizations and schools to extend learning opportunities, not supplant. Please consider ways in which you can collaborate to provide excellent arts education for all learners.

This is the fourth blog post of the series highlighting the work of Schoodic Arts for All located in Hammond Hall, 427 Main Street in Winter Harbor. This area is called Downeast Maine and Schoodic Arts for All is at the intersection of Hancock and Washington Counties. Schoodic Arts for All is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering interest and involvement in the arts for all who wish to participate.

Schoodic Arts for All evolved out of an organization called Maine Futures, in 1998. The first year of the festival was 1999 when we had around 65 workshops and seven or eight performances. That year we had no office, a small grant from the Maine Community Foundation, a few volunteers, and a part time director. Most of the work was done at Darthia Farm, even to using the farm’s credit card machine to sign up students.

It has grown over the years but we try to maintain the “grassroots” feeling of workshops and performances and to keep the tuition and admission charges low through donations and grants.

We are presenting many workshops in a number of categories. We have craft, visual art, cooking, writing, fiber, clay, dance, jewelry, music, and several free classes. The workshops are held throughout the entire Schoodic Peninsula in various venues in the many villages.

We also present 14 evening performances at Hammond Hall in Winter Harbor including music, theater, dance, film, and puppetry.

In Prospect Harbor, every day at noon, we have a free “brown bag” performance ranging from guitarists, reptiles, kids playing music, lectures.

During the two weeks of the Schoodic Arts Festival, the Schoodic Peninsula is transformed into a hub-bub of children and adults making and doing and observing art in all genres.

If you have questions about the Schoodic Arts for All Festival or any of their other programs please contact the Executive Director, Mary Laury, at marylaury@schoodicartsforall.org.

Who Are They?: Schoodic Arts for All, Part 3

Art club

This blog post is part of a series called Who Are They? where information is provided for the Maine Arts Ed blog readers to learn about community organizations and institutions that provide educational opportunities in the arts. You will learn that they are partnering with other organizations and schools to extend learning opportunities, not supplant. Please consider ways in which you can collaborate to provide excellent arts education for all learners.

This is the third blog post of the series highlighting the work of Schoodic Arts for All located in Hammond Hall, 427 Main Street in Winter Harbor. This area is called Downeast Maine and Schoodic Arts for All is at the intersection of Hancock and Washington Counties. Schoodic Arts for All is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering interest and involvement in the arts for all who wish to participate.

Schoodic Arts for All’s after school Art Club is a once a week hands-on experiential arts lesson for

In March, Art Club was all about Pottery: What a messy, fun time throwing clay on the wheel!

Peninsula School children enrolled in the EdGE program.

EdGE (Ed Greaves Education) is an innovative youth development program of the Maine Sea Coast Mission for students in grades 4-8 in coastal Washington County. It is designed to encourage youth to stay engaged in school, aspire towards and attain higher levels of achievement, and develop the personal skills that will enable them to achieve success. These goals are pursued using a wide range of interdisciplinary and experiential curriculum.

The Schoodic Arts for All Art Club program brings students in the EdGe program together with

local professional artists and crafters who teach clay, metal, paint, paper, fiber, and more. Students in the club are encouraged to help choose upcoming guest artists by sharing their ideas of topics they would like to explore.  Art Club’s lead teacher, Anna Woolf records the students’ ideas and searches for local artists who will visit as guest artists.

This spring students in the Art Club are enjoying:

• Pottery: on the Wheel and Hand-Building
• Sumi-e: Japanese Brush Painting with Wendilee Heath O’Brien

Asian Art – Sumi – e, or dancing brush painting, is the art of making each brush stroke important. Students learn how to grind pine pitch ink, charge the brush, and capture the essence of what you paint on tissue fine paper.

• Illustration with Bill Davis
• Clay Pens with Mary Lyman

Many Art Club sessions have time dedicated to “Open Studio” to work on continuing projects and experimenting with new media. At this time, pottery is the foundation since the lead teacher is a professional potter. Other media that is openly available include any materials introduced while learning from the guest artists: polymer clay, a wide variety of drawing materials, painting materials, bookbinding, papermaking and marbling, and sumi-e brush painting.

Guest artist Wendilee Heath O’Brien gave a wonderful lesson on Sumi-e, complete with inks and brushes from Japan.

Wendilee even taught a portion of lesson in Japanese!

For more information about Art Club and/or if you would like to visit as a guest artist e-mail anna@schoodicartsforall.org.

Who Are They?: Schoodic Arts for All, Part 2

Museum Trips

This blog post is part of a series called Who Are They? where information is provided for the Maine Arts Ed blog readers to learn about community organizations and institutions that provide educational opportunities in the arts. You will learn that they are partnering with other organizations and schools to extend learning opportunities, not supplant. Please consider ways in which you can collaborate to provide excellent arts education for all learners.

This is the second blog post of the series highlighting the work of Schoodic Arts for All located in Hammond Hall, 427 Main Street in Winter Harbor. This area is called Downeast Maine and Schoodic Arts for All is at the intersection of Hancock and Washington Counties. Schoodic Arts for All is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering interest and involvement in the arts for all who wish to participate.

Colby Museum of Art field trip

This past winter the staff at Schoodic Arts for All had an idea.  Members of the Painting group brainstormed ideas to get ourselves and our neighbors out of our homes, out of the dreary winter rut, to engage in socially and creatively enriching activities.  The Museum Field Trip was born: the plan was to provide transportation and museum fees for folks to travel to a new museum each month!

The response to the first trip to the Farnsworth Art Museum, was overwhelmingly positive. Schoodic Arts for All is committed to building on the popularity of this new winter program to create a truly unique and engaging experience for our participants.

Participants Feedback

“Winter days are short.  This trip was a brilliant idea.  It recharged creative minds on many levels and was a good day long social event.”  -Ann Dederer

“This kind of trip fulfills part of the mission of SAFA by enabling people who enjoy art an affordable way to engage with it.” -Anonymous

Ken Kelly at Portland Museum of Art

We all know that Maine has a significant number of “aging” residents.  Our field trips are aimed at gathering folks together who would not, on their own, consider taking a 12-hour day trip. After all, many wouldn’t feel comfortable driving 2 or 3 hours to visit a museum ALONE, stopping to have lunch ALONE, and driving all the way home, often in the dark, ALONE.  By providing the transportation, in groups of 6 passengers, participants were engaged in a variety of conversations and community building happened during the ride. Friendships are made, and information about the area is shared between people who otherwise may never have met.

As another participant stated:  “Community lives when people come together to share, laugh and explore.” -Anonymous

The monthly “Field Trips” to area art museums kicked off in January 2015 with an overwhelmingly positive response, drawing three times the anticipated attendance!  The museums were selected based on the current exhibits and interests of our participants. For example, in January, the Farnsworth Art Museum with the Shaker Exhibit was the first museum trip. Participants enjoyed the docent lead tour of the Shakers exhibit which included a documentary film by Ken Burns.

Winter Field trips included:

1. Farnsworth Art Museum
2. Portland Museum of Art
3. Colby College Museum of Art
4. University of Maine Museum of Art and the IMRC (Innovative Media Research and Commercialization Center)
5. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (still upcoming as of the publish date of this post)

Karen and Mazouz Hussein at Colby College

A Survey/Written Evaluation follows each trip which provides insights into how the experience. Strengths and weaknesses are included which provides direction for improvements for future Field Trips. These trips are a valuable resource for many who would not ordinarily experience the arts in this way. The goal is to make these trips enriching, comfortable and affordable for all.

For more information on Schoodic Arts for All Museum Field Trips visit www.schoodicartsforall.org or e-mail anna@choodicartsforall.org

 

 

 

Who Are They?: Schoodic Arts for All, Part 1

Introducing: Schoodic Arts for All

This blog post is part of a series called Who Are They? where information is provided for the Maine Arts Ed blog readers to learn about community organizations and institutions that provide educational opportunities in the arts. You will learn that they are partnering with other organizations and schools to extend learning opportunities, not supplant. Please consider ways in which you can collaborate to provide excellent arts education for all learners.

This is the first blog post of the series highlighting the work of Schoodic Arts for All located in Hammond Hall, 427 Main Street in Winter Harbor. This area is called Downeast Maine and Schoodic Arts for All is at the intersection of Hancock and Washington Counties. Schoodic Arts for All is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering interest and involvement in the arts for all who wish to participate.

Mission

The mission of Schoodic Arts for All is to bring together and provide opportunities for people of all ages to experience and appreciate the arts. Since our beginning in 1999, Schoodic Arts for All has been an integral part of our community as an arts presenting organization. In addition, we also area centerpiece for the downtown renovation, a positive influence on the economic situation, a resource for the schools in our district and a venue for the community events in our town.

History

Schoodic Arts for All was born in 1999 as a grassroots citizen’s group (Schoodic Futures) to address the dire economic impact on the town due to the closure of the Winter Harbor Navy base.  The loss of $11.5 million dollars in payroll and another $9 million in losses to vendors of equipment, supplies, and services to the navy cut the population by half, leaving only 23 students in the school and 100 empty buildings in town. Our task was to bring back life and vitality through increased visitation and economic opportunity.

One early answer to the question of how to save the community was to hold a two-week arts festival. In a region with little industry, most of the people who live here are engaged in creative occupations. These include the visual arts, music, craft, writing, design, architecture, and organic agriculture. After that first two-week festival, and following a two-year planning and data gathering process, one wish of the community that consistently surfaced was to provide increased “live arts” opportunities for participation and performance.

The Schoodic Arts Festival is the best known program that we do – it’s our signature program and begins in a few weeks. This year we have 85 workshops and 26 performances in 14 days! It’s our flagship program.

Schoodic Arts for All Programs

Art Club

Our Afterschool Art Club activities connect children with local professional artists who’s experience and passion for their craft inspire our club members to aspire to a life in the arts.

Schoodic Summer Chorus 

A multi-generational a capella community chorus devoted to nurturing musicianship and community, in residence at Hammond Hall. Directed by singer and composer Anna Dembska, the chorus is open to anyone who loves to sing.

 

Museum Field Trips  

One of our first participants had this to say about our January trip to The Farnsworth Art Museum: “Winter days are short.  This trip was a brilliant idea.  It recharged creative minds on many levels and was a good day long social event.”

Union of Maine Visual Artists (UMVA) 

If you are interested in the arts, if you are an artist, if you have a friend who is an artist, or if you want to know about what’s going on in the arts community, come and join us. All are welcome!

Pandemonium Steel Pan Band 

Our youth steel drum band, Pandemonium (intermediate), rehearses throughout the year and have performance opportunities annually at the Schoodic Arts Festival as well as at local school assemblies.

 

Schoodic Arts for All Meetinghouse Theatre Lab

The Meetinghouse Theatre Lab is dedicated to creating a yearly ensemble of performance artists who come together to excite the senses, push the limits, and explode the definition of “create” with the aim of growing as performers and enriching the humanity of all involved. The Theatre Lab has presented readings, staged readings, and full productions, both classic and contemporary.

If you have questions about Schoodic Arts for All please contact the Executive Director, Mary Laury, at marylaury@schoodicartsforall.org.

Who Are They?: MECA, Part 3

Maine College of Art

This blog post is part of a series called Who Are They? where information is provided for the Maine Arts Ed blog readers to learn about community organizations and institutions that provide educational opportunities in the arts. You will learn that they are partnering with other organizations and schools to extend learning opportunities, not supplant.

This is the third post on the Maine College of Art (MECA) which is located in downtown Portland. Sarah Sullivan is a first year student at MECA and was kind enough to answer questions for the Maine Arts Ed blog readers. (Perhaps you’d like to share this with high school students considering art school after graduation).

What was your art education like in elementary, middle, and high school? Who or what has inspired you?

Elementary school? All I can remember from elementary school is cut paper that I made into a semi-picture, and then watching the Seasame Street art movie called “Don’t Eat the Pictures” (it was fantastic). In my free time at home I’d roll under the coffee table in my house and draw on the bottom with crayons. In middle school I was selected for the “Gifted and Talented” Art class, which wasn’t as big a deal as it sounded.

It wasn’t until high school that I really got involved with art. Yes, I guess you can say I’d always been creative, but when I got to high school, suddenly I had choices and freedom to do what I wanted. I could choose not only to do art, but what kind of art as well. It was two of my high school art teachers, Peter Morgan, and Megan Boyd who really inspired me to pursue art. Mr. Morgan taught Composition and Design, which was an introductory class where we learned the basics of how to draw still life’s and compose good pieces. Everyone had to take it, so he had to deal with a lot of people who didn’t want to be there. He had a sarcastic streak, but he was honest, and he encouraged me to continue to take art classes. He taught me a lot of the basics which I use today.

Going into my Junior year of high school though, I hadn’t thought of pursuing art in higher education, hadn’t even considered making a career out of it. As much as I enjoyed art, and classes like Mr. Morgan’s, I didn’t see how I could possibly make a living doing that. Enter Megan Boyd. She taught Graphic Design and changed my whole world. She showed me this whole other side of art that I didn’t even know existed. She became my mentor, encouraging me to push my artwork, and helping me with whatever crazy scheme I’d thought of. I don’t know if I would be where I am today without her. Even now we still talk, and I send her my work to get her thoughts on it.

Why did you select MECA to continue with your education beyond high school?

I first heard about MECA through my friend Nichole (who is currently attending with me), when we were both looking for colleges. We were all talking in AP Art about how no one had any idea what they were doing when it came to looking for colleges. We’d all heard of Rhode Island School of Design and Pratt, but then she brought up MECA, mentioning that she enjoyed her visit. MECA sent me a free application, which was a pretty great deal since most of the other colleges were asking for $50. After winning a scholarship, and visiting for an open house, I was pretty much sold. I mean everything was so personal, heck the Dean of the school shook my hand and told me to call him Ian.

How was your transition to college? How do you describe living and learning in Portland?

Hmmm… my “transition” to college? I’d say it was relatively smooth. I mean I think everyone had like a day or two of home sickness, and orientation was excruciating, but I’ve been having a great time. It never really hit me like, “we live here now”, it was more just slipping into this routine that my friends and I have built over the months. Living in Portland is incredible. It’s not a big city, but it’s got so much energy. On the weekends you can go out and explore art galleries or shops. There’s always something exciting happening to get involved in. It’s very different than a campus experience. It’s more than just walking in between your dorm room and your classes. At MECA, you work within this larger community, in the real world. MECA students are continually exchanging and working with the people of Portland. It’s something you wouldn’t get on a normal college campus.

What did you value most in your arts education growing up?

The most important part, for me, of my art education while growing up was getting feedback from other people, and learning how to take that. I mean, it’s great if you can make art for yourself, but as an artist, you’ve got to put your work out there for other people. The whole reason we create is to share it with people. You want it to be the best it can be, and part of that process is other people critiquing your work. I’ve had some great teachers and friends who have always given me honest feedback on what I’m doing. It’s always hard hearing people speak negatively about your work, but over the years I’ve learned it’s really nothing personal. It’s about your work, and you’ve got to be open to new ideas and suggestions. I think learning about that process and being a part of it has really helped me get to where I am today.

What is your passion? Medium of choice?

Graphic Design is my passion. It’s more than just art, it’s problem solving. Designers are presented with these design challenges, you know, you’ve only got so much space or a limited color pallette. I find these challenges exciting, and I enjoy solving the problems that people present. I enjoy working digitally, but I do a lot of hand work at the same time. It’s hard to pick a medium of choice, but I work in Adobe Illustrator the most.

What are you hoping to get from your education at MECA?

Hopefully, by the end of my time here at MECA, I’ll have the knowledge and confidence to go out into the world with my work. MECA has a great team of professors and administrators willing to help you however you need. I’m hoping to have a strong portfolio of work after my 4 years here, and the skills to market that work. I want to learn not just the core concepts and basics of design, but how to apply them effectively. I hope that I come out of this experience a well rounded artist able to hold my own in the world.

What’s the most creatively inspiring experience you have?

That’s also a really hard question. I mean I think we’ve all had those moments where you’re doing anything and suddenly you get an urge to paint or draw. Sometimes I’ll be going through a lesson and I have an idea for a piece or something. It’s easy to get inspired if you’re open to it. Walking around Portland at night, with all the street lights on, especially now in the winter, has a really nice feeling. I wouldn’t say that every night is inspiring, but I would say walking at night puts me in the mood to create. It’s really beautiful, and I think the city at night has that effect on everyone.

Why is art important to you?

For me, art is a method of communicating with people, in a way that my words can’t. Art is a way of working through what’s inside my head. When I draw or I design, it’s more than just putting pencil to paper. When you make art you put all of your experiences and feelings into the work. People respond to your work, in ways that you can’t predict. It has the power to change peoples’ mindsets, inspire change. I see a lot wrong with the world today, and art is my way of trying to change things for the better. I believe in the power that art has, and the spirit that artists put into their work, which is why I have to be a part of it.

How does learning about art impact other parts of your thinking? Your life?

Learning about art has given me quite a different perspective on life than other people might have. As an artist you’re open and curious about the world. You see the beauty in everything. In a world full of war and politics you stand out from the crowd. In one of my classes we read the book “Artists in the Time of War” by Howard Zinn, and it completely changed the way I thought about politics and art. I find that I’m more open to ideas and change. As a designer, I like to problem solve, so I find that in life I’m always looking at things and trying to imagine them better. I think that learning about art, whether it be movements or artists, you start to see the another side of the world and history than what’s just plugged into textbooks or media. As an artist, I’ve got to be open to looking for new perspectives, different solutions, and beautiful things.