Waterville Creates has announced the artists and organizations selected to receive funding through its call for proposals for Community-Centered Arts Programming.
The eight projects were chosen from more than 50 submissions based on their responsiveness to established themes, plans for community engagement, artistic excellence, and feasibility, according to a news release from Jackie Ferlito, interim communications coordinator.
• Tanja Hollander, The Ephemera Project — crowd-sourced archive of personal objects and stories, June 2023-January 2024
The Ephemera Project is a crowd-sourced, photographic archive of personal objects and stories based in memory, self-reflection, and vulnerability. Through a series of “collection stations,” community members are invited to bring their personal objects and stories for Hollander to photograph and document. Ephemera she has collected will be displayed in the windows of the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, both as an exhibition and promotion for the project, and will be archived in an online searchable database.
• Peter Bruun, Studio B, Together — community dialogue, artmaking and exhibition, June 2023-April 2024
Studio B, a Maine-based nonprofit that uses art and storytelling to create spaces where everyone is seen, heard and valued, presents Together, a project conceived and led by artist and cultural organizer Bruun. Spanning many months, Together will include a series of art-making workshops and conversations, culminating in April 2024 with an art and sound installation, a community art exhibition, and two days of programs exploring, celebrating, and fortifying cohesion and connectivity among Waterville’s diverse populations.
• Sayon Camara Drumming — workshop and performance, July/August 2023
A teacher and master djembefola performer of the traditional Malinke, Guinean cultural music, song, dance and story, Camara will offer a drumming workshop and performance in Castonguay Square in conjunction with Art in the Park.
• Matthew Cumbie and Jenny Ngidi-Brown, Waterville Moves — community movement class, July 2023-May 2024
Kicking off with a soft launch in July and continuing through May 2024, Waterville Moves will be a biweekly, two-hour, drop-in community movement class designed for people of all ages, backgrounds, abilities, and experiences with movement.
• Tyler French and Catie Joyce-Bulay — writing workshops and public reading, August 2023-May 2024
This series of four 90-minute writing workshops led by different Central Maine writers spanning expertise in poetry, creative non-fiction, fiction, and technical writing, will culminate in the publication of a small-run print chapbook to be distributed at a public event where workshop participants will read their contributions.
• Kennebec Valley Chordsmen — barbershop harmony workshops and performance, September/October 2023
The Chordsmen will provide an immersive, intergenerational experience through which youth, along with their parents and grandparents, will learn barbershop harmony in a workshop-style environment and then perform as a chorus at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center as part of Waterville’s October First Friday celebration.
• Bess Welden, Death Wings Project — January-May 2024
Death Wings Project is a web of visual and performing arts offerings that promotes open dialogue and community art-making about grief and loss. This program will feature a series of three mini wing-making workshops for adults at Ticonic Classroom and culminate in a public event featuring a reading of short excerpts from Bess’ award-winning play with songs, “Death Wings,” and the opportunity for workshop participants to share their work and stories.
• Evelyn Wong — Lunar New Year workshops, February 2024
Wong will offer a month-long series of workshops centered around Chinese traditions, superstitions, and stories celebrated and honored during the Lunar New Year, including Making Paper Lanterns, Folding Paper Cranes and Flowers, Bookbinding with Handbound Journals, and Printmaking with Traditional Door Decorations.
Check out other upcoming area events!
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