VALLEY ARTS ALLIANCE BEGINNINGS
by Annette Houston (April 2006)

Jane Briggs, Jim Miller and I began talking about starting a Cultural Directory about five years ago.

What is this and why was this a good thing to do, you might ask? For one thing, it was timely: other towns around the area had already made a survey of their cultural sites and artists and published a booklet. Having a directory published called attention to the fact that an area had people who dealt in the arts, either as a hobby, a sideline or a profession, as well as organizations and businesses which were art-based, such as Miller Graphics.

I used state directories and the Bangor Arts directory, for instance, because of my work with the school system - we hired artists to expose students to many types of jobs and careers, including jobs in the arts.

And to Jane Briggs, and the Sebasticook Valley Chamber of Commerce, promoting this area as a mecca of artists would bring more tourists here, and encourage more growth in the arts, called "Ecotourism".

When we talked about what we could do, we set out some goals. They were to:

• Determine the artistic and cultural nature of the Sebasticook Valley Area,
• Offer an opportunity for artists and groups living here to collaborate
• Create new opportunities to be creative in the arts
• Draw attention to the various groups and sites of cultural interest in this area
• Create a readily accessible file of people and places, available to tourists, art buyers and other audiences

So we put put a call for interested people to join us . We created a board who then applied for a grant to hire someone to do the actual surveying of the towns and finding out who were the local artists and cultural sites.

Pam Newcomb was hired, and she went around to all the towns in the area, holding evening arts activities and inviting people to attend and register themselves and other artists and craftspeople they knew of.

The Maine Arts Commission also provided us with someone who did a cultural survey of the towns in this area. Although we were not completely happy with this survey, since it did not dig deeply enough into the soul of our communities. Way down the future, this could be done again, by someone who knows this area more intimately.

The information Pam Newcomb gathered has now been compiled into the Cultural Resource File

Our group applied for and received a second grant from the Maine Arts Commission to help establish and maintain this web site. It paid for Jim do do the work for a whole year, including pages for individual members, with information and pictures on their pages. Beginning in 2006, however, each artist can have a separate web page or a link to their own website, but it will be at a reasonable fee.

Besides the searchable database of our artists, craftspeople, historic sites and cultural organizations, there is a calendar of arts events, photos of artists’ works. The advantage of such a web site is that it may be maintained regularly and names may be added or removed as necessary to keep information current.

With the second grant the committee prepared itself for its next steps:

• To form The Valley Arts Alliance
• To expand and publish the list of artists and sites
• To promote places of cultural interest to the general public

To this end we established certain goals: Our first goal for 2004-2005 was to establish the Valley Arts Alliance, a partnership composed of members from the Cultural Resource File and other interested citizens.

• Since January, 2005, we hold regular monthly meetings and programs of interest to our local artists.
• Since January 2006 we charge a $10.00 membership fee per year.
• Our artists so far have volunteered their services and programs have been free of charge. (Oftentimes we have so much business that our programs have been more Show and Tell at the end.) But we have had music by Charlie Haiss and Scott Hoekstra, and art sharing. At one meeting we had Jim Miller take photos of artists’ work to put on the website.)
• We have created by-laws and elected officers. ( We recently held election of officers for 2006; however, we had a resignation and will have to open up the elections again)
• We are establishing tax-free status and creating a corporation. This will help us seek out financial support for more activities in the arts for local residents, as many grants require non -profit status.
• We are becoming more firmly established in the community, in that we have more name-recognition. since we publish our activities and meetings monthly in the Rolling Thunder, and invite others to participate.
• Our local school district, MSAD 48, is partnering with us to help provide services to begin this process, since many talented students from the district are seeking opportunities to perform and exhibit. (Students pay $1 per year membership fees).
• In the Fall of 2005 many of our artists had Open Studio Days, and a percentage of items sold was donated to the building funds of the Pittsfield Library and the Newport Cultural Center (about $250 to each cause). Artists without studios of their own shared studio space with other artists.

CURRENT PLANS

We continually need to get information out to the general public about the wealth of artistic culture available to them. We originally felt that a brochure, made available in local libraries and public buildings, would call attention to the arts of the area. However, our grant request for funding for a brochure was turned down. So we plan to include all the information which would normally have gone into a brochure on the website: maps of the major towns in this area, all the sites related to culture and arts in this large area, stretching north and south from Dexter to Pittsfield, and from east to west from Dixmont to Hartland, the twelve communities in the greater Sebasticook Valley region.

We still need to draw attention to the large number of artists and cultural sites, since many residents are unaware of the rich artistic heritage of their own community. We have about 30 members at this time, and membership increases monthly. About 12 are fine artists and 12 are artisans. Some are musicians, writers or art appreciators. So far we have no theater folk or dancers.

THE FUTURE

1. Increase membership in the VALLEY ARTS ALLIANCE to include all categories of artists and artisans in the visual and performing arts.

2. Hold monthly arts activities and cultural events in this area (Sebasticook Valley Chamber of Commerce Annual Trade Show and Fair; Newport Summerfest, July 7 & 8, at the former Grange Hall on Main Street in Newport: Open Studio Days, late fall).

3. Increase members’ knowledge of the business of art. (Workshops through Women, Work and Community)

4. Refresh and expand the Cultural Resource Bank through the website. (Write job descriptions for Membership Chairperson to include the above).

5. Continue to expand the features of the The Valley Arts Alliance web site ( www.valleyartsalliance.org), including a feature : “Artist of the Month”.

6. Continue to investigate the possibility of forming an Artists’ Coop, to sell local artists’ wares.

7. Apply for grants to further future goals: Programs in the Arts, Directory and Website expansion, Public Relations, etc.

What does the VAA offer me as an artist?

A chance to work with others to make art, to talk about art, to show and sell my art, to help others grow in the arts, to make my community more art receptive and art happy!

If you would like to join the Valley Arts Alliance, I have some membership forms and will take your dues. Meetings are the 4th Wednesday of the month, and are held at the Sebasticook Valley Middle School in Newport at 6 PM. Members interested in forming a coop are meeting at 5 PM that evening as well.

Download the application form:
VAA Member Application Form (Word Document)
Fill out form and mail to:
Annette Houston
P.O. BOX 535
NEWPORT, ME 04953

Or
Come to our next meeting, Check the Calendar page for dates.