Upcoming events and opportunities!
Come experience Lights Out in Waterville! Next Wednesday. 5pm-7pm. We will see you there!
In the empty Ticonic Gallery in Waterville Creates, lineage and ancestry are being woven together. Handwoven tapestries stretch themselves from their protective rolled-up positions while marble statues lie wrapped up in blankets like sleeping bodies about to be woken up from a deep and lumbering slumber.
Dark the Night and Bright the Stars is coming to life.
See you July 9th.
Meet some of our Norway Maine Arts Festival Vendors!
As summer is moving into full force (at least when it comes to the heat and rain), so are we with the Norway Maine Arts Festival! Our social media is popping off and showing a showcase of all of the above artists and Maine makers that will be part of this festival. Follow us at @maineartsfest on Instagram or our Facebook for more updates and sneak peeks at the festival!
Priestess of The Moon: New Paintings by Abbeth Russell
Where: Oak Street Gallery, 72 Oak St. Portland, Maine
When: Friday, August 1st, 5pm-8pm. August 1st – August 31st
Priestess of The Moon is an exhibition of new acrylic paintings on wood panels by Abbeth Russell in her characteristic surreal expressionistic style. She explores the theme of lunar priestesses while letting the paint become its own force within the narratives. The priestesses are figures of strength and wisdom in a world on fire. This is what Abbeth has to say about the series:
“I began painting a Heaven and Hell on Earth series a few years ago. Researching depictions of this dichotomy throughout history and across cultures, bringing home stacks of relevant books from the library, my sketchbooks became populated with demons, angels, underworlds, and divinity as I prepared to put paint to panel. The Lunar Priestesses emerged out of the half-painted satanic fires and holy clouds. The arrival of the divine feminine took me out of the masculine duality of heaven and hell. The Priestesses became my guides. Around the time they showed up, I started meditating through the moon phases. Letting go during the full moon and manifesting during the new moon. This waxing and waning mirrored my painting process. Hours spent building texture and detail can be sanded down or painted over. This is how life feels too. Years spent connecting lead to years spent disentangling. Grief ebbs, flows, and sometimes drowns us entirely. I lay a painting flat and pour a glossy pink pool over a finely detailed section. The details disappear under the sheen and opacity of the wet paint. It seems like they are lost forever until the transparent glaze dries to reveal them once again, in a new light, tinted and glowing with magenta. Bringing in and letting go, trusting that what is let go will be brought back again in a new form. The tides, the moon, life, and painting follow these patterns, and the Lunar Priestess simultaneously orchestrates and experiences these rhythms.”
Abbeth Russell is a visual artist, performer, songwriter, teacher, and community organizer based in Portland Maine since 2009. Abbeth regularly goes on tour with her art and music. She received her BFA from Maine College of Art. To preview these and additional works or interview the artist, contact: abbeth.com / abbeth.art@gmail.com
Art Vendor Opportunity
The Mt. Washington Valley Arts Association is excited to announce the 53rd Annual Art in the Park Festival is returning to Schouler Park in North Conway on October 11 & 12, 2025.
This long-standing event draws fine artists and collectors from around the region during peak foliage season and the three-day holiday weekend. It’s one of the largest celebrations of visual arts in the Valley, featuring a wide array of media including painting, photography, textiles, mixed media, and more. The festival also includes a juried competition component where artists have the opportunity to win cash prizes for their original artworks.
Register to be a vendor at the Festival:
Submit the form and pay online or Print the and mail the form with a check
Upcoming Programming:
Community Art Night
Sundays, 2pm-5pm in the Community Room at Lights Out!
Why make arts and crafts at home alone when you can do it with others! Bring your materials or some of ours to spend some time being creative! Recent projects have included, painting miniatures, mixing DJ sets, darning and sewing, watercolor journaling, beading, painting and drawing, clay sculpting, and more!
Community Lunch + Volunteering
Wednesdays, 10am-2pm in the Community Room at Lights Out!
We are in the midst of our spring cleaning! Join us for some weeding, organizing, and cleaning of our building. Georgia makes yummy lunch for anyone who volunteered, or, wants to stop by! This week she made a fresh salad with pickled veggies, options for meat, and delish yellow dragon fruit cut as celebration. If you are interested in volunteering or stopping by for lunch
Dark the Night and Bright the Stars Opening Reception
July 9th, 5pm-7pm at Waterville Creates, Ticonic Gallery, 93 Main Street, Waterville
Atlantic Morning
July 11th, 4pm-8pm and July 12th, 12pm-4pm at Woodhull Architects, 93 High Street, Portland
Thanks for reading! We've got a lot going on, and it’s always wonderful to see people involved in our project. From meeting and introducing new people to this project, to spending quality time working alongside volunteers, those who show up to our events, and those who fiscally support this project, none of this would be possible without you. Thank you for supporting us and believing in what we do. Thank you!