Inspiration is everywhere.
Visitors will discover that the arts abound in Maine’s Kennebec Valley. From the lone voice of a guitarist breaking the silence to over three centuries of American art in Maine’s largest museum of art, concertos, Bluegrass, Country Music standards, Summer Stock, and Shakespeare.
the art of performance
The tradition of live theatre and performance runs deep in Maine’s Kennebec Valley. The Lakewood Theater in Madison has been raising the curtain on compelling dramas and laugh-out-loud comedies seasonally since 1901. Once the Madison Congregational Church, Somerset Abbey is a modern supper club featuring live music and comedy shows.
The Gaslight Theater in Hallowell is Maine’s oldest continuously operating community theater. In contrast, the historic Theater at Monmouth is the state’s official Shakespearean theater.
For classic and contemporary theater productions featuring top-tier, national-level musical acts, take a seat at the Waterville Opera House or Augusta Civic Center. Keeping up with the times, Johnson Hall Opera House re-opened after a complete renovation and is once again a hub for the performing arts in the center of Gardiner’s historic downtown.
Screenings
The Maine Film Center and Waterville Creates host the renowned Maine International Film Festival in Waterville every summer. Known as MIFF, the event showcases the best American and international cinema with world premieres, classic revivals, inspiring performances, and exhibitions highlighting some of the most innovative filmmakers from Maine and beyond.
The Maine Film Center is also an independent movie theater offering art house, classic, and first-run movies year-round. Plus, some of the best popcorn in the known universe. MOFF, the Maine Outdoor Film Festival, which shows outdoor adventure and conservation films in outdoor locations around the state, visits the Kennebec Valley at least once every summer.
Music for all tastes
No matter what kind of music you prefer or if you want to try out a new sound, there is something on the calendar here. Bluegrass lovers shouldn’t miss the Blistered Fingers Family Bluegrass Festival in Litchfield, held every June and August. If you’re stirred by classical music, bathe in the experience of the multi-week Atlantic Music Festival.
Snow Pond Center for the Arts on the shores of Messalonskee Lake holds outdoor concerts featuring local and national headliners. In Gardiner, the popular Johnson Hall’s Free Waterfront Concert Series happens every Friday during the summer, with a side of food trucks and fireworks. The family-friendly summer concert series, Waterville Rocks is held at beautiful Head of Falls.
A Cultural Hub
Over the last several years, Waterville has secured its reputation as a world-class arts destination. The Paul J. Schupf Art Center brings together the Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art, Maine Film Center, Ticonic Gallery + Studios, educational spaces, a working pottery studio, a public area called The Hub, and the Waterville Opera House under one roof.
The Colby College Museum of Art is a modern architectural wonder that houses a vast collection of works focusing on American and contemporary art in the Alfond-Lunder Family Pavilion. Museum admission is always free. On Main Street, near the Schupf, is Colby’s collaborative art space, Greene Block + Studios.
Uniquely Kennebec Valley
Built in 1842, the South Solon Meeting House was meant to house religious and community activities. It has since become known for its floor-to-ceiling frescoes, painted by contemporary artists who were part of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. The interior is covered in frescoes depicting Biblical and secular subjects and is always open and free to visitors.
The area is a prime destination for environmental art and sculpture fans. Skowhegan is home to around 20 pieces by Bernard “Blackie” Langlais, a prolific artist known for his impressionistic folk art and oversized sculptures made from scrap wood and found objects.
For art on a smaller scale that you can take home with you, browse Gardiner’s Monkitree and Alan Claude galleries, Skowhegan’s River Roads Artisans Gallery, or The Blanchard Gallery on Water Street in Hallowell.
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