Community Arts and Traditional Arts

Discovery Research project changes attitudes in Rumford


	The Pennacook Art Center opened on Rumford's Main Street in June, 2004. Photo by Abbey Casas Rice, courtesy of The Rumford Falls Times.

Driving into Rumford, on the banks of the Androscoggin River in a beautiful green valley in Western Maine, the most prominent features on the landscape are the smokestacks of the MeadWestVaco mill.

The mill has served as the town's major employer since the 19th century. Historically, the paper industry - and the logging and manufacturing jobs that go along with it - have defined Rumford. A few years ago, a newspaper series labeled Rumford a "hard drinking mill town." Many area residents felt the sting of that label and the town's self-image began to erode, says Becky Welsh, community arts coordinator at the River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition.

"Rumford was kind of in the doldrums," says Welsh. "People didn't see the potential that was here for creativity."

But there is more to Rumford than the mill. For the past year, residents have begun to look beyond the smokestacks to discover a rich resource; the art and culture that lives in themselves and their neighbors. Now, with the support and guidance from Maine Arts Commission staff, Rumford and the River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition are working to recognize the diverse cultural resources in the area and to grow a new economic and community spirit in Rumford.

Since the spring of 2003, communities in the Androscoggin River Valley have been engaged in a Discovery Research project which has brought together artists, craftspeople, businesses and cultural organizations to create the River Valley Art Initiative. On September 8, 2004, the initiative released A Guide to Arts and Culture in the River Valley, which lists 180 artists, business and cultural organizations in the area.

The impacts of the Discovery Research project already extend well beyond the arts guide. Lem Cissell was at the first community meeting about the Discovery Research project. After hearing about area artists' need for a place to exhibit their work, Cissell spent the next year researching gallery operation. He found an unused storefront on Rumford's main street and opened the Pennacook Art Center in June of 2004. The opening of the center included painting and sculpture from 35 artists from Western Maine.

"People were flabbergasted," says Welsh. "They had no idea their friends and neighbors were artists. One man who owns a local clothing store is an astonishingly good artist and no one had any idea."

The art center's director, Betsy Bell, has already curated four exhibits of artists from Western Maine. The art center is also offering classes in watercolor and oil painting, calligraphy and drawing. Bell says they hope to offer music events and poetry readings later this year.

Bell says the art center has been very well received in Rumford. "It's like driving a bread truck into a famine area," says Bell. "There is a constant stream of people coming in."

"There is a lot of excitement about the gallery," Cissell said in an interview with the Western Mountains Alliance. "Many people see it as a part of a big economic and cultural resurgence in the area."

Welsh credits the gallery with helping to revitalize Rumford's downtown. Two new restaurants have opened recently and three new farmers' markets include artisans' work. A local dance teacher says there has been increased demand for her classes, which has prompted her to expand her studio and increase the number of classes she offers.

Welsh also credits the work of folklorist Matthew Shippee with helping to change the perception of Rumford and the Androscoggin River Valley. Shippee worked with the Discovery Research project to document traditional arts in the area. His work included exploration of traditional music and cultural practices brought to the area by the French, Scottish, Lithuanian and other workers who came to Rumford to work in the mill.

In the beginning, says Welsh, some people were skeptical about the depth and value of the area's culture. Welsh remembers one resident who, when asked about arts and culture in the area, said flatly, "There's none of that here." Someone else criticized the project in the beginning, arguing it was a waste of money. In the end, says Welsh, he wrote a check to support the project.

"One of the surprises was how excited people got after we got into the project," says Welsh. "I was surprised by their intensity and excitement, which proved to me that we were doing the right thing."

Both the Lewiston Sun Journal and the Rumford Falls Times were supportive as well. The Rumford Falls Times ran a weekly feature called Discovering Homegrown Artists, which profiled some of the discoveries from the project.

One of what Welsh calls the "enormous tangible benefits" the Discovery Research project has brought to Rumford is the improved community esteem.

"There was a perception that Rumford wasn't worth looking at," says Welsh, "But as we've gone into this project, the creativity that is here has really made a difference to the people in the area."

Welsh hopes the project and the River Valley Art Initiative will continue to enhance the cultural life in Rumford and the surrounding area. In particular, Welsh would like to see continued development of arts activities in the area.

Betsy Bell at the Pennacook Art Center is working to make that happen. "We're trying to make this into a real art center for the community," says Bell.

Welsh says the creativity in the River Valley is a reflection of the natural beauty of the region.

"People tend to only see the smokestacks of the paper mill, but there's this gorgeous river valley. It's amazing how much of the art that is created here is reflective of the valley. I hope people see this place as a place of beauty and not a place of economic desolation."