WISCASSET — The Maine Arts Commission has awarded two grants to Wiscasset Creative Alliance to support community-building activities in and around Wiscasset Village.

The alliance is an umbrella nonprofit which serves as the home base for Wiscasset Art Walk, Wiscasset’s Museum in the Streets, Wiscasset Marketfest, and Friends of Wiscasset Village, providing the benefits of nonprofit status to this collection of local community initiatives.

The alliance’s grant award for SIDEWALK REDUX: Wiscasset Village funds a collaborative community celebration, cancelled in 2020 and deferred to 2021, marking renewed community spirit after a disruptive multi-year Maine Department of Transportation construction project and a year of COVID-19 sequestering. The $4,800 grant supports Wiscasset Art Walk’s music, performances, and hands-on art making during the 2021 season, Friends of Wiscasset Village’s music during Schoonerfest in August, and Maine Art Gallery’s July plein air event.

“Not only does this grant provide needed funds for our community programming, but it really validates the goals and values of Wiscasset Creative Alliance. We intentionally seek opportunities to collaborate with other organizations to strengthen our community and make it even more welcoming to all,” said Will Truesdell, president of the Alliance Board of Directors, according to a news release from the alliance.

During the commission review of grant requests, the review panel remarked on the great community building aspects of the alliance’s proposal and felt SIDEWALK REDUX: Wiscasset Village unified a community vision. The panel found the skillful weaving together of community needs inspiring, and complemented the project for using art as a tool for healing the community.

The commission, in partnership with the Maine Humanities Council, also awarded $1,000 to Wiscasset’s Museum in the Streets to support the printing of the self-guided touring brochure which helps visitors enjoy the panels of historical information and photos located throughout the village area.

In the fall, the grant will also fund an architectural historian to guide the public on a walking tour of Wiscasset’s High Street, known for its collection of Federal-period homes illuminating the architectural details that are classic features of the period along with the unique details that give each structure its own character. The free tour date will be publicized in the alliance online calendar and through local media.

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