Waterfall Arts has received a $100,000 grant in support of the Belfast community arts center’s capital campaign, Waterfall Rising.

The grant provides the matching funds necessary to complete the 2019 Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Grant, which is currently underway at the building. The grant also provides additional matching funds for removing lead paint around all of the building’s 74 windows and replacing them with energy-efficient, contemporary versions that match the elegant, original size and proportion.

“We are thrilled and very grateful for this very substantial grant from a donor who believes in Waterfall Arts and has supported our efforts for many years. These funds have already begun to transform our beloved historical building,” said Waterfall Arts Co-Founder and Campaign Chair Alan Crichton, according to a news release from the arts center. “With the new landscaping finished in July and the new roof very recently completed, we eagerly anticipate installing all 74 new windows in the spring of 2022. We could not be doing this without the donor’s incredible generosity.”

Kim Fleming, Waterfall Arts executive director, said, “This grant makes possible the first three of the four phases of our re-organized Waterfall Rising Campaign. Thanks to this grant and the EPA, by next spring we will have accomplished the first three phases: first, a new parking lot and landscaping; second, a completely new roof system; and third, 74 new, tight, energy-efficient windows that call to mind the aesthetics of the original 1935 design.”

“Phase Four will be a reimagining of the building’s main entryway from the parking lot side to provide more than twice the exhibit and performance space, to install a lift serving three levels, and to create a more accessible welcome to the public,” Fleming added.

“With these funds as well as other previous contributions, we have raised over 60% of our $2.6 million goal,” Crichton said. This grant provides important momentum for the remaining fundraising necessary to complete Waterfall Rising in 2022. Modernizing the building will pave the way for future decades of Waterfall Arts’ growth as we create empowering arts experiences that energize Belfast and the mid-coast Maine community.”

Launched in 2000, Waterfall Arts is a community arts center that offers resources to arts enthusiasts of all ages and abilities. The center welcomes the public to engage in the arts through classes, exhibitions, art events, performances, public art projects, open studios (in ceramics, glassblowing, printmaking, and darkroom photography) and more.

For more information, visit waterfallarts.org or contact Chris Battaglia or Crichton at 207-338-2222, chris@waterfallarts.org or alan@waterfallarts.org.

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