This week’s edition!
Arts
Art Walk, “Diner en Blanc” is Friday
Come out and celebrate the start of summer with L/A Arts and Art Walk Lewiston Auburn on Friday, June 29 with a lovely outdoor picnic and concert!
L/A Arts is excited to host the second annual “Diner en Blanc”, a pop-up Parisian picnic where guests dressed in all white congregate in a public space to connect with and enjoy their community. Diner en Blanc features a terrific Franco-influenced musical performance by Michele Choiniere.
Put on your best all white ensemble, grab a bottle of wine, a picnic basket and your best friends and join L/A Arts and Art Walk Lewiston Auburn at 6 p.m. on Friday June 29 in Dufresne Plaza on Lisbon Street in Downtown Lewiston.
L/A Arts unveils student art work
L/A Arts will host an opening reception for its new exhibit, “HumaniTy Expressed Visually,” an artistic collaboration between the Lewiston Educational Achievement Program (LEAP) and Maranacook Community High School.
The event, part of Art Walk Lewiston-Auburn, will take place Friday, June 29, from 3:30 to 8 p.m. at the Community Gallery, 221 Lisbon Street in Lewiston, where the exhibit will be available for viewing until July 20.
The mission of HumaniTy Expressed Visually, an arts enrichment program of Lewiston Middle School LEAP, was to expand knowledge of communities, enhance communication skills, and foster self-awareness through hands-on cultural exploration in the visual arts. Student works featured in the exhibit will include a collection of logo and t-shirt designs, collaborative sculptures, and the award-winning mural design for EcoMaine’s “Recycling is a Work of Art,” painted onto a Silver Bullet.
Art Walk to feature “Dîner en Blanc”
Franco-inspired folk music will accompany an all-white-attire Parisian pop-up picnic and party at the next Art Walk Lewiston-Auburn on Friday, June 29.
On that night, Art Walk Lewiston-Auburn (AWLA) will once again transform the downtown area into a hub of cultural activity. Beginning at 5 p.m., AWLA’s 16 locations, spanning Lisbon Street from Captive Elements Art House to J. Dostie Jewelers, will be open to the public to feature the work of local artists.
To mark the occasion, L/A Arts will host Lewiston-Auburn’s second annual “Dîner en Blanc” at Dufrense Plaza, across from the District Court building on Lisbon Street, from 6 to 8 p.m. The event is free and will feature entertainment by Smithsonian Folkways recording artist Michele Choiniere. Center Street Dental is the sponsor of the event.
The Grey Nuns: They Came-They Served
By Rachel Morin
“Elles Sont Venues-Elles Ont Servi”
This sentiment was proclaimed on the attractive plaque over the Exhibit at the Franco-American Heritage Center honoring and recognizing the work of the Sisters of Charity, The Grey Nuns, of Sainte-Hyacinthe, Quebec.
They came to Lewiston 134 years ago at the invitation and request of the fledging French-Canadian community to teach their young. The immigrant population, many who could not speak English, realized if their children were to be educated, they needed to be taught in their mother tongue and English would come later. By doing so, it would ensure keeping their French language and their Faith alive.
It was an earlier time when Lewiston had no welfare and no social workers. Families took care of their own. The Grey Nuns came and were the backbone of the young community in the heart of “Little Canada.” They were impassioned, and they were the social workers of today.
French-Canadian folk musician, step dancer Benoit Bourque to peform
Noted French-Canadian folk musician and dancer Benoit Bourque will be joined by both family and friends in a pair of concerts taking place on Friday, May 18 and Sunday, May 20 on the Bates College campus in Lewiston.
A member of the distinguished Quebecois band La Bottine Souriante (a multi-time winner of the Juno Award, Canada’s version of the Emmy), Bourque has plied his skills as a singer, instrumentalist and step dancer with many other popular Canadian ensembles over the past 30-plus years, most recently with Le Vent du Nord and Matapat.
Bourque, who has been lauded widely in the press for his “contagious” energy, charisma and versatility, switches effortlessly from accordion to guitar to bones as he regales his audiences with chansons à repondre and other songs derived from Quebec’s rich archive of traditional ballads both humorous and heart-rending.
“Broadway’s Next H!t Musical”
On Saturday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m., L/A Arts will host the hysterical improv musical comedy, “Broadway’s Next H!t Musical.” The show is being presented at the Franco American Heritage Center at 46 Cedar St., Lewiston. For tickets and information, contact L/A Arts at www.laarts.org; 782-7228; or mail@laarts.org. (Photo by James Shubinski)
LAFF to honor director of Maine Film Office
Lea Girardin, a pillar in the Maine film community for over 30 years, will be recognized with the Executive Producer’s Award on Saturday at the Gala Awards Dinner as part of this year’s Lewiston Auburn Film Festival.
“The Executive Producer’s Award is given to someone we feel has forwarded the cause of independent film in Maine or best exemplifies the spirit of independent film,” said LAFF Chair Sandra Marquis. “Lea Girardin is at the top of the list in both of those categories.”
Girardin’s first major contribution came in 1978 when she, along with a small group of friends that had formed a film society, opened the Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville, after seeing a need for foreign and independent film wasn’t being met in that part of the state.
3rd Annual ChocoLArt fundraiser
SeniorsPlus 3rd Annual ChocoLArt Fundraiser will take place Sunday, April 1 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in Auburn. Tickets are $35 and are available at www.seniorsplus.org, by phone at 1-800-427-1241, or in the SeniorsPlus office at 8 Falcon Road in Lewiston.
The event promises a delightful afternoon tasting chocolate creations from area restaurants and bakeries while enjoying the blissful sounds of the Three Point Trio jazz band. An auction will feature something for everyone: art, photography, jewelry, hand-crafted wood products, hand-knit and crocheted items, quilts, blankets, rugs, pottery and more. There will be door prizes, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, and a cash bar will be available.
All proceeds will benefit Meals on Wheels and other SeniorsPlus programs in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties, helping maintain independence, dignity, and quality of life for older adults and adults with disabilities. For more information, visit www.seniorsplus.org or call 795-4010 or 1-800-427-1241.
Dept. of Labor mural artist speaks to AMS students
Renowned Maine artist Judy Taylor recently visited Auburn Middle School to give an artist’s talk and presentation for eighth-grade students. Taylor, best known for the mural she was commissioned to paint for the Maine Department of Labor in Augusta, spoke about her artistic process and historical research in completing the large, 11-panel piece.
Students learned about direct connections between the artwork and the labor history of Lewiston-Auburn workers. The experience tied into the AMS eighth-grade art curriculum and an upcoming unit on community and public art.
“I’m delighted our art students had this exciting opportunity to hear a professional artist discuss their work,” said Heather Libby, AMS art teacher. “Because Judy Taylor based her paintings for the Maine Department of Labor mural on historic events from Maine’s history, this presentation really connected learning in art, social studies, and even language arts.”
“Piano Men” to perform Elton John, Billy Joel songs
The L/A Arts annual fundraiser on March 17 features a revival of the best songs from the 1970s by music legends Billy Joel and Elton John.
L/A Arts will host the fundraiser reception and performance at the Franco American Heritage Center, 46 Cedar St., Lewiston. Following the 6 p.m. reception will be a fantastic performance of the best songs of the 1970s by musical legends Billy Joel and Elton John in a performance of Piano Men featuring Joe Boucher, Chris Eastburn and the Southern Maine Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Lehmann.
Elton John and Billy Joel have combined to sell over 350 million records worldwide. For four decades they have been a large part of the musical landscape, topping the album charts and playing to sold out audiences while continuing to receive heavy airplay on classic rock radio.
