WILLOW CREEK — A converted fishing guide’s cabin along the Mattawamkeag River has become Willow Creek’s first dedicated artist-in-residence studio, hosting six visual artists and writers for month-long stays between May and October of this year.
The program, funded by a $45,000 grant from the Maine Arts Commission in partnership with the town’s Cultural Affairs Committee, aims to attract creative professionals who will produce work inspired by the landscape while engaging the community through public workshops.
The first resident, painter Lucia Hartwell of Portland, spent June on the river and offered two plein-air painting classes at the public library that drew a combined 38 attendees.
“Willow Creek has a quality of light I haven’t found anywhere else,” Hartwell said at a closing reception at The Dry Dock. “The river at dawn is a completely different place than the river at dusk, and I tried to capture both.”
The program will also maintain a rotating gallery at the Carnegie Library’s community room, featuring works created during each residency.
Maeve O’Donnell of the General Store said several residents have been regular customers, and their presence has sparked conversations about art among locals. “It’s tourism of a different kind,” she said. “Cultural tourism. And we need more of it.”