Waterville, Maine — Waterville Creates!, one of Maine’s leading arts and cultural organizations and a key driver in making the city a vibrant destination in central Maine, has named Uri Lessing, board president of the Maine Film Center, to the Waterville Creates! board of directors as of October 25th. As a valued member of the board, Uri will help guide and coordinate the efforts of Waterville Creates! as it works toward building a strong future for the arts in greater Waterville. Uri Lessing fills the board position vacated by Shannon Haines after she was hired as president and CEO of Waterville Creates! in October.
Uri currently serves as board president of the Maine Film Center, a position that allows him to support Maine Film Center staff and leadership, as well as the Maine International Film Festival community to provide events and fine arts movies to the people of Central Maine. Lessing is also an active participant in theater in Central Maine and is currently portraying the Monster in Young Frankenstein. He also teaches fifth grade at the Albert S. Hall School in Waterville and is the faculty advisor for the school’s Community Board, a student organization that raises money for charities and plans school events. Before moving to Waterville with his family ten years ago, Lessing worked as a film critic in Kansas City and interviewed such notable filmmakers as Matthew McConaughey, Peter Falk and Billy Bob Thornton. A member of the Kansas City Film Critic’s Circle and a Rotten Tomatoes critic, moving to a town with an arts cinema was a key factor when his family decided to move to Waterville. Uri is a graduate of Earlham College and completed graduate work in education at Indiana University.
“I am proud to be a part of both Waterville Creates! and the Maine Film Center,” said Lessing upon being named to the Waterville Creates! board of directors. “With the revitalization in downtown Waterville and the exciting partnerships with the Alfond Foundation and Colby College, it’s an exciting time to be an active advocate for the arts in Maine. I love this community and I love the direction we are heading!”
“Uri has brought an incredible level of enthusiasm and support to the Maine Film Center, and we are honored he has accepted a position on our board,” says Shannon Haines, President and CEO of Waterville Creates! “His deep appreciation of the arts and those organizations supporting the arts will serve us well as we continue to work together to grow a thriving arts scene in greater Waterville.”
About Waterville Creates!
Waterville Creates! is a non-profit on a mission to promote, support, and grow greater Waterville’s arts and cultural scene. Collaborating with regional arts and culture institutions and their supporters, together we are strengthening our community as a vibrant creative center, increasing access to creative opportunities. For more information, visit https://www.watervillecreates.org/