Common Threads

 

Waterville is a city in the midst of significant change. How can we as a community honor our history, celebrate what makes us unique, and build a bright future together?

Waterville Creates has engaged artists Elizabeth Jabar and Colleen Kinsella, founders of the Future Mothers artist collective, to design and facilitate a series of participatory arts experiences to gather community stories that will help shape future programming in the Paul J. Schupf Art Center. Using printmaking as a platform, Elizabeth and Colleen will set up their mobile tent at various locations and invite community members to gather, talk, and create art in response to a series of questions: Who was here before us? Who is here now? How do we honor these stories? What are the untold stories? How do we build meaningful connections to each other?

As the tent travels to multiple sites within Waterville, viewers will become active participants by sharing their stories through scheduled workshops with guest artists and informal drop-in sessions. These narratives, captured through artmaking, writing, portraits, and recordings, will become part of a collective community conversation and will culminate in the opening exhibition of Ticonic Gallery in the Paul J. Schupf Art Center.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and realized in partnership with the Colby College Museum of Art and its Lunder Institute for American Art.

To ask questions about accessibility or request accommodations, please contact Marie Sugden at [email protected] or 207.616.0292.

 

Events + Workshops

 

Maybe Something Beautiful at the Waterville Farmers’ Market
Thursday, July 7, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Head of Falls
Extreme Weather Location: Greene Block + Studios

Create hand-printed flags, posters, and story totems with stamping, relief printing and collage with artists Elizabeth Jabar and Colleen Kinsella from Future Mothers artist collective!

 

Sharing Your Story with Handbound Books with artist Evelyn Wong
Thursday, July 14, 6:00 – 8:00pm
Greene Block + Studios

Learn how to make 3 softcover books: the pamphlet-bound book, the Chinese flutter book, and the Japanese Musubitoji.  Tell your story through writing, stamping, and stitching with artist Evelyn Wong from Fireball Book Bindery!

 

Picturing Us, Community Portraits with Séan Alonzo Harris
Thursday, July 21, 6:00 – 8:00pm
Greene Block + Studios

Have your portrait captured and printed by artist photographer Séan Alonzo Harris and add your image to a collective community portrait!

 

A Place for All of Us, Community Day
Saturday July 30 // 12-4pm
Colby College Museum of Art

Join artists Elizabeth Jabar, Colleen Kinsella and Evelyn Wong in the Future Mothers tent for screen printing posters, bookmaking, and stamping!

 

Drop-In Sessions: Making Space for WE
Wednesdays + Fridays from July 13-29 // 12-5pm
Greene Block + Studios

Drop into Greene Block + Studios to gather with community in the tent and contribute to ongoing print and book projects for the culminating exhibition.

 

Common Threads Exhibition
December 16, 2022 – February 12, 2023
Ticonic Gallery, Paul J. Schupf Art Center