returnings is the result of artist and woodcarver, Doug Frati’s, 20 years of gathering and repurposing dilapidated beds. As a woodcarver, Doug Frati has amassed a wide range of antique headboards and found them to be a rich source of carving material. These wood turnings or bedposts have been accumulating in his barn for years.…

Susan Metzger is an artist who has a keen interest in historic preservation, open space, rural tradition, architecture, and the humble and mundane.  Although traditionally a painter, her photographic work often explores the coastal landscape and industries that comprise an important part of the mid-coast cultural heritage. In the exhibition Lost + Found, Metzger turns…

Waterville Creates!, Common Street Arts, and Waterville Area Art Society (WAAS) are pleased to present the 2019 Maine Open Juried Art Show (MOJAS) at Common Street Arts Gallery August 12 through September 7. An opening reception and awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, August 15th from 5:00-7:00 pm. Now entering its 28th year, MOJAS…

In all its various forms and configurations, Juliet Karelsen’s work cross-references painting, stitching, tapestry, rug making, embroidery, abstract art, fantasy, landscape, textile, miniature worlds, and even science – from botany to mycology to planetary and solar – touching on the micro and macro scales. Though there’s nothing political about actual nature, tragically, nature as a…

Walking through the woods from the home he built, Oliver Solmitz often wondered if rules of architecture could be broken to make sculpture. This concept manifested in his work as cantilevered projections and tenuous stability. Ollie’s frustration working in the architectural design process became a key motivator for creating objects that incorporate a wide range of materials. Today, Ollie’s work is…

A construct-it-yourself diorama reminds us of the perils of nuclear plant accidents. This fold-out paper village includes humans in gas masks, blue horses, an apple tree, an abandoned yellow Ferris wheel, buildings, a fence, a beaver, and many other creatures. This work marked the thirty year anniversary of the disaster at Chernobyl, a 25th anniversary…

John Ignatius Salemi (1952-2015) was born in Washington DC and spent his youth painting murals in Roman Catholic churches in Pittsburgh, PA. Salemi served in the US Navy for two years during the Vietnam War, where he developed heart problems and intense post-traumatic stress disorder. After returning from Vietnam, John became a conscientious objector and…

MAPS (Maine-Aomori Printmaking Society) is an exhibition of prints by artists from Maine and Aomori, Japan, presented by Friends of Aomori, the non-profit organization that supports the Sister City relationship between the two states. MAPS is a multi-tiered exchange project developed to share prints, exhibitions, and artist residencies between Maine and Aomori on an ongoing…

As we move through the streets of Waterville, there are both familiar and unfamiliar faces. But do we really see them? Do we really know our neighbors and fellow citizens? —Séan Alonzo Harris Like many cities in the United States, Waterville has welcomed new residents in recent years, including more people of color and new…

Born in Lebanon, Rabee Kiwan immigrated to the United States in 2002 to complete his medical training and he has lived in Portland since 2009. Rabee has been painting portraits, landscapes, and still lifes since he was a young child when his father gave him a watercolor set. Drawing inspiration from everyday life sustains his…

Common Street Arts will be transformed into a unique marketplace filled with distinctive gifts created by talented artists and makers throughout the state of Maine. The 6th Annual Holiday Bazaar represents an opportunity for Maine artists to exhibit their work in a curated gallery setting and offers visitors a unique holiday shopping experience. This year’s…

Katrina Kelley from Amphitrite Studio has been a maker ever since she was a small girl with her mother’s supplies, it has truly become her greatest love. Her work is inspired by where she was born and raised in the Catskills of New York and where she currently lives in Maine. Comfort, simplicity, beauty, ease, & style are…