In the minds of many Mainers, Lewiston-Auburn remains a faded mill town plagued with economic strife; what many fail to recognize is that L-A is a community on the rise. In the past five years, L-A has taken great steps toward rejuvenation by utilizing the arts and other cultural pursuits to fuel an economic renaissance. […]
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In the minds of many Mainers, Lewiston-Auburn remains a faded mill town plagued with economic strife; what many fail to recognize is that L-A is a community on the rise. In the past five years, L-A has taken great steps toward rejuvenation by utilizing the arts and other cultural pursuits to fuel an economic renaissance. L-A is a city filled with a rich and diverse art scene, stimulated by strategic partnerships among local businesses, community members and arts and cultural organizations. Does that sound like the L-A you remember?
How do the arts stimulate economic development? According to research by economist Chuck Lawton of Planning Decisions, who co-wrote a 2011 study for the New England Foundation for the Arts assessing the economic impact of arts groups, the arts and cultural organizations of Lewiston-Auburn in 2009 numbered 70, and contributed $7 million annually in spending. Overall, Maine's arts and cultural organizations spent $262 million in 2009, according to the study, spurring statewide spending of $525 million.
We expect L-A's cultural scene to grow. Projects like this past year's Auburn Art Wall — a 700-foot-long wall located on Main Street that displays eight local artists' prints and marks Auburn's first venture into the realm of public art — not only revitalize and create public spaces and attract residents, tourists and businesses, but also improve the overall quality of life. Residents look not only for a safe place to live and work, but for a community where they can lead a rich life. The creation of public spaces and public displays of art affect the overall health of the community and engage citizens.
It is not just cultural institutions driving the arts offerings to the community, but also local business like Gritty's, which transformed a portion of its restaurant into the gallery Art and Ale, and business leaders like Michael Dostie, who gathered community partners to form the first L-A Last Friday art walk. The Last Friday art walk transforms non-traditional arts venues in downtown Lewiston into a hub of gallery spaces for the community to enjoy. The last art walk of the summer attracted 600 people to downtown Lisbon Street to listen to live musical performances, view local art work, dine at wonderful restaurants and enjoy neighborly camaraderie late into the night. Restaurants stayed open late to accommodate the crowds, some reporting a 30% spike in business. Is this the L-A you remember?
Lewiston-Auburn residents are discovering they no longer need to travel to Portland to enjoy high-quality performances and art. In the summer, L-A offers an assortment of music, song and dance events nightly, many of which are free to the public. L/A Arts alone hosted 12 free musical performances in Fountain Park, Festival Plaza and Dufresne Plaza. Organizations like the Franco American Heritage Center bring classical musical performances to L-A, while the Maine Music Society provides interesting choral performances. L/A Arts has secured a lineup of performers, ranging from the music men of the '70s to classic vaudevillians. The Public Theater offers traditional regional theater, and Bates College provides rich cultural endeavors like its annual dance festival and Olin Arts Center.
Complementing the many cultural amenities are a host of new businesses, including Marche Restaurant; The Vault, a specialty wine and beer vendor; the Forage Cafe and Market; L/A Magazine and Captive Elements Art House. A primary example of these partnerships and their value to the community is the relationship between Fuel Restaurant and L/A Arts Gallery 5, where adjacent space channels diners into the art gallery and vice versa, bringing additional exposure and business to each.
As L-A grows, arts and culture will continue to influence the structure of these cities, affecting approaches to building renovations, waterfront uses and other public spaces. One example can be found at the Bates Mill Complex, which today hosts Museum L/A and the Bates Mill Atrium, an event space showcased during this fall's Dia de los Muertos celebration. Another is the collaboration among the city of Lewiston, local businesses, community members, and arts and cultural organizations that is looking at the Androscoggin River as a draw to the cities of Lewiston and Auburn. L/A Arts plans within three years to create a river festival, which we hope will further economic development.
There's more to come. Work is under way to revive the Halloween window painting contests and to offer an annual Arts and Lights Festival. The Lewiston-Auburn Film Festival, an offering of independent films from all over the world which generated between $40,000 and $60,000 in revenues this year, returns next year with hopes it will exceed the 1,000 attendees recorded at the 2011 event.
Now I ask, isn't this a Lewiston-Auburn you want to visit?
