Makers' space planned for Lewiston's new Hartley Block
Courtesy / The Szanton Co.
A rendering of the facade of the Hartley Block, at 155 Lisbon St. in Lewiston, shows mosaics inspired by the art of Lewiston artist Marsden Hartley. The building will house a ground-floor artists makers space.
As the new Hartley Block at 155 Lisbon St. in Lewiston nears completion, Maine artists and artisans will have a chance to be part of makers' space that could be included in the ground-floor commercial area.
The Lewiston-Auburn Metro Chamber of Commerce and L/A Arts are partnering with developers Szanton Co. to create a work and gallery space for the creative community that would take up some of the 4,000-square-foot ground floor of the building, along with other potential arts-related tenants.
Residential tenants began moving into the upper three floors of the Hartley Block last month, which have 63 residential units. The new mixed-use building was built on a former vacant lot that once housed four buildings. The buildings burned a decade ago and were torn down.
"We're excited about the possibility of the commercial space in the Hartley Block being used by makers and other creative people," Nathan Szanton, president of the Szanton Co., told Mainebiz Monday. "We're also talking with several other potential tenants who would use the space to further the arts scene in Lewiston-Auburn, but not necessarily as maker space."
The ground-floor makers' space is part of the plan put in place when L/A Arts was awarded a $50,000 Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2016. The plan called for space that would be a creative cooperative of artists’ studios and retail spaces, with a variety of reasonably priced configurations, a news release from L/A Arts said at the time.
The National Endowment of the Arts grant originally named the Lewiston Auburn Economic Growth Council and Maine College of Art as partners in the grant project. The grant parameters have since been rearranged since the growth council was acquired by the chamber a year ago, Rebecca Swanson Conrad, chamber president and CEO, told Mainebiz this morning.
Art as an economy booster
Conrad said MECA is still a "big portion" of the makers' space plan. Conrad was vice president for institutional advancement for the Portland-based college when the grant awarded. She moved to the chamber in February 2017.
"We're hoping [MECA] alumni will participate," she said. She said one reason MECA became part of the grant application was the hope that more Maine artists would stay in Maine and participate in the local economy.
The grant was to support design and implementation of cultural and artist entrepreneurship programs and related projects, the NEA said when it was awarded the Our Town grant. The NEA program supports creative place-making projects "that help to transform communities into lively, beautiful, and resilient places with the arts at their core."
L/A Arts said in a news release at the time that the grant's partners "believe that the artisan-based manufacturer is one catalyst for the communities future economic development and that Lewiston-Auburn can position a brand that is grounded in its cultural heritage, while at the same time offers a clear vision for the future."
The release said that a a major influence of that brand would be that the twin cities are a “makers' place."
Local artists, then and now
The new makers' space would continue the theme of the building, which is named for artist Marsden Hartley, a Lewiston native. The facade of the building will feature two mosaics that pay tribute to Hartley. The pieces will be created by Miotto Mosaics Art Studios Inc. of Carmel, N.Y., and in consultation with artist Nancy Blum of New York City, and they will interpret and enlarge details of two of Hartley's oil paintings, “Smelt Brook Falls” and “Georgetown, Maine.”
Born in Lewiston in 1877, Hartley is considered to be one of the most important American modernist painters, though recognition came largely after his death, according to the Bates College Museum of Art website. The museum is home to the Marsden Hartley Memorial College and Archive.
The pieces are expected to be done by the end of May, and an official ribbon-cutting of the building is planned for May 31.
On May 18, from 1 to 4 p.m., the chamber and L/A Arts are hosting an open house for artists and artisans who want to check out the space.
The event will include a chance to for participants to see the space, meet the developers and learn about occupancy options and terms, learn about local resources for creatives and tour a nearby makers’ space.
The final hour is a chance to network with other artists and artisans at a nearby pub.
The event is free, but registration is required at lametrochamber.com.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct the status of the makers' space.
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