NOTES FROM THE HINTERLAND
SUPPORTING THE ARTS DURING THE PINCH OF
HARD TIMES
By Laurie
Meunier Graves
August 18, 2008
In Maine, we really only have two months of
summer—July and August. June is often so cool and rainy that going to the
beach is usually not an option. September has many delights—warm days, crisp
nights, and apples—but the chill in the air combined with the shorter days
remind Mainers, the natives as well as the transplants, that winter is
coming. And with winter come heating bills.
In August, with the crickets singing and the
sun still high, it is tempting to push away such unpleasant thoughts, but in
today’s economy, not many Mainers can afford to do so. In our own yard, two
cords of wood have been stacked, and four more are waiting. We heat
primarily with a wood furnace, and not so long ago this seemed like a
rather quaint way to stay warm. Nowadays, it seems like a blessing. With
heating oil selling for over $4 a gallon, I expect that all over the state
Mainers are ordering wood, polishing stoves, and cleaning chimneys in an
attempt to keep fuel bills as affordable as possible. Then, there is the
price of gasoline, which, in turn, affects the price of food, clothes, and,
in fact, just about everything. Only the most affluent are immune to the
pinch of these hard economic times.
Not long ago, we had a talk with Alan and Sam
Sanborn, who run Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville, Maine. I suppose you
could call Railroad Square an art cinema, but, unlike the cineplexes, it is,
in fact, one of the few places in Maine that consistently shows films that
appeal to those over the age of fifteen. We have been going to Railroad
Square for nearly thirty years, and, as a result, we have almost come to
take it for granted. But our conversation with Alan and Sam put an abrupt
end to that comfortable notion. Like everyone else in Maine, Railroad Square
is a having a hard time paying the heating bill, and a wood furnace is not
an option for a very large building near the railroad tracks in the center
of Waterville, a small city. Add in other factors, such as plowing costs for
one of the snowiest winters on record and the price of gas just to get to
the movies, and you have a cinema that is on the edge and is really feeling
the pinch of these hard times.
I know. Heating, gas for the car, food, and
other household expenses come first. Of course they do. But when I imagine
Waterville without Railroad Square Cinema, it is not a happy thought.
Railroad Square Cinema, with the attendant Maine International Film
Festival, is one of the cultural centers in central Maine, and just this
year area businesses were commenting on how much they profited from the film
festival, which brings in thousands of people. That’s how it is with the
arts. Not only do they bring direct benefits to artists and their
organizations, but they also bring money into their communities. This, of
course, is the idea behind the “creative economy,” a concept that has
frequently been discussed during the past few years.
However, the arts also do something that is
more indirect yet just as important. They prevent what the late great
Canadian writer Robertson Davies referred to as “cultural rickets,” a sort
of starving and cramping of the brain and the imagination. To my way of
thinking, cultural rickets can be just as dangerous as actual rickets. The
arts keep the brain flexible. They force us to question our own preconceived
notions as well as the notions of those in power. They bring beauty and
delight. They show us our dark side, and they make us laugh. The arts can be
high, low, and everything in between, but they bring a spark to whatever
they touch. And without that spark, a culture is very dismal indeed.
In central and southern Maine, we are lucky to
have so many cultural opportunities within driving distance. In fact, we
have such a rich assortment that I can easily imagine out-of-state art
lovers eschewing the coast to come inland in the summer, to see movies,
watch plays, go to concerts, and attend art exhibits. At night, tucked
snugly in bed, they could read local magazines and books. (A shameless plug
for Wolf Moon Journal, I know.)
But here’s the thing—without financial
backing, the arts will not flourish, and this brings me back to supporting
the arts during hard times. Some people’s budgets are so stretched that they
can only afford the basics, and if this is the case, then that’s exactly how
they should be spending their money. But despite the hard times, many
people, even in Maine, still have a certain amount of discretionary money,
and this is a plea to spend some of it locally—on books and magazines, on
plays and concerts, on movies at an independent cinema, if you are lucky
enough to live next to one. I am not advocating eschewing doodads and
electronics made in China. Heaven knows my own house is full of such things,
and I’m not about to take an oath of shopping purity anytime soon. But if a
dear friend is having a birthday, and the choice is between, say, a doodad
from China or a book from a local writer, then why not choose the book? Or a
magazine subscription? Or tickets to a movie or a play? And in your own
life, for your own illumination, wouldn’t a piece by an emerging artist be a
more rewarding way to spend money than a month’s worth of eating at your
favorite chains? (Believe it or not, the costs are pretty similar.)
To nudge Maine readers on their way, I have
compiled a list of various artists and art organizations. This is by no
means an inclusive list, and I want to extend my apologies to any group or
individual that I might have inadvertently missed. In addition, I have only
featured independent organizations and artists not affiliated with the state
university system. For readers who live outside the central-southern Maine
area, this is a call to check out the arts in your own area and to give them
your support. After all, don’t you already have enough doodads and
electronics cluttering your house?
Art Galleries
There are so many art galleries in Maine that
it wouldn’t be possible to begin to list them all. Here are two of my
favorites, which represent opposite ends of the range. Harlow is a very
small gallery with affordable but snappy art, and Courthouse Gallery Fine
Art is a big gallery with museum-quality art. Both are worth visiting.
Harlow Gallery; Hallowell, Maine (www.harlowgallery.org)
Courthouse Gallery Fine Art; Ellsworth, Maine
(www.courthousegallery.com)
Magazines and Publishers
The Aurorean;
Farmington, Maine (www.encirclepub.com)
Echoes; Caribou, Maine (echoesofmaine.com)
Islandport Press; Yarmouth, Maine (http://www.islandportpress.com)
Maine Food & Lifestyle, Rockland, Maine (www.mainefoodandlifestyle.com)
Moon Pie Press; Westbrook, Maine (www.moonpiepress.com)
Off the Coast; Robbinston, Maine
RiverVision Press; Lewiston, Maine (www.rivervisionpress.com)
Tilbury House, Gardiner, Maine (www.tilburyhouse.com)
Wolf Moon Journal; Winthrop, Maine (www.wolfmoonpress.com)
Movies
Eveningstar Cinema; Brunswick, Maine (www.eveningstarcinema.com)
The Movies on Exchange; Portland, Maine (www.moviesonexchange.com)
Railroad Square Cinema; Waterville,
Maine (www.railroadsquarecinema.com)
Performing Arts
I have not listed the many community theaters
that are in the area, but I would urge readers to support community theater
as often as possible. The prices are reasonable, and the actors, who often
have day jobs, cannot be admired enough for their dedication and fortitude.
Acorn Productions; Portland, Maine (www.acorn-productions.org)
L/A Arts; Lewiston, Maine (www.laarts.org)
Maine State Music Theatre; Brunswick, Maine (www.msmt.org)
Michael Parent, humorist, musician, and
storyteller; Portland, Maine (www.michaelparent.com)
Penobscot Theatre; Bangor, Maine (www.penobscottheatre.org)
Portland Stage Company, Portland Maine (www.portlandstage.com)
Poolyle Productions; Susan Poulin and Gordon
Carlisle, storytellers, musicians, and humorists; South Berwick, Maine (www.poolyle.com)
The Public Theatre; Lewiston, Maine (www.thepublictheatre.org)
The Theater at Monmouth, The Shakespearean
Theater of Maine; Monmouth, Maine (www.theateratmonmouth.org)
