Creativity in the Kennebunks: How River Tree Arts Has Built Community for More Than 40 Years

While River Tree Arts has been helping people in southern Maine access their inner artist for more than 40 years, the organization has seen a number of iterations.

In 1982, choir members at South Congregational Church created a music education program, initially hosting classes on the banks of the Kennebunk River. Eventually, they moved classes into people’s living rooms and then grew into their first space on Main Street in Kennebunk years later.

Today, under the leadership of executive director Sarah Dearing, River Tree Arts is a visual and performing arts center designed for nurturing community. “Our mission is simple,” says Dearing. “We want arts to be accessible, approachable, and affordable to everyone in our community, regardless of their ability.”

River Tree Arts now serves more than 300 children and 200 adults every year, bringing joy and connection to the Kennebunk community.

‘Where Creativity Inspires Community’

Creativity and community go hand in hand at River Tree Arts. “We have children as young as two years old taking creative movement in art classes with us,” Dearing says. “And we have older adults taking painting classes or volunteering with us.”

Community members can participate in courses, workshops, and camps, such as:

• Music classes on voice, piano, strings, and more. Currently, 75 students learn various instruments through River Tree Arts.

• Theater arts, including musical theater and improv

• Dance, which started as an enrichment program in 2012 and has evolved to include a competitive dance team for more than 40 young people

• Visual arts, such as painting, claymaking, drawing, metalsmithing and more

With such rich programs available to them, Kennebunk community members immerse themselves in activities at River Tree Arts and learn the skills they need to engage in the arts beyond the center. Many dancers, for example, go on to attend national dance competitions and build careers teaching the art to others.

While the organization’s team might be small, its participants bring remarkable experience to every class. More than 80% of faculty members are working artists with specialized degrees — and all use their expertise to help kids and adults express themselves creatively.

Partnerships: The Key To Community Engagement

If community-centric values are the roots of River Tree Arts’ work, organizational partnerships enable its programs to blossom.

“Our community consists of three towns that we feed and that feed us as well,” Dearing says. “So connecting with different businesses allows us to expand our reach and become more deeply bound to our community.”

Indeed, the organization has forged lasting partnerships with organizations like:

• Nonantum Resort. River Tree staff host art classes for hotel guests during the summer, and the resort helps fundraise for the arts center during the winter holidays. Recently, River Tree kicked off its “Christmas in July” fundraiser with a free candlemaking class on Nonantum’s beachside resort.

• The Spaulding Center for Active Living. A hub for active older adults in the Kennebunk area, the Spaulding Center partners regularly with River Tree Arts. Members of the center made ribbons for a holiday wreathmaking class, for example, and many have participated in intergenerational workshops where “grandparents and grandchildren get together to pass along stories and enjoy the arts together,” says Dearing.

• York County Community College. Faculty members from the college’s Arts Department teach classes and workshops at River Tree, and the department displays its end-of-the-year art show at the center’s gallery.

Over the years, the River Tree team has partnered with other organizations, such as Maine Art Hill and Frinklepod Farm, to spread the joy of various art forms, including plein air painting, floral arranging, and fine arts.

“I’ve found that doing things like art openings and fundraisers with other organizations are important ways to step out into the community,” says Dearing. “And now we’re seeing more and more engagement from the community in return. That was my goal when I took on this position 18 months ago.”

Looking Toward a Bright and Connected Future

The longevity of River Tree Arts’ programming has left a palpable mark on the Kennebunk community. Likewise, Dearing and her team have seen the impact of these community connections firsthand.

“We see people grow up through River Tree. When we needed a kiln moved, the mover donated his services because his sister took piano lessons with us,” says Dearing. “Things like that happen on a regular basis, and it’s because River Tree has consistently given back to the community over its long history.”

Moving forward, the River Tree staff are determined to strengthen these connections even further, largely by partnering with more local businesses and expanding their offerings. They’ve begun hosting mindful arts camps through which youth can learn meditative arts, and they’re currently working on integrating those classes into school-based programs.

The team is also eager to host more intergenerational art classes and incorporate movement-based arts like yoga into their work. And with a 100% uptick in scholarship requests over the past year, they’re working to find financially accessible ways to get more students involved in the center.

Most of all, Dearing is committed to nurturing the community’s well-being: “We’re in a time when people are facing different financial pictures and are really overscheduled,” she notes. “We want to make sure that we’re offering classes that people not only feel are valuable, but that they feel good about being a part of.”