Rivertown Community Arts Center: Where Community Is an Art Form

Building community is a common goal among nonprofit organizations. After all, when the sociopolitical landscape seeds division, it’s the organizations that nurture shared experiences that bring us back together.

But how exactly does community building happen in practice? And how do we know when it’s done successfully?

Fort Kent’s Rivertown Arts Center has some answers. As a community-built and community-driven making space, Rivertown has built and evolved its programming around the community’s needs. It’s become a shining example of the reciprocal relationship between a nonprofit and the people it serves.

Honoring the River Towns

“We’re all from a river town, from Allagash to Van Buren to the Fish River that cuts down the south,” says Jenna Jandreau, Rivertown’s founder. “Our name is an acknowledgement of this important landmark in our community.”

The nonprofit’s place-based name pays homage to what the community values, and that care and attention extends to the space itself. In addition to studio space, the organization is also home to a group lounge, where people gather to share skills, try new art forms, and participate in various clubs.

Rivertown’s arts programming likewise reflects the community’s interests. Jandreau and her team offer about 30 open classes on various arts — including drawing, painting, sewing, basket weaving, herbalism, and mushroom cultivation — to people of all ages each month. With a monthly membership, participants can take the majority of classes for free and use open studios and supplies for free at any time.

“People feel like they can try something different without having to shell out a lot of money for it,” says Jandreau. “It creates a low bar and a casual learning environment for everyone.”

How a Community Built an Arts Center

Designing the arts center around inclusivity and connection was an intentional choice. As a former board member for Bar Harbor’s ArtWaves, Jandreau saw the profound impact a community-centered arts space can have on a region. When she moved back to her home to northern Maine, she knew the area needed something similar.

Her first step? Talking to the people. Jandreau shared her idea with families, parents, and community members and got not only enthusiasm but also insights on what the community wanted from an arts center.

From there, Jandreau and her team have truly walked the walk when it comes to community building. Here are the intentional decisions they’re making to center community in their day-to-day work.

Build a Board of Community Members

Rivertown’s board of directors comprises individuals from different backgrounds — but “all with a passion for making things, whether it’s stories, poems, crafts, or pottery,” says Jandreau. Sitting next to Jandreau are two English professors from the University of Maine, Fort Kent, a college librarian, a high school art teacher, and a jiu jitsu coach and mother of two.

“It’s all about diversity of thinking. All of these people bring their background with creative experiences to the table,” says Jandreau. “That’s especially important in an isolated rural area, where it’s so easy to feel like you’re in your own bubble.”

Reach People Where They Are

From putting up flyers in grocery stores to posting surveys on the Mommy Goggles Facebook group with close to 3,000 moms from the area, Rivertown goes to the community to solicit feedback directly. The team actively gets to know people better and regularly asks what they want out of the space.

Act on Feedback

Listening to the public is vital, but it’s only the first step. As Jandreau notes, community building requires action, and she’s set the arts center up in such a way that allows her to quickly put feedback into practice. “We publish a monthly program schedule, rather than a semester or quarterly schedule, so we can be really responsive to what the community’s interested in,” explains Jandreau.

When the Rivertown team heard that people were interested in a rug-braiding class, for example, Jandreau put a call for instructors out in their regular newsletter. A rug-braiding expert responded, a group donated a large amount of wool, and classes were soon sold out.

Make Space for People From All Walks of Life

“We’re really proud of the fact that we have a space that’s safe for people in the recovery community. It’s an intergenerational and cross-political space,” says Jandreau. “I know people who are on complete opposite sides of the political divide, and they’re sitting across from each other, binding books and laughing.”

Opening the studio space to the public enables the Rivertown team to create this safe space for the community. People can volunteer to teach others, share their skills, or simply talk about life while trying their hand at a new art form.

Listen, Act, and Repeat

Jandreau has sound advice for other community-oriented nonprofits: community building is an art form, so it’s going to get messy. Embrace that messiness, listen to what people need, and do your best to respond quickly to it. “Don’t go into a community and say, ‘We know this is what you need.’ Be very open and flexible to what you provide,” Jandreau advises.

With a second location recently opened on Main Street in Fort Kent and a strategic planning process underway, Rivertown is well set up to continue serving the community for years to come.

And for Jandreau, that’s more important than ever: “It’s amazing how our entire body responds to making things. It’s an important part of being a human. There are loud voices in our society saying the arts aren’t important. They might be loud, but so are we.”