History
Five Rivers Arts Alliance began as Brunswick Area Arts & Cultural Alliance (BAACA), after the Discovery Research project identified more than 500 artists and cultural organizations in the greater Brunswick region. BAACA received its non-profit status in 1999, and soon began to put programs like the Arts Around Us (later Artscape) calendar and a Bath-Brunswick cultural map and guide into place in addition to establishing events like the Family Arts Festival and Arts Downtown and All Around. As BAACA regionalized to include surrounding towns, it became Five Rivers Arts Alliance on 2006, the name it is still known by today. Five Rivers Arts Alliance is named for the five rivers that encompass our region in Midcoast Maine: the Androscoggin, Kennebec, Sheepscot, Cathance, and New Meadows. Our community region covers 200 square miles with twelve communities; with more than 60,000 people living here.
Specialties
Over the years, Five Rivers has adapted to changing times, and many of its programs have truly flourished. The ArtWalks, which were started in Brunswick/Topsham in 2004 and in Bath in 2005, continue to be successful. In addition, Five Rivers initiated a project to promote ArtWalks across Maine which became the website artwalkmaine.org. In addition to the ArtWalks, Member Meetings and Pecha Kucha nights are highlights of Five Rivers' agenda today, but the organization also supports artists in myriad other ways. Five Rivers Arts Alliance represents the network of people, organizations, municipalities and businesses that care about arts, culture and heritage. We chose the symbol of flowing rivers to represent our goal of connecting arts, culture and community.