FORT KENT, Maine — Less than a week after opening its doors, the Rivertown Community Arts Center in Fort Kent already has close to 100 people signed up for paid memberships.
The 142 W. Main St. nonprofit provides access to art supplies and materials, a space for people to meet and gather, and several programs and classes for children and adults.
Rivertown founder Jenna Jandreau, a Fort Kent native, was inspired to open the center after living in the Bar Harbor region and serving on the board for a local community arts center. She said the arts center was appreciated by everyone in the MDI region and, after moving back to the Fort Kent area in 2021, Jandreau was inspired to open a similar facility in her hometown.
She found that there was a major need for an arts center in the area. Rivertown is the only arts center in the St. John Valley. The only similar facility in The County is the Wintergreen Arts Center in Presque Isle, which is more than an hour’s drive from Fort Kent.
“When I started asking around about that, the enthusiasm was through the roof,” she said. “People wanted it.”
She said that while there are creative programs available for kids, there are next to no offerings available for adults in the area.
“Fort Kent has a lot going for it,” she said. “The St. John Valley has a lot going for it, outdoor recreation-wise. But when it comes to the arts, there’s not a lot available. And there are a lot of people that have skills that could be paid to share those skills with people. And that’s what we want to provide the opportunity to do.”
A seven-person board of directors was formed, including Jandreau and half a dozen other creative community members.
Board member Lo Taggett said Jandreau reached out to her, and that they immediately hit it off and got excited about the center’s potential.
“I just couldn’t shut up about all the different things I was thinking about that would be fun to teach here,” Taggett said. “I have a very long list of things that we’re trying to work on, and our energies just really clicked.”
Taggett is skilled in numerous creative arts and sells handmade products in the center’s retail space. She teaches classes, and also enjoys the facility’s offerings with her family. She said a recent basket-weaving class was a great demonstration of how the center can bring the community together to work together and learn a skill.
She said some people taking the class had never woven a basket in their lives. And while some people might have gotten frustrated at the start, she said that everyone helped each other out and, by the end of the class, everyone learned something new.
Throughout the summer, the town of Fort Kent let Rivertown set up a crafts booth during its weekly Wonderful Wednesday events, which feature music at Riverside Park. Jandreau said they attended nine events in a row, and each time about 15 to 30 kids would come up to the table to work on crafts.
The town also provided the center with a $5,000 community initiative grant that will go toward paying people who teach skills and classes.
“Rivertown Community Arts Center will serve as a cultural hub and enrich the town by providing a space for artistic expression and community engagement,” Town Manager Suzie Paradis said. “It not only promotes local talent, but attracts visitors, boosting the local economy and enhancing the town’s cultural landscape.”
Jandreau said the center’s appearances at the booth helped build excitement for the facility.
“I wanted word of mouth to be flowing when we opened our doors,” she said, “and that’s exactly what happened.”
She said the center exceeded its goal, which was to have 25 individual and 25 family memberships by opening day. And while there is a good mix of both membership types, there are slightly more individual memberships.
Individual memberships cost $20 per month, while family memberships cost $40. Family memberships include up to two children, with each child beyond costing an additional $10. Ages 2 and under can attend for free. Day passes are $10 for adults and $5 for kids.
The money goes into rent, art supplies and to pay people who lead workshops and programs.
Memberships give people access to all of the art supplies and programs.
“We try to have a lot of value built into a low cost,” Jandreau said. “My thinking was, the cost of a Netflix or Spotify subscription would give you access to these benefits for a month. Because of that, we’re not pulling in tons of money from the community, but that’s intentional. I’m from here, so I know that if something is too expensive, it’s probably not going to take off.”
Tagget, who is a mother of two, said the membership is a good deal for families.
“If you have a bunch of kids and you all want to do this one activity, you don’t have to buy 3 gallons of paint to finish it. You can come here and use the paint, use the space, and focus on learning something and having a good time together,” Tagget said.
Jandreau said the center is geared toward the entire St. John Valley, and it has members from outside towns such as Madawaska.
“The name ‘Rivertown Arts Center’ was really intentional, because we wanted this to be open to the whole [St. John] Valley and not just feel like a Fort Kent entity,’’ she said. “We’re all citizens of river towns in this area, so we wanted it to feel really inclusive in that way.”
Jandreau and Taggett are both excited about the center’s future and for the overwhelmingly positive community feedback.
“We’re grateful to our community for being so welcoming and enthusiastic,” Jandreau said, “because volunteer efforts thrive from that.”
