Brief History

As Five Rivers Arts Alliance celebrates its 15th year of strengthening community through the arts, we would like to reflect on our past work as we move forward into the future. Although we have changed names and events over the years, many of our programs have remained the same and have even developed into traditions in our community. From its beginnings as the result of two local arts Discovery Research projects to its growth into a regional leader in promoting the arts, Five Rivers has truly enriched the cultural offerings of the Midcoast region and continues to advance its efforts.

Five Rivers Arts Alliance began as Brunswick Area Arts & Cultural Alliance (BAACA), which was founded in 1998 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, the name it is still known by today.

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, and this year, 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.