Waterville
Maine
Waterville Creates Arts Spotlight from December 2-8, 2024
Arts and Entertainment
December 3, 2024
From: Waterville Opera HouseFEATURED
NATURE GELATIN PRINTING
In partnership with MaineGeneral, join us to explore the playful, spontaneous world of gelatin printing. This printmaking technique results in one-of-a-kind prints using flowers, leaves, and other natural materials. Enjoy a process that allows for a therapeutic escape from the stresses of daily life. All skill levels welcome and materials are provided.
Paul J. Schupf Art Center
93 Main Street, Waterville
Wednesday, December 4
10am–12pm
Free, but registration is required
ARTS
TEEN CLAY CLUB
Art of Clay Studio
93 Main Street, Waterville
Wednesdays, December 4 + 18
3–5pm
$51
Eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund
In this bimonthly exploration of clay, teens ages 13–16 will learn about hand-building, glazing, surface design, and more. Each young artist will be encouraged to independently find their own unique approach to clay in a supportive environment.
HOLIDAY BAZAAR
Ticonic Gallery
93 Main Street, Waterville
Open Daily, 11am–7pm
Closed Tuesdays + federal holidays
Waterville Creates and Ticonic Gallery are pleased to announce the return of this beloved handmade marketplace to downtown Waterville, featuring the talents of Maine makers across various media, offering a community space for artists to showcase and sell their creations.
Thank you to our sponsors: Kennebec Savings Bank, Morning Sentinel/Kennebec Journal, City of Waterville, and Back Office Solutions.
YOUTH ARTS ACCESS FUND
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Established in March 2022, the Youth Arts Access Fund (YAAF) provides youth aged 18 and under with free access to Waterville Creates events and programs-all of them!
For just $1,000/month or $5,000/6 months, your business can be recognized as a YAAF sponsor of the month and provide critical support for this beloved program.
The Waterville Area Women's Club is December's Youth Arts Access Fund sponsor! Waterville Area Women’s Club and its volunteer members support numerous local charities and service agencies in the Greater Waterville Area, with a focus on those that benefit women and children.
FILM
MAINE STUDENT FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL
Maine Film Center
93 Main Street, Waterville
March 22, 2025
Submissions now open!
The Maine Student Film + Video Festival will return March 22, 2025. All Maine students grades K-12 are eligible to submit short films in the Narrative, Documentary, and Creative categories. You could win scholarships, filmmaking gear, or a $500 Grand Prize! Plus, see your film on the big screen at MFC!
FRAME BY FRAME
MARY CASSATT: PAINTING THE MODERN WOMAN
Maine Film Center
93 Main Street, Waterville
December 4, 6pm
Free, ticket reservation encouraged
Join us for a free screening of Mary Cassatt: Painting the Modern Woman, a new feature-length documentary that introduces viewers to the Impressionist artist whose depictions of women demonstrated a major shift in the way women were represented in art.
Before the film, hear Elisa Germán, Lunder Curator of Works on Paper and Whistler Studies, discuss the etching by Cassatt currently on view at the museum and the artist's surprising collaboration with Edgar Degas. This screening is inspired by the exhibition Surface Tension: Etchings from the Collection, which is on view until January 12, 2025, at the Colby College Museum of Art.
SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE
Maine Film Center
93 Main Street, Waterville
Now Showing
From $9
Eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund
A Christmas movie-but not the usual kind of Christmas movie at all. It’s 1985 in the run-up to Christmas in a small town in County Wexford, Ireland. Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy) toils as a coal merchant to support himself, his wife, and his five daughters. Early one morning while out delivering coal at the local convent, he makes a discovery that forces him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a town controlled by the Catholic Church-whose channel is a nun (Emily Watson) with her own discoveries to make… Based on the novel by Claire Keegan, Small Things Like These is “an electric, atmospheric, and deeply soulful look at what it means to be human, what it means to have empathy, and how faith should never come before people.”-Emma Kiely, Collider.
PERFORMING ARTS
COLIN & BRAD
Waterville Opera House
1 Common Street, Waterville
Friday, December 6
Saturday, December 7
8pm
$59–$79
Eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund
Get ready for an evening of sidesplitting laughter as Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, the dynamic duo from TV’s Whose Line is it Anyway?, take the stage in an uproarious live show, Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood: Asking for Trouble. With lightning-fast wit, Mochrie and Sherwood transform the audience’s suggestions into an unpredictable evening of non-stop comedy gold. No script? No problem! Asking for Trouble is a wild rollercoaster ride of hilarity, where two improv legends prove they are still the best in the business.
COMMUNITY
FIRST FRIDAY
Downtown, Waterville
Friday, December 6
5–8pm
Free
First Fridays celebrate the vibrant creativity in Waterville through a wide array of arts experiences. On the first Friday of every month, visit downtown Waterville to meet artists, see performances, listen to live music, eat delicious food, shop at local businesses, enjoy the arts, and come together as a community.
ROYAL WINTER BALL
Children's Discovery Museum
7 Eustis Parkway, Waterville
Saturday, December 7
6–8pm
$15
You are cordially invited to attend the formal ball of our very own winter princess, prince, and friends. Come dressed in your best royal attire and enjoy snacks, dancing, singing lessons, and royal arts and crafts, and get a chance to meet your favorite princes and princesses!
UP COMING
JOY TO THE VILLE
Paul J. Schupf Art Center
93 Main Street, Waterville
Saturday, December 14
10–4pm
Embrace the holiday and winter spirit at the seventh annual Joy to the Ville community celebration! Join Waterville Creates, the Colby College Museum of Art, the Waterville Public Library, and the Children’s Discovery Museum as we celebrate the magic of the season with movies, art making, play, Community Maker Days, and more! Free holiday treats to enjoy while supplies last.
TOMMY DORSEY ORCHESTRA
Waterville Opera House
1 Common Street, Waterville
Thursday, December 19
7:30pm
$44–54
Eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund
Celebrate the festive season with beloved classics from the timeless Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Tommy Dorsey was an extremely successful bandleader from the 1930s until his untimely passing in 1956. His technical skill on the trombone was unmatched and made him world-renowned amongst musicians and the public alike. He had a string of hit records including Opus One, Marie, and Song of India.
COMMUNITY SURVEY
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Take our short community survey for your chance to win a MIFF28 Full Festival Pass or a WOH 2025 Theatrical Season Pass.
Paper copies of the survey are also available at the Ed Harris Box Office, Paul J. Schupf Art Center, 93 Main Street, Waterville.
SUPPORT THE ARTS
At Waterville Creates, community is at the core of everything we do. We believe everyone deserves access to outstanding arts opportunities and that shared experiences in the arts build stronger, happier, and healthier communities.
To truly fulfill our mission of ARTS EXPERIENCES FOR ALL, we need your help!
Only 40% of our budget is covered by ticket sales and program fees. By making a gift to Waterville Creates, you help us to keep our programming quality high while keeping our ticket prices affordable, increasing access for all members of our community. Your support also allows us to offer a variety of free arts events for all ages and ensures that no child is turned away due to cost.
Thank you for supporting the arts in our community.
WE'RE HIRING
Are you passionate about the arts? Waterville Creates is seeking enthusiastic, outgoing individuals for the roles of Director of Development, Communications Coordinator, and Theatre Camp Counselors and Lead Counselor.
MEMBER SHIP
Our membership program provides benefits across all divisions, including the Waterville Opera House, Maine Film Center, and Ticonic Gallery + Studios, as well as special gifts from founding partners the Waterville Public Library and the Colby College Museum of Art. Your support will help sustain outstanding, accessible arts programming for all members of the community.