PORTLAND – Community-based presenters in Southern Maine are invited to attend a free Traditional Arts Performance Showcase at Mayo Street Arts in Portland from 12:30 to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 29.
Mayo Street Arts will produce a showcase featuring artists affiliated with their Traditional Arts Network in a series of short performances for individuals and staff from libraries, schools, parks and other community organizations throughout Southern Maine.
The hour-long showcase portion of the event will feature live performances from six to eight artists as well as additional video samples. The featured art forms will highlight the rich diversity of cultures in Maine, including Cambodian, Iraqi, Fulani, Rwandan, Ukrainian and West Guinean, among others.
By gathering traditional artists and community-based presenters together into one space, the showcase will support cultural exchange, strengthen community engagement, and increase the visibility of traditional arts in Maine.
The event is free to attend and travel stipends are available for attendees. Advanced registration is required and can be submitted via the Traditional Arts Network website.
Community-based community organizations throughout Southern Maine who do not have experience presenting traditional artists will be provided with a training on how to prepare for a successful event.
Traditional artists will then showcase their work for the presenters. Following the live performances, there will be time for artists and presenters to meet one another, build relationships, and discuss performance opportunities.
Mayo Street Arts regularly receives inquiries from community organizations looking to get in contact with traditional artists for a variety of events. MSA helps them to craft a simple request for proposal, which they distribute to artists affiliated with their Traditional Arts Network.
“Our goals for the showcase are to connect traditional artists with community-based presenters, provide new presenters with training to support successful events, and create a pipeline for future performances and collaborations.” explains Mayo Street Arts’ Executive Director Ian Bannon. “Ultimately this is about increasing the visibility and viability of the traditional arts in Maine.”
The Traditional Arts Network is a consortium of traditional artists, ensembles, and community organizations in Maine that is facilitated by Mayo Street Arts and Cultural Resources. TAN supports the work of traditional artists preserving a cultural heritage from all countries of origin and indigenous communities.
Through access to other artists; arts professionals like videographers, designers, and cultural specialists; as well as non-profit funding organizations, the TAN also offers traditional artists the opportunity to invest in their creative practice and to introduce their work to a larger audience while maintaining their cultural traditions.
The Traditional Arts Performance Showcase is made possible with funding from the Onion Foundation and the Maine Community Foundation’s Rines Thompson Fund.
To request more information and/or assistance, please email TAN@mayostreetarts.org, call Mayo Street Arts at 207-879-4629, or visit the Traditional Arts Network website at TraditionalArtsNetwork.org.