Meetinghouse Arts will preview its community project, “Our Town: A Community Self Portrait,” by projecting photos and writings onto buildings in downtown Freeport starting this August. Kristian Moravec / The Times Record
For a handful of nights in August and September, Freeport’s Meetinghouse Arts will project photos and written work onto prominent downtown buildings.
The effort is part of a project, “Our Town: A Community Self Portrait,” in collaboration with Freeport Historical Society. Meetinghouse Arts described the initiative as a way of documenting significant aspects of the town and capturing the essence of daily Freeport life.
Residents, businesses and organizations were invited to capture and submit photos, artwork and writings to the organization between May and June. Submissions were then reviewed and selected by Meetinghouse Arts. Freeport Historical Society will also project images from its collection.
The project was funded through various grants, including the National Endowment for the Arts, which awarded the Meetinghouse Arts a $25,000 “Our Town” grant. Only 57 of these grants are awarded nationwide.
The project also received a $5,000 Momentum Grant, an initiative by the Freeport Economic Development Corporation to fund high-visibility projects that enhance the downtown. The Momentum Grant funding was put toward a new projector, which Meetinghouse Arts Executive Director Suzanne Watson said would be used to showcase the project on the buildings.
Evan Haynes, a Freeport artist and director of the community self portrait project, described the project as a “community-driven documentary” and said that the projections are a preview for the project, which will also be put on exhibit this fall starting on Oct. 25.
“The projections will activate Downtown Freeport at a time when the town is looking for opportunities to liven up underutilized public spaces,” Haynes said.
Projections will be displayed on various buildings in downtown Freeport on Aug. 3, 4 and 31, and Sept. 1.
Those interested in learning more about the project can visit meetinghousearts.org.
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