Our History

In 1986 four local artists --Pat Binette, Marlilyn Dwelley, Pauline Turner, and Peggy Stowers --founded the Waterville Area Art Society. Their mission statement in part was to stimulate the awareness of the visual arts in the Waterville area, exhange ideas, encourage beginners, gear young art students into the correct path for future development in a career in art or just for the enjoyment of art or to consider art as a second profession. A society would group area artists for an environment of creativity for Waterville and surrounding towns. The first meeting of the Waterville Area Art Society was held in September 1986 and had a eighteen charter members. Presently the Society has seventy-two members.

The priority of the Waterville Area Art Society was to encourage local students in their art education. On February 4, 1993, the Society voted to give a scholarship to an area graduating senior who displayed artistic talent toward pursuing further artistic study. The first scholarship awarded was $100. and succeeding sholarships have now been raised to $500.

In 1989 the Waterville Area Art Society held it's first Maine Open Juried Art Show which has subsequently grown to one of the most prestigious exhibition competitions in Maine.