The Arts District is a section of downtown

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

’s designated in 1995 as to promote the cultural community and

creative economy The creative industries refers to a range of economic activities which are concerned with the generation or exploitation of knowledge and information. They may variously also be referred to as the cultural industries (especially in Europe) or the ...

of the city. It covers a large part of upper Congress Street towards the West End and spans Congress Street toward the East ending at Portland City Hall and its Merrill Auditorium concert hall.

Arts and culture organizations

There are many

art galleries An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

, a theater company,

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

s, and schools in the general area. Both

Maine College of Art Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D) is a Private college, private art school in Portland, Maine. Founded in 1882, Maine College of Art & Design is the oldest arts educational institution in Maine. Roughly 32% of MECA&D students are from Maine. ...

(MECA) and Portland Museum of Art are located in the district. The Maine Historical Society, the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, the Maine Charitable Mechanics Association and the Portland Public Library are located in the district. The Arts District is home to two television stations ( WCSH and WMTW) and several radio stations. It is also home to the State Theatre building, the Portland Stage Company and One Longfellow Square. There are many coffee shops, bars and restaurants in the district.

Parks and squares

There are multiple parks and squares in the Arts District. Congress Square Park, a small urban park across the street from the Museum of Art, often referred to as the "Heart of the Arts District," frequently hosts community-based arts, cultural, performance and market events. Monument Square is a square on Congress Street near Preble and Elm streets lined with restaurants and shops. Monument Square is centered on the Our Lady of Victories monument. Longfellow Square is at the intersection of Congress and State streets. It features a seated statue of noted 19th-century poet

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to comp ...

First Friday Art Walk

An event that occurs in the Arts District is the First Friday Art Walk — a self-guided tour that takes place on the first Friday of each month from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. All of the galleries, museums, and local businesses open their doors to the public for a view of everything that is going on in the art community. Most galleries host the event with food and drink. The Portland Museum of Art opens its doors to the public free of charge.

External links

Portland, Maine - Arts District

First Friday Art Walk - Portland, Maine

References

Neighborhoods in Portland, Maine Art in Portland, Maine Arts districts {{Maine-geo-stub