The 6th Annual "Hearts for the Arts" auction is open online now ! View the dazzling collection of heart or love themed original works by artists with a connection to our region. All mediums - painting, photography, ceramics, jewelry, fiber arts, mixed media and more. Proceeds benefit both the contributing artists and arts-focused festivals and music events around the Eastport area, including the Mermaid Festival on July 31/Aug 1 and the Witches of Eastport on Oct 31, now pres

We were delighted to celebrate Marged Higginson on January 25 with a recognition party for the many years she has served with Eastport Arts Center in fundamental ways. Marged has been involved in the creative arts for much of her life, including a 30-year tenure  with a chorus that performed with the New Jersey Symphony and the opportunity to sing at Stephansdom in Vienna. After her travels domestic and abroad, she and her husband arrived in Eastport when the EAC was getting

Due to outside circumstances, the originally planned opening production for this season of Stage East - "Noises Off" - has been indefinitely rescheduled. In its place, we will be putting together a production of "Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt 2B" by Kate Hamill, which will be performed at the end of May. An irreverent, darkly comic modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous sleuth and sidekick, "Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt 2B" is a fast-paced romp that re-examines the

The Steinway Parlor Grand piano at Eastport Arts Center (EAC) – a rare model C built in 1888 that hasn’t been produced domestically in the past century – has received a much-needed refurbishment by piano technician Robert Cloutier. Cloutier, who recently retired from a four-decade career that saw him traveling the world to work on concert-level instruments, donated his expertise to repair the piano provided new hammers for the instrument could be obtained. “For EAC, this work

Calling all artists! The 6th Annual Hearts for the Arts online auction will soon be underway. This increasingly-popular event serves as a key fundraiser for the Eastport ArtFests (including the Mermaid Festival and the Witches Festival, both of which are under EAC's umbrella this year) - along with providing artists with a great opportunity to earn money for their work! Participating artists can choose from a 70/30 split (keeping 70% of the proceeds), a 50/50 split, or a 30/

Submissions will open on February 1 for the 2026 Charles Moore Poetry Prize Competition sponsored by Eastport Arts Center (EAC). Now in its fourth year, the competition has seen a steady increase in the number of submissions from Maine and beyond. Submitted poems are collected into an annual anthology available for sale from the EAC, online, and from A Boatload of Books, with previous volumes being Of Woods and Waters , Connecting Nature  and Worklife, Lifework . Contributors

Rage Judy may be tiny in stature, but her paintings are big, bold and powerful. The colors are rich and dense. Her work sometimes leans heavily towards emotional abstractions and sometimes sways into realism. In some you see anger or pain. Others make you smile with delight … especially when you find one of the surprises she might tuck onto a panel. From the Heart Judy describes her work as intuitive. She says, “I never know what the end product will be, but it comes from my

The Literary Arts Program of the Eastport Arts Center is excited to announce the Jay Skriletz Playwriting Initiative. This state-wide competition offers early-career Maine playwrights under 30 years of age a chance to receive production experience. The winning writer will receive a $1,000 prize and a week-long workshop at the Eastport Arts Center, culminating in a staged reading. Lodging will be provided and a meals and travel stipend are also included. To be eligible, writer

The 16th annual Festival of Trees at EAC was a spectacular success with guests from around the extended community coming to place their bids on 25 fully festooned young evergreens. The event, one of EAC's biggest fundraisers of the year, raised approximately $3,000 to support the center's ongoing efforts to promote the arts in the area. We would like to give special thanks to Georgie Kendall for donating the trees; Chris Farr for providing musical accompaniment; Cynthia Morse

"The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon", performed in 2025 Proposals wanted! Stage East continues to be interested in hearing from any person or group that would like to propose a theatrical project or idea to be performed at EAC for the coming year. Please contact or send a proposal to Cookie at cookierepp@yahoo.com to do so. Original plays sought In an effort to support and showcase the work of local playwrights, Stage East invites area writers to submit their original plays f

Jude Kempe in lighting booth, 2025 (Manuela Brice photo) Are you interested in the theater? If so, we’re interested in you! Stage East is looking for directors, producers, stage managers and crew capable of handling set design and set construction, set painting lighting, sound, costumes, and props. (Don’t worry if you have little or no experience as you will learn while doing and there will be somebody to guide you as needed.) Our interest is in cultivating theater in the ext

Jane Lanctot's Cambodian music show during 2024's Sunday Afternoon series was a big hit. One of the Eastport Arts Center's most popular ongoing series is Sunday Afternoons at the Arts Center, during which a presenter is welcomed to share information about an interesting topic - from local history to a travel adventure to a subject of their expertise. These informal, interactive presentations are always held on Sundays at 3 pm and are free to the public with donations accepted

Stage East is thrilled to announce a captivating lineup of plays currently in development for our 2026 season! The first theatrical production, “Noises Off”, is a three-act farce that emphasizes physical comedy, while the second, “The Savannah Sipping Society”, tells the story of four Southern women over 50 who meet during a hot yoga class. Local plays and a 10-minute play contest are also planned for this season (stay tuned for more info!). In “Noises Off” by Michael Frayn,

Marlys Firing Raku Pottery Marlys Teaching at EAC Marlys’ work bubbles and bristles with enthusiasm and energy whether it is created in clay, painted on canvas or assembled from found objects. With titles such as WHISTLE BLOWER, Ravages of Mankind, Silenced, Keeper of the Sea, Storm’s Burst  and Luminous Dancers , you witness her awe of nature’s sea and sky as well as her desire to express her activist or social awareness ideas.   Diving In As Marlys eyes a spot clearing on h

Watch the full presentation on YouTube Exactly 156 years after the Great Saxby Gale nearly destroyed Eastport, John “Al” Churchill, president of the St. Croix Historical Society, gave a presentation on the gale’s impact at Eastport Arts Center (EAC). Churchill began by setting the stage. At the time, Eastport “punched above its weight” when it came to appearing in papers across the country, to the point that people in 1800 would have known Eastport first in all the state. Eas

The lower floor of the Eastport Arts Center was properly packed on Sunday, September 14, as Captain Bob Peacock provided a compelling...

We were pleased to host Charles "Chick" Moore this past Sunday for a compelling presentation on the aftermath of the Colfax Massacre and...

Courtney’s artwork is a celebration of nature. She says that she “aims to create paintings that show intimate moments of the beautiful...

Being a middle school teacher is not for the faint of heart, especially as an art teacher. But Valerie Michael found it, not only to be a...

Sometimes an artist or a poet or a writer looks at a blank page or canvas and wonders where to begin. For JoAnne Houlsen, that moment is...