In Bar Harbor, artists are creating a space for movement, music, collage, and play—an experiment in connection at a time when politics and the news can leave people feeling increasingly divided.

Carrie Jones

6 hours ago

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Coastal Kayaking Tours and Acadia Bike.

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BAR HARBOR — There are times when a community needs a meeting, and times when it needs something else.

Maybe it needs a room where people can sit beside strangers and make something with their hands. Maybe it needs music, or movement, or a piece of paper cut into a shape that was not there before. Maybe it needs, for a little while, to stop arguing and simply see what happens when people create together.

That is the hope behind “Strengthening Community: Forging Connections Through Art,” an interactive forum coming to the Jesup Memorial Library on Oct. 4. Organized by State Representative Gary Friedmann, the afternoon will bring artists and community members together for a series of short workshops in movement, collage, music, poetry, puppetry, and candle-making.

According to the press release, it’s a chance to “learn something creative, make new friends, and enjoy the beauty of a spectacular new community space in Bar Harbor.”

Friedmann organized the event with the belief that a community’s strength is found in the connections people make with one another, and that art can offer another way into those connections.

He said the response from the artists who agreed to participate has been inspiring, particularly at a time when people are struggling to find their way through a deeply divided political climate.

But the question of what art can do for a community is not only a political one. It is also a quieter question, one that often begins with the solitary act of making something or the communal celebration of expression in many forms.

Neeraj Sebastian knows a lot about that. A painter and professor at the College of the Atlantic, he came to art after a career in science, fields that might seem far apart until he talks about the communities he found in both. In graduate school, he found people who cared deeply about painting and pushed one another beyond their comfort zones. In the laboratories where he worked, he found another kind of community, built around a shared pursuit of discovery.

Painting itself can be lonely, Sebastian said. It is slow work—pushing color across a surface, waiting for something unexpected, then continuing the search. But perhaps that slowness has something to offer a hurried world: a little stillness, a little space to look and think.

And perhaps, in a time when people can feel increasingly separated from one another, that is where community can begin: not with everyone agreeing, but with people being willing to sit in the same room, make something, and see what happens next.

The question the program shapes is really what if one way to feel a little less divided was simply to make something together?

The goal isn’t to become a better dancer, painter, or performer. Instead, the artists leading the sessions hope the process of creating alongside other people can make room for conversation, experimentation, and connection—particularly at a time when many people are feeling worn down by political division and an increasingly relentless news cycle.

“I’m organizing this to remind people that our greatest strength is the community we build with each other, and that we can try new and satisfying ways of doing this through the arts,” Rep. Gary Friedmann said.

Sebastian, a scientist who is now an artist and professor at the College of the Atlantic, has found community before through painting, he said.

“I found a wonderful community of people who cared deeply about painting, and that made me push myself and get out of my comfort zone. When I worked in labs, there was a strong sense of community—within the labs that I was a part of, as well as the broader scientific community,” he said.

He continued, “Painting can be slow: you’re essentially pushing color around on a surface, hoping to find a moment that surprises you, and then keep going and continue the search. How can painting respond to a changing world? I don’t know. Can looking at a painting allow for something else: stillness, space for contemplation?

“Making art can feel sometimes like bringing together your own experiences of life and with world in conversation with the work of people who lived and died centuries ago.”

But when it comes to community, Sebastian said, it’s also worth thinking about what that word means.

“Community can mean different things to different people. There’s a question of scale; there’s the question of what brings people together. A shared joy in something can form the core of a community. Communities can form because of a shared mission. But there’s always the question of inclusion and exclusion. Who gets to join a community, who gets left out? How is difference handled?” he said.

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According to her bio, “Tammy Richards worked as a professional actor, dancer and choreographer, and was trained as a dance/movement therapist. Her inquisitive nature and interest in social justice led to a career as a social scientist researching child welfare policy and practice. This came to a crashing halt in May of 2025 courtesy of DOGE. She now has more time to exercise her freedom of expression, build catios, and most importantly—dance.”

She’ll be there on October 4 too, hosting a session on dance and movement improvisation.

“This session is an opportunity to exercise your freedom of expression through movement. Improvisational exercises will focus on experimenting with and expanding simple, pedestrian gestures. We’ll work individually, in pairs and as a group using movement to express our response to the current political context,” she explained.

“I think we form and deepen relationships around joint activities a lot. Through our work, through hobbies like gardening, knitting, cooking,” Richards said. “Dance is a similar activity that people do together. There are communities formed in ballet classes, in ballroom dances, in hip hop. These are all spaces where people are together, in some kind of structured form of dance—with others that share the same interest.”

Interest conjoined with intention and time and shared experiences can often create healthier communities.

Sebastian speaks to that intention when he talks about his art journey.

“I don’t think I collaged in an intentional way until I was in graduate school. I appreciated the immediacy and directness of collaging: working with colored paper, scissors and glue, and making a picture—composing—with shapes. Dramatic decisions can be made very quickly: for example, cutting a piece in half and bringing the outside of the composition inside. As a teacher, I’ve found that it’s easier to get a student to move a shape than a line. Community and trust are also important in the context of a classroom. During critiques, students share work that’s deeply personal: meaningful critique can only happen if there is a level of trust among the group,” he explained.

“Painting can be expensive—costs for paint, surfaces, brushes, palette knives, a palette, an easel, among other materials—and can have a bit of a learning curve when it comes to cleanup and taking care of materials,” he continued. “The simplicity and directness of collaging is something that anyone can do with materials that are typically at hand. Working with paper is an easy way to play with scale as well: you can make large-format pieces simply by adding more paper. I hope that people can experience the joys and frustrations of making pictures while working this way alongside others and leave with something they made.”

And that can be empowering.

“We’re living in a world that’s becoming more and more atomized; there’s a feeling of helplessness, that as individuals we can’t change things for the better. The hope is that making art can, in a small way, bring people together,” Sebastian explained. “I must say that participating in a performance—music, theater, dance—builds community through the process of negotiating, rehearsing, creating an experience together. When it comes to visual art, there can be a feeling of recognition when encountering work: that the artist was able to capture something in a way that moves and surprises you.”

Finding community in movement is a bit different sometimes, Richards said.

“Classes and performances are intended to help the dancer develop a better technique—dancers may work at being able to jump higher, master more difficult moves, and get better at performing dance. Dancers are often in a group with other people looking to do the same, and in the best situations they are cheering each other on. To dance together, to perform together, you need to know where the other dancers are in space. Partnering with another dancer can require very focused attention on the other dancer. Working with partners, performing together as a group, can build friendships. It’s not always the case, though. Sometimes competition between dancers can be intense. Some people learn faster, people with certain body types are thought to be better suited to different forms of dance. Injuries happen, which can be frustrating and sideline dancers. It can be wonderful to learn to dance – I loved dance classes. But there is a risk that it can be stifling – dancing in very structured formats means there is a right way to dance, and a wrong way to dance. Dance formats like ballet, hip hop, jazz are also a young person’s sport. Dancers can age out of these formats pretty quickly,” she explained.

There are differences though.

“Contra dance is a bit different because when you go to a contra dance, you’re probably not going because you want to be a great contra dancer. Learning the basic format, common steps, and listening to the caller can be done relatively quickly. Contra dancing isn’t a performance, it’s a dance party,” she said. “This opens it up to people who may not consider themselves dancers—they just like to contra dance. It’s fun, they meet people they know, and people they don’t. There are musicians in this community too, who make wonderful music at a contra dance. We’re lucky to have such an active contra dance community here in Downeast Maine, it’s really wonderful.”

Dancing is language and information, too.

“I’m most interested in playing with dance and movement to understand what we’re experiencing in our bodies, and how we can express ourselves to each other through movement. Sometimes our mind can be so used to being in charge, it talks so much— it can be challenging to pay attention to our body at all. Experimentation is a good way to involve the mind, but not let it take over. We can play with different ways of moving, and ask ourselves what feels comfortable, easy, what feels unfamiliar and less comfortable. Once we’ve spent some time paying attention to our movement, we can start to play with others. We can take on each other’s movements, try their gestures out, have movement conversations. We can expand this to the larger group, developing simple dances together that combine all of our movement stories. This isn’t done to become a better dancer, or to perform a dance. It is done to express ourselves to others, witness other’s dances, and create movement together,” she said.

That isn’t always easy for people.

“This kind of dance takes some bravery. People can be scared – they may not think of themselves as coordinated, or a ‘good’ dancer. But a ‘high risk’ activity like going into a room to dance with people (who are also nervous) can also be high reward. Doing hard, or scary things with other people can build relationships pretty quickly! Also – it’s fun. Adults don’t get to play much,” Richards said.

On October 4, they can play.

“This kind of dance views everyone as a dancer. We don’t need to know any steps. It doesn’t need to be complicated, we don’t have to be ‘good’ at anything, and we don’t need to be young, strong, or coordinated. I have some joint issues, so depending on the day I may dance slowly, I may dance in a chair, I may dance with a cane. I’m still a dancer. I’m still part of the community,” she said.

Strengthening community through art is important, particularly in 2026.

“We need each other. We need to have each other’s back, we need to support each other—because our government certainly is not. Going forward, we’re going to have to be creative, because the world is changing fast—and not for the better. Art, dance/ movement, music—they all help us analyze, problem-solve, generate ideas. Done as a group, they build new relationships and strengthen community. Even better, they are fun. We need to play in the midst of news cycles that wear us down,” Richards said.

“I’m excited to bring people together to celebrate the energy and passion of our island community,” Friedmann said.

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All photos via Gary Friedmann.

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KEY INFORMATION TO KNOW.

Strengthening Community: Forging Connections Through Art, an Interactive Forum at the Jesup Memorial Library, October 4, 2026.

Then join eight artists for an interactive afternoon of creative expression, music, and refreshments at the Jesup Library, 4:00 to 6:00 on Sunday October 4.

The event is being organized by State Representative Gary Friedmann, in hopes of strengthening community bonds and nourishing stressed minds at a time of political chaos and national divisiveness.

Attendees select two out of ten 30-minute workshops.

• Reflect with Karin Spitfire through poetry prompts exploring shared humanity and community.
• Act with Molly Dillon in a welcoming, all-levels theatre workshop.
• Move with Tammy Richards through improvisation inspired by our journeys through challenging times.
• Animate with Melissa Ferrari by creating paper puppets of local migratory animals and bringing them to life.
• Sing with Gray Cox to create and perform the musical round “Breath on the Waters.”
• Collage with Neeraj Sebastian, using scissors and a limited palette to discover the unexpected in everyday life.
• Connect with Liz Cutler through beeswax candle-dipping, conversation, and the simple gesture of making one candle to keep and one to give away.

This forum will be held in the new meeting spaces of the expanded library, and will be accessible through the parking lot entrance on School Street. Registration is encouraged to reserve your space in each workshop.

Please visit www.jesuplibrary.org/events to register, or for more information contact Gary Friedmann at gary.friedmann@legislature.maine.gov.

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