WILLOW CREEK — A dozen local artists have pooled their talents and resources to open River Bend Gallery at 28 Main Street, converting a former insurance office into what organizers hope will become a cultural anchor for the downtown district.
The cooperative space features rotating exhibits of paintings, photography, pottery, fiber art, and woodwork, with two of the 12 members maintaining working studios in the back half of the building where visitors can watch them create.
“Tourists don’t just want souvenirs. They want experiences,” said gallery co-founder Margaret Tremblay, a watercolorist whose landscapes of the Mattawamkeag River are included in the inaugural exhibit. “Having artists working in the space — that’s something you can’t replicate online.”
The cooperative model, where members share rent and staffing duties, allowed the gallery to open with minimal debt. Each member pays $150 monthly dues and commits to staffing the gallery one day per week.
Doris Kim, who serves on the gallery’s advisory board, said the opening represents a milestone in the town’s cultural development. “A town with an artist cooperative is a town that has turned a corner,” Kim said. “It signals to visitors that there’s creative energy here, that Willow Creek is a place where things are happening.”
The gallery is open Thursday through Monday. A grand opening reception is scheduled for March 28, featuring live music and refreshments from The Dry Dock and Maples & Margherita.