| Annual Fund Drive |
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WHY I S THE FAHC AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS COMMUNITY?
1. The Center is saving Franco-American tradition and allowing Franco-Americans
and others to
celebrate contributions from now and the past.
a. A 446-seat Performance Hall created in the nave of the former church is
hosting artists and
performers representing Franco-American and other cultures. This generates
revenue and
supports preservation and outreach. The center has established an annual
Performance
Series with orchestra, small theater, chorale works, cabaret and film. The
Midcoast
Symphony Orchestra of Maine has made the Center one of its “homes” and holds
four
concerts a year in the Performance Hall. In early 2006, the center received the
anonymous
donation of a $100,000 Steinway Concert Grand Piano, bringing new musical
opportunities.
Maine Music Society and L/A Arts are also using the facility on a regular basis.
b. In the Heritage Museum, visitors will experience Franco-American and other
cultural
history, language, visual art, music, and traditional arts through hands-on
exhibits and
educational programs. A Franco-American Heritage Mural is being planned in the
Performance Hall lobby area by local Franco-American Artists to depict the
history of
Lewiston-Auburn. An active collections program and exhibits are ongoing. An
exhibit, Anne
Frank and the World, was held in November 2004 in collaboration with Jewish
Community
Alliance, Lewiston Middle School and Maine Humanities Council. An Acadian
exhibit,
Evangeline, was held in 2005.
c. The Learning Center within the Museum will include computer laboratories and
classrooms
for research, language instruction, cultural exchanges and viewing French films.
A donated
library already fosters appreciation of French literature. Local students,
undergraduate and
graduate students utilize the Center for research and service learning. And,
more than 300
people gather once a month for “La Rencontre,” (French luncheons). Language
reacquisition
programs and student French immersion programs are also a part of the learning
center.
2. The Franco-American Heritage Center is helping to revitalize Little Canada
and the
Enterprise Community by contributing to a “Cultural Corridor” as outlined in the
city’s
Comprehensive Plan. In June 2004, the Center was awarded a $367,500 Rural
Business
Enterprise grant from the United States Department of Agriculture-Rural
Development for
its attempts to stimulate the growth/stabilization of an anticipated 200 jobs in
small business.
Additional RBEG funds were awarded in 2005. The Center has experienced close to
$3
million to save St. Mary’s as an architectural treasure and re-adapt it as a
testament to Franco-
American generosity. The building features beautiful stained-glass windows
created in the
renowned Maumejean and Meyer studios in Europe; a Maine granite façade; and a
priceless,
American-made, Frazee organ.
3. The Center is stimulating heritage tourism through collaboration with many
culture groups
in Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, New England and Canada. The French and Canadian
embassies
have held and sponsored events at the Center. Other contributors include
University of
Maine, Bates College, Maine Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, Maine Music Society,
Maine
Historical Society, Center for Cultural Exchange, Forum Francophone des
Affaires,
Androscoggin Chorale and LA Arts, to name a few organizations.
4. The FAHC celebrates a rich part of Lewiston-Auburn and New England History.
Our Center
will celebrate the stories of brave, hardworking immigrants who helped build the
area. The
Center is already bringing together historians, artists and performers, some of
them descendants
of these immigrants, with a diverse audience. They share in the past and present
day
contributions of Franco-Americans and others.