Dear Editor:

The Maine Art Gallery and the town of Wiscasset have been partners since 1958 in preserving the Old Academy Building and promoting its mission to advance the visual arts and artists from Midcoast Maine and beyond. In 1970, under the inspired leadership of artist and patron Mildred Burrage, the Maine Art Gallery as tenant and the town as owner, listed the 1807 Old Academy Building, also known as the Red Brick School, on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today the Gallery continues to provide a vibrant home for local artists to display their work and engage in educational activities while maintaining its historical venue as a living physical memorial to the initiative of Wiscasset citizens. As the Gallery prepares to meet the challenges of an evolving Wiscasset, we seek to strengthen the long-standing partnership with the town for the mutual benefit of our community and the artists who contribute to its culture.

For that reason, we support authorizing the Selectmen to extend the term of the lease agreement as they believe suitable to endorse our continued stewardship of the Old Academy Building and to enable better access to preservation funding.

Accordingly, please vote “yes” on question 3 in Wiscasset’s Nov. 2 Referendum Election.

Wendy S. Ross

President, Board of Trustees

Maine Art Gallery Wiscasset