The Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce and the Arts in the Park Jurying Committee are pleased to announce the selection of Doug Frati as the 2024 Artist of the Year!
Doug Frati was born in Maine in 1954. His youth was spent growing up in a small rural town located on the banks of the Sebasticook River.
“My grandmother had an old farm there, built by her grandfather, she lived alone and worked in the woolen mills. Her barn was full of cows, chickens, sheep, rodents and spiders. Wood was always the common denominator, we cooked on it, heated with it, built with it, fenced with it, hunted in it and tapped it for maple syrup in the spring.”
Frati attended art school, graduating with a degree in printmaking. His work was soon collected privately as well as publicly when the Portland Museum of Art included it in their permanent collection.
“I returned to my grandmother’s farm, which was vacant for years, in a sad state of collapse and rebuilt. I took it apart and put it all back together bonding with my family’s past in the process.”
Frati’s current wood carving is a direct reflection of where and how he lives. Many of his carvings are made of old wood salvaged from antique objects, broken and lost to barns and attics. A neighbor runs a small saw mill where large white pine is turned to boards for carving. He creates his own stains to bring out the graphic and textural aspect of the carvings.
History becomes an element for creating a new work of art. Layered time adds weight and depth, driving iconic imagery. The work brings to, and brings out, something in the viewer that is real and solid. Something old yet fresh.
Doug, a farmer as well as an artist, grows garlic on his family homestead for market and for his own home use. He has converted the old barn that once held animals and hay into a studio. The old building echoes its past and imparts some of its soul into each piece.
The Belfast Area Chamber, along with the City’s Parks & Recreation Department, will host this year’s Arts in the Park event on Saturday and Sunday, June 29 & 30. This is the kickoff event for the summer and in addition to bringing 125 artists to Steamboat Landing, we have six musical performances for everyone to enjoy! Would you be interested in sponsoring one of the bands? Have a favorite? You would be included in our promotional material for the event, press releases, radio, social media, and our own newsletter! We’ll also give you a big shout out when the band comes on stage. Sponsorship is $300 per performance, and you simply need to call us for this amazing opportunity. We love Belfast because people love to come for the music, the food, the shopping, and definitely the arts!
If you are interested in sponsorship, call Dorothy at 207.338.5900 and claim your spot today! Thank you for supporting our event and local artists!
In recognition of International Women’s Day on March 8th, this week’s cover photo comes to you from the amazing Cole Brauer, the first American woman (from Maine) to race solo around the world. What an amazing accomplishment! Congratulations Cole! News from the Bay & Beyond!
This week’s cover photo comes to you from the Mt. View High School Boys Basketball Team. Congrats on your Class C North Regional Title! News from the Bay & Beyond!
In This Issue: The BIG Chamber Announcement, Our Town Belfast Ice Festival Weekend, and coming up is the Belfast Flying Shoes‘ First Friday Dances, Young Artists Takeover at Waterfall Arts, and so much more!
This week’s cover photo comes to you from last year’s Ice Festival, photo by the BELFAST (MAINE) POLICE DEPARTMENT. News from the Bay & Beyond!
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