LINC (Learning In Community)—Arts, started in 1997 as a mentorship program which matched very talented Hancock County high-school students with experienced local artists for specific arts training. Today, LINC provides mentorships, coordinates arts workshops, and provides access to Hancock County’s cultural events for the county’s most talented arts students.

LINC Mentoring: LINC Mentoring matches students with qualified professional artists for at least 20 hours of one-on-one mentorships. The mentorships help students develop skills in an art form, teach students about opportunities for higher education and careers in the arts, and provide students with a model of living in a rural community as an artist. In return, artists receive a stipend for their work and community exposure during the end-of-year Community Celebration.

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The LINC partnership expands the arts education offerings for participating rural Maine high schools. Past LINC students have worked with professional artists to study:

Architecture - Jewelry Making
Ceramics - Journalism
Costume Design - Modern Dance
Blacksmithing - Painting
Drawing - Photography
Film - Poetry
Graphic Design - Printmaking
Guitar - Songwriting
Jazz Improv - Steel Drums

LINC Workshops: Intensive one-day workshops bring students and teachers together to experiment with and develop their arts skills. The Writers Workshops provide instruction for students in various forms and elements of writing including character-building, dialog, poetry, non-fiction, speechwriting, and travel writing. In the Performing Arts Workshops students spend the morning learning from jazz musicians, dancers, actors, songwriters and singers. In the afternoon they are challenged to perform for each other. Careers in the Arts Day gives students an opportunity to hear from successful Maine artists about their varied careers and training.

LINC PASS Program: The PASS (Promoting Art to Students) Program encourages students to attend arts and cultural events in their community. MAAE is working with local theaters, museums and galleries to provide free admission to live performances and promotes the arts to LINC students through an on-line newsletter.

For more information about getting involved with LINC please contact Sara Hougan at 207-460-4006 or shougan@maineartseducation.org