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CONTACT:

Erika Sanger
207-367-2788
director@operahousearts.org

DATE: January 1, 2025
TITLE: Opera House Arts Announces Design Winner for 25th Season Merchandise

Stonington, ME — 2025 marks the 25th year of Opera House Arts operating as a non-profit organization.  In honor of this special year, Opera House Arts hosted a contest for a commemorative design.  Launched in the early fall, submissions were received through Thanksgiving. 

On December 1 Opera House Arts was pleased to announce that artist Nat Dickinson was the winner. As a child, Nat would paint with his grandfather on the back porch of their cottage in Deer Isle, Maine that overlooked the Penobscot Bay. Dickinson is a native of Washington, D.C. He received his undergraduate studio arts degree from Kenyon College and his MFA from Indiana University. Nat continues to paint on Deer Isle and at his home in Asheville, NC. The winning design uses bold blocks of color and depicts the Opera House from an imaginary point in the Harbor. It positions the historic building as an anchor to the landscape and the town.   Nat’s art can be found at natdickinson.com.  

The winning design will be used in commemorative T-shirts and other merchandise which will soon be available for purchase in the Opera House lobby.

The year 2025 marks the 25th year of Opera House Arts operating as a non-profit organization.  The Stonington Opera House building was rescued from years of abandonment and decay in 1999 by Opera House Arts (OHA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established specifically to restore this historic building to its original purpose as a central community institution.  Founding directors, Carol Estey, Judith Jerome, Linda Pattie, and Linda Nelson re-opened the doors of the Opera House in 2000 for year-round programs including theatre, music, film, and community events.

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