RUMFORD – People were amazed as they walked through the area’s only revolving door into a small, former jewelry store on Congress Street. That passage was like taking a trip through Alice’s looking glass.

The other side of the door was a whole new world.

Watercolors and oils, acrylics and pastels. Sculptures and stained glass. Fine woodworking and 3-D art were displayed under muted track lights in the area’s first art gallery.

The Pennacook Art Center, named for the falls of the Androscoggin River, had opened.

Women in long black gowns, men in tuxedos. Classily clad waitresses offering chicken and sea food canapes. People looking in awe at works of art while holding tall, thin glasses filled with champagne and white wine. All right on Congress Street.

“This is a sign of change for Rumford,” said local businessman Roger Whitehouse. “This is the beginning of another culture in this area, a culture and economy that we are aspiring to. We’re a diamond in the rough and we’re starting to shine.”

He wasn’t alone in his enthusiasm and the symbolism of the opening of the new art gallery.

“This will lift the spirits of people and the artists who live here,” said Jolene Lovejoy, a Rumford selectman. “Everything Lem Cissel does, he does with panache.”

“This is quite a plus for the whole area. It will be a big help in promoting the whole area,” said Arthur Boivin, retired SAD 43 school board member.

Donna Lind, a summer person with a cottage on Worthley Pond, has been coming to the area from Massachusetts, and now from Florida, for 35 years. She sensed the change happening in the area.

“This is so wonderful. Perhaps it will help revitalize the town,” she said.

More than a 100 people walked from room to room, looking at the paintings and other art work and remarking on the incredible addition the gallery was making for the entire River Valley area.

The gallery, said Joseph DiConzo, offered a wide diversity of art. “This will raise the cultural awareness of the arts,” he said.

Many were surprised at the number of artistic people living within the River Valley. Some said they never knew their neighbors were artists. Others thought it was about time that the artistic talents of the region got their due.

“There is so much talent in this town. I’m glad they now have a place,” said retired teacher Gail Parent.

Serene Burt, a Mountain Valley High School sophomore and aspiring artist, carried her sketch pad from room to room.

“This is positively mind-blowing. This will bring a lot more people in,” she said.

Cissel, a Maryland resident who came to the area a year or so ago, began using his skills in finding the right people for the job last year when he opened Scrappers Domaine. From there, he, gallery manager Betsy Bell, and others, began planning the establishment of an art gallery. They took trips to galleries in New York and other places to learn what must be done to make such a venture succeed.

Friday night was proof that the many months of work by Cissel and those around him had paid off.

“It’s a huge happening for Rumford,” said Jolan Ippolito of Rumford. “We’re always looking for pride in our town. This will elevate that pride.”

The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon until 8 p.m. Book signings, performances and visiting artists programs are among the events planned at the new gallery.

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