PARIS – With help from a grant by the Maine Arts Commission, the Western Maine Cultural Alliance has a new Web site. The organization changed its name this year and its new, broader mission is reflected in the new site: http://www.westernmaineculture.org.

A Web page for artistic expression in western Maine is an ongoing project, but already includes visual artists in many mediums, including fiber art, poetry, film-making, antique framing, sculpture, handmade books of Native American wisdom, as well as arts organizations and galleries.

“It’s been very exciting to see the quality and diversity of creative expression in western Maine emerge on this page,” said Executive Director Toni Seger. Artists, in any discipline, interested in exhibiting their work on the page can contact Pat Chandler at [email protected].

Substantive information about a scenic byways eligibility application for Route 113 from Standish to Gilead gets its own page. Western Maine Cultural Alliance, in partnership with the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments and Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission, received a grant from the Maine Department of Transportation to prepare the application. This is the first possibility of a new road in the Maine program since its inception more than 30 years ago.

A page about folklore, what it is and why we study it, offers relevant graphics, links and downloadable essays. Seger said there are plans to add downloadable audio files as well.

A Web page is also devoted to the first cultural mapping done in western Maine. “Visit the Western Oxford Foothills” contains walking tours of four national historic districts and a driving tour of 24 towns. Categories include galleries, museums, performing arts centers, crafts, antiques, farms and historical sites.

An invitation has been posted to artists in western Maine to be included in the online, searchable data bases. For more information about the alliance, contact Seger at [email protected].