LEWISTON —  Museum L-A will host an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, July 17, to celebrate a new three-part exhibit that brings together three sections of the cultural scene — music, art and history.

The “Power of Music” in the first floor gallery walks visitors through time with photographs and artifacts of local musicians and what the 1950s to the 1970s offered local music buffs. It also offers a glimpse into what was happening around the country.

A special part of the exhibit is a timeline with the theme “As the mills fell, music rose.” Lane Taplin, a textile and community-based artist and educator, hand-wove and silk screened three pairs of millworker’s overalls inspired by stories told by millworker’s children and grandchildren titled “My Mother Always Said…” The exhibit is also accompanied by oral histories.

Part two opens on the second floor gallery. Visitors will start with a brief introduction to Lewiston-Auburn and the canal system, move on to exploring the textiles, machinery and processes, then learn about the shoe industry as told by Michael Rancourt of Rancourt Shoe. Visitors will also be able to view for the first time a one-of-a-kind early 1900 McKay Sole Stitcher recently refurbished by Maurice Cote of Pamco Machinery Co., who is donating the piece of history to the museum.

Visitors will be able to feel the hard work of brick making while viewing famous buildings which have been built with the material, followed by a brief introduction to immigration over time to remind visitors that many stories start with ancestors who came “from away,” for one reason or another, looking for a better life for themselves and their families.

The exhibit is rounded out by fine art. Artists Kristin Malin and Gail Skudera have created an exhibit by asking artists to create works of art from piano rolls titled “The Piano Roll Project: Shared Sensibilities.” Player pianos were popular in the 1950s and 60s. The perforated piano rolls share a likeness to the punch cards used to make bedspreads with the Jacquard Loom which can still be seen at Museum L-A. More than forty artists working in and outside Maine have responded.

Admission is free for the opening reception. Regular hours for parts one and two at Museum L-A will be Tuesday and Thursday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment. Regular admission fee will apply.

FMI: 207-333-3881, [email protected], www.museumla.org.