FREEPORT — The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Freeport has launched an online gallery that showcases artwork of local artists working in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, mixed media and photography.

The show, titled “Looking Forward,” features artwork produced during the pandemic. These pieces celebrate both the time spent in the studio and the optimism of moving forward to a place of renewal, according to the group. These works can be viewed at meetinghousearts.org/shop.

This online gallery is being presented in the anticipation of the opening of a brick and mortar gallery at Meetinghouse Arts, which is a project of the cultural alliance. Meetinghouse Arts will be a multi-use and multi-user arts and cultural venue that will complement existing spaces around town. It will provide a center for the community to gather, enjoy arts and cultural events, and pursue artistic growth. The plan includes a 200-seat performance venue and a top-notch visual arts gallery on the first floor of the First Parish Congregational Church at 40 Main St. in Freeport. At this facility, the alliance will curate local and traveling arts and cultural programming, host classes and workshops for all ages, and provide a creative hub for the Greater Freeport area. The alliance is hopeful that restoration and renovation efforts will be complete and the doors can be opened later this spring.

Plans for the renovations have been carefully developed to provide a high-quality venue that is flexible enough in its design to accommodate a wide variety of creative needs. At the same time, Meetinghouse Arts will continue to be used by First Parish Congregational Church for its Sunday services and other needs.