A group of artists is teaming up with the local nonprofit Friends of the Presumpscot River to present the “River Show,” a large collection of river-themed paintings, in a combined effort to celebrate the waterway and recent advances made by the organization.

With an official opening on Friday, July 18, Saccarappa Art Collective’s “River Show” is combining the gallery’s mission of promoting a community of local artists with support for the Friends group.

The art collective on Main Street is a shared gallery space containing eight members and a rotating array of visiting artists. For the River Show, each member of the collective has invited one visiting artist to participate, creating a show that will feature new work from 16 artists.

Andy Curran, the director of the collective, said Monday the group, which makes all gallery decisions together, wanted to do a show that was “community-minded,” and said the Presumpscot River is vital to Westbrook’s image.

Curran said the show stemmed from ideas to host another group show, which have been successful in the past, as well as a charitable show, and said the collective has long-supported Friends of the Presumpscot. A portion of each sale will go to Friends.

Leading up to World Fish Migration Day on May 24, the art collective hosted screenings of an art project created by students and staff from the University of Southern Maine.

“It brought something new and different to the downtown, and it brought awareness to the river,” Curran said, adding that the River Show was the natural next step.

In recent years, the Friends group has been a key player in fish passage deliberations between city officials and Sappi Fine Paper. Last year, Sappi installed a fish ladder at the Cumberland Mills dam, which allowed migrating fish such as alewives and river herring into the watershed for the first time in a century. In April, it was announced that Sappi would also explore natural fish passage at Saccarappa Falls, possibly meaning the removal of their hydroelectric dams at the location.

Curran said the River Show is a chance for the gallery to show how diverse the group is, given that the collective artists and visiting artists use a range of mediums and are traveling from as far north as Millinocket.

Referring to the advantages of inviting a group of visiting artists, Curran said, “One thing we’re always trying to do is bring more people to Westbrook, into the gallery, and into the downtown. With a focus on the river, our gallery, and the downtown, it’s just a win, win, win.”

Curran added that the visiting artists were “carefully handpicked” by collective members a few months ago, giving each artist time to produce new work for the show.

“We trusted each other to reach out to the best possible artists we could get into the gallery,” he said.

Each artist will contribute two paintings to the show, and have been asked to create at least one new piece under the river theme.

Marsha Donahue, one of the visiting artists for the show, said she was invited to participate by friend and collective member Caren-Marie Michel. Donahue, who directs the North Light Gallery in Millinocket, said organizations like Friends of the Presumpscot need help to “achieve their goals,” adding that “saving and improving our waterways is about the best cause I can think of to get involved in.”

Donahue works primarily in watercolor and also shows at Greenhut Galleries in Portland. She said that following her commitment to the show, she asked Michel to send her a photo of Saccarappa Falls in Westbrook.

“(I was) remembering a day when I strolled down there last summer and realized what a traditional view it is, harking back to an older industrial time,” she said.

Donahue’s second piece for the show, depicting the shore of Millinocket Lake, was selected, she said, due to its similarities in “feel and palette” to the Westbrook scene.

“They will hang together in the show, a strange juxtaposition of two very different places that are really so similar, pure Maine, beautiful waterways,” she said.

Charles Thompson, an artist and professor at the University of New England, is also part of the visiting group. A plein-air painter, working exclusively outdoors, Thompson said he also considers himself an environmentalist, stating that he loves “to support anything I can for saving our precious land and environment.”

Thompson, a longtime friend of Curran, said due to his work focusing on landscape, the majority of his paintings have the ocean or a river included. He works out of his Ford Econoline van, which doubles as a mobile studio.

“For the last couple of weeks I drove to Westbrook and walked up and down the river several times,” he said. “I found two spots that inspired me to paint. I set up my easels and painted three small paintings in two days.”

According to a press release, Friends of the Presumpscot, founded in 1992, is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization supported by membership fees, grants and small donations. Their mission is to protect and improve the water quality, indigenous fisheries, recreational opportunities and natural character of the Presumpscot River.

Michael Shaughnessy, president of Friends of the Presumpscot, said Tuesday that the organization was honored to have the show hosted in its name. He said the group hopes to organize a river tour to coincide with the show.

He said that art has the capacity to lend a voice and “affirm the value” of something, which in this case, is the importance of the Presumpscot River and other natural waterways.

“By showing work that’s all based on the river, it makes the statement that this is a valuable thing,” he said.

Shaughnessy said due to past pollution of the river, there has been a negative stigma surrounding it, an image that Westbrook and the organization have been trying to shake for years.

“To this day, people still ask us if it’s safe to swim in there,” he said. “This is just another way of affirming the river’s value, beauty and potential.”

Curran said the collective has dedicated a section of wall in the gallery for Friends of the Presumpscot to display information about their cause.

The show will be open to the public on Tuesday, July 15, but the opening reception will be held Friday, July 18, from 5-8 p.m.

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A CLOSER LOOK

Saccarappa Art Collective presents “The River Show” featuring new works by collective members and selected guests in support of Friends of the Presumpscot River. The show takes place at 861 Main St. in Westbrook from July 16-Aug. 30. The gallery is open Wednesdays-Saturdays from 12-7 p.m. An opening reception is set for Friday, July 18, from 5-8 p.m.

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A watercolor by Marsha Donahue depicting Saccarappa Falls in Westbrook will be among a collection of river-themed paintings at the upcoming “River Show” at Saccarappa Art Collective in Westbrook.