BOWDOINHAM — The Merrymeeting Arts Center’s summer show opens today and Saturday.

The show features three artists — Carlo Pittore, Bryce Muir and Carter Smith — with strong ties to the town. Each artist will have a separate exhibit in a room in the arts center and will be honored by special events later in the summer.

The exhibition, which will run through Sept. 23, is part of the celebrations of Bowdoinham’s 250th anniversary, as well as the fifth anniversary of the Merrymeeting Arts Center. It has received support both from the Carlo Pittore Foundation for the Figurative Arts and the 250th Anniversary Committee of Bowdoinham.

A gala preview of the show will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today. Tickets, available at the door, cost $25 apiece.

A free public opening of the show will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, the same day as the annual Red, White & Blue Festival that features a revival of the famous Bowdoinham Chicken Barb-B-Q.

A newly renovated gallery space will display more than 30 of Pittore’s paintings and drawings. Muir’s wood sculptures, wooden portraits and watercolors of the area will be displayed in the Bryceworks gallery.

Smith’s photographs will be arranged as a collage on the walls of a third gallery. His films will be shown in September.

The center, located at 9 Park St., is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and other hours by appointment.

For more information, call Lee Parker at 710-0349.