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FARMINGTON — The High Peaks Creative Council (HPCC) is collaborating with the Greater Franklin Cultural Coalition (GFCC) to extend the Maine Barn Quilt Trail into southern Franklin County. The HPCC has secured funding to add twenty new barn quilts to southern Franklin County and are seeking applications for new barn quilt locations.

The group is actively looking for locations for the quilt block murals along major roads and streets. Properties that are historic farmsteads, working farms, or cultural organizations are given priority. If you have a barn or building you would like a quilt block mural on please contact Saskia Reinholt at 207- 313-48478 or e-mail reinholtgallery@gmail.com.

There is no financial obligation to participate, but donations are greatly appreciated. Project costs are covered through grants from the Maine Community Foundation, the Onion Foundation, and the Betterment Funds. All locations will be listed on a map guide for the Maine Barn Quilt Trail. Currently, there are 45 barn quilts across north Franklin County and Somerset County.

“The vision is to link American traditions of quilting and agriculture; to celebrate two parts of rural culture together. Having the community participate in the creation of the barn quilt trail increases quality of life for the community and will support economic development in a way that has not been tried here before,” said Saskia Reinholt, director and founder of the HPCC.

The original motivation for this project was to find a way to support the mission of the HPCC: connect regional arts and cultural organizations around creative place making projects that benefit quality of life and support resiliency in the local economy. The project is designed to have professional teaching artists host free workshops where interested community members create the artwork and learn the skills to create their own. The HPCC will install the artwork in the spring of 2022. A new brochure will be designed and printed of the barn quilt trail helping to drive cultural tourism. Current locations may be found on an online interactive version of the map guide at the HPCC website: www.highpeaksmaine.org.