Waterville Creates! will present “Face to Face – Portraits by Rabee Kiwan,” on Wednesday, Oct. 3. Part of the multi-faceted project, Making Migration Visible: Traces, Tracks, & Pathways, which brings together a dynamic group of contemporary artists whose work engages the theme of migration. The opening reception is set for 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, at Common Street Arts, now located at the Hathaway Creative Center, 10 Water St. in Waterville.

Born in Lebanon, Kiwan immigrated to the U.S. in 2002 to complete his medical training and he has lived in Portland since 2009. He has been painting portraits, landscapes and still-life’s since he was a young child when his father gave him a watercolor set. Drawing inspiration from everyday life sustains his artistic practice and simultaneously serves as a meditative exercise from his work as a hospitalist. The exhibit features Kiwan’s portraits of colleagues, friends, neighbors and family and offers a unique perspective on both his community while also serving as a visual narrative of his journey from Lebanon to the U.S.

Organized by the Institute for Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art, this exhibition will be accompanied by a wide range of events about migration, immigration and border crossing hosted by collaborating partner organizations throughout the state. Events include companion exhibitions, lectures, films, performances, poetry readings and community conversations. MECA will host a one-day public symposium for artists and collaborating partners on Friday, Nov. 2. A detailed schedule can be found at meca.edu.

In conjunction with the exhibit, Common Street Arts will offer a series of programs exploring portraiture in art in many unique ways. On several Saturdays in October, participants will be invited to create portraits on pumpkins through the art of carving, learn basic cross-stitch techniques to make portraits on tea towels, and also learn the art of Origami by making a folded paper collage. For more information on these programs, visit watervillecreates.org.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday

For more information about the exhibition, visit commonstreetarts.org.