Top, Steamboat Landing, ca. 1900 (from the collection of the Belfast Historical Society); Bottom, “Boat House with Tents” by Lynn Karlin, September 2019. Contributed photo

BELFAST — Waterfall Arts will open its gallery doors to the public beginning with the exhibition “Photographing Belfast’s Waterfront: Then & Now.”

An opening reception is scheduled to run from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 18, held under tents outside of the Waterfall Arts building, with the gallery open to small groups for viewings, at 256 High St. The event will feature a poetry reading of works themed around the Belfast Waterfront, starting at 5:30 p.m. and planned in collaboration with the Office of the Belfast Poet Laureate.

Those unable to attend can enjoy a virtual tour of the gallery with the show’s curators, available on the Waterfall Arts website. All opening festivities for the exhibition are free and open to the public. The exhibition will remain open, for no charge and without reservations required, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays until Aug. 29, staying open for the final Sunday.

This extensive photography exhibition explores how Belfast’s identity has evolved, and stayed the same, in tandem with the varied activities and bustle of its harbor. Held at Waterfall Arts in partnership with the Penobscot Marine Museum and the Belfast Historical Society and Museum, the show includes historic images as well as photographs from more than a dozen contemporary photographers. The featured works reveal the rich maritime history, commerce, recreation and scenic beauty of Belfast’s waterfront, as documented over the last several decades.

Liv Kristin Robinson, lead curator, has been documenting the evolving Belfast harbor since 1988 and is known for her hand-painted photographic works of the Belfast waterfront, several of which are in the permanent collections of the Portland Museum of Art and the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. Other participating photographers include Marcie J. Bronstein, Leslie Gregory, Susan Guthrie, Betsy Headley, Jaap Helder, Terry Hire, Kevin Johnson, Lynn Karlin, Mark Kuzio, Ben Magro, Peggy McKenna, Richard Norton, Neal Parent and Louise Shorette.

Exhibitions at Waterfall Arts are made possible by its business sponsors, Marshall Wharf Brewing and Whitecap Builders. Additional support is provided by foundations such as the Onion Foundation.

For more information, visit waterfallarts.org or call 207-338-2222.