Magic Lantern Innovation Center

09/01/2026

We are delighted to welcome Smooth Feather productions to Magic Lantern on September 19. Smooth Feather is a youth-run film company that writes, acts, films and edits short films in a variety of genres. At the heart of Smooth Feather productions is a desire to present issues that are important to youth, that enhance our understanding of what it means to be vulnerable and true to oneself. Join us at 6 pm to view five of their popular films, followed by a conversation with these young writers, actors and filmmakers about their creative process and how they make difficult topics accessible through authentic dialogue and strong storylines. Reserve your ticket at https://internet-ticketing.com/websales/sales/MAGBRI/actual_book?perfcode=781

08/29/2026

Eighty people attended the opening of the PhotoVoice exhibit at Magic Lantern last evening. The 24 photographs with quotes detail the lives of our neighbors in Bridgton experiencing housing instability. This important project was carried out by USM and the Lakes Region Recovery Center. We then showed the film Building Hope: Ending Homelessness, which touched everyone with its powerful message.

08/25/2026

Magic Lantern is proud to display the Lakes Region PhotoVoice project this Friday, 8/28. This collaboration between USM and Lakes Region Recovery Center features photos and commentary by our neighbors experiencing housing instability. It is powerful and poignant--and a must-see for anyone who cares about community. At 7:00 pm. we will show the documentary Building Hope: Ending Homelessness in Maine that presents some options. Please join us for this important free event.

08/24/2026

Indigo, our program assistant for classes throughout the summer, is now going off to start her third year at USM as an art major. She created beautiful pieces that inspired our young participants to do their best in a variety of mediums, including fiber, hand dyeing, cement design, decoupage, collage and book design. Her prototypes helped our young people envision their own artistry. Thank you for your creativity and guidance, Indigo!

08/21/2026

Young animators in our Stop-Motion Animation class created interesting videos that you can view here. Did you know that each video includes over 600 individual photos? Stop-Motion Animation is time-consuming and requires lots of patience. We applaud these students who planned their stories and had the inspiration to carry them forward in this unique format.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/qny3mv2i7cbb9pb17mh0z/Banjo-and-Amelia-1.mp4?rlkey=o529b7lasipup26guiein0cgg&st=swfkx61c&dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1k92vpjtlsctdqh3ufzu6/Aurora-and-Tillie-1.mp4?rlkey=biamxa2f8j2y8qnx3iap4eyry&st=8a9dtn8m&dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pk0wxsycg41o8ti6qdbxf/Charlie-and-Sam-4.mp4?rlkey=phntjqyb4eju5ka6dhrg6wzxz&st=6fy2kmkr&dl=0

Shared with Dropbox

08/18/2026

Workshops yesterday and today showcased participant literary creativity. On Monday, young people created accordion books and Victorian puzzle purses and filled them with original poetry, and today they decorated small boxes, using collage as a way to tell stories.

08/15/2026

Children from the K-1st grade group at Bridgton Recreation learned about fossils at a workshop with Maine Mineral and Gem Museum. They learned about the discovery of dinosaur bones and were able to touch real dinosaur bones and teeth. They especially enjoyed creating their own "resin fossil" using a plastic cockroach.

08/14/2026

Classes for next week at Magic Lantern Innovation Center!

08/13/2026

We had a great time at the hand-dyeing with fruit workshop this week! We experimented with three different fruit dye solutions on white cotton that had been treated with mordant: raspberry, blueberry, and blueberry mixed with hibiscus flowers. All were beautiful shades of deep pink to magenta. We then experimented with different tie dye patterns. The hand-dyeing instructions can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/v2ja5u5d2dszet0h7z9l6/Instructions-for-hand-dyeing.docx?rlkey=mp0lggq4syem5v8bgeer9opgz&st=0zxq0z8h&dl=0

08/11/2026

The circus is coming! Free admission to the Nevaeh Dance Theater production this Saturday.

The Navaeh Dance Circus show this Saturday at the Magic Lantern will now be free of charge with the support of our sponsors including, Chalmers Insurance Group, The Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation and the Jennings & Grover Family through the Maine 4-H Foundation! Seating is first come first serve, tickets can be reserved here. https://internet-ticketing.com/websales/sales/MAGBRI/actual_book?perfcode=649