BELFAST — The Belfast Creative Coalition is excited to welcome Larraine Brown as its new Director. Belfast Creative Coalition (BCC) works to promote and cultivate arts and culture in the Belfast area.

Larraine brings to BCC 30-plus years of experience in management, fundraising and development of nonprofits, and start-up businesses. She began her career as a community organizer in Toronto and since then has founded and managed an urban-based publishing business; created and raised funds for the Belfast "15-Minute" Theater Festival and International Playwriting Competition, held annually from 2001-2004; and filled the first project manager position tasked with helping to bring the national Main Street initiative to Belfast in 2010. For three years, she was NAMI Maine's (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Development Director and a Mental Health Education Specialist.

Most recently Larraine served as the Executive Director of the Restorative Justice Project Maine, where she formed the theater group, R.A.W. (Restorative Art Works).

Integral to her career and life has been a commitment to myriad art forms as tools of beauty, activism and inspiration. Larraine genuinely believes that Art Saves Lives! She is delighted to be an 'official' advocate for the arts in her favorite small, vibrant city.

The BCC office is located at 26 Spring Street in Belfast, and is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday. You can learn more about BCC at their website (belfastcreativecoalition.org) or find them on Facebook.