Sean Faircloth:

Leading Downtown Revitalization

Bangor children’s museum milestone revives confidence in downtown” bringing “a much needed influx of people.1

Discussing Downtown Revitalization & Maine Discovery Museum

“At the Helm” with a New Idea

“Sean Faircloth is the man who created this remarkable museum for Bangor.”2 When a AA baseball team was voted down in Bangor, “Faircloth wondered what else Bangor could develop. With two small children of his own it didn’t take long for him to light on the idea of a children’s museum.”3

The Bangor Business Monthly predicted four years before the museum opened: “With Sean Faircloth at the helm a children’s museum has more than a fair chance of actually becoming reality.”4 Director Sean Faircloth presented this idea to his Partnership for Healthy Communities Board then President Kathryn Hunt became a pivotal early project leader. They organized a community forum, recruiting committees and advisors, then growing to hundreds of volunteers.

“Faircloth has led the Maine Discovery Museum project since its inception.”5 Faircloth served as lead organizer, fundraising presenter, and administrator of this four-year $4.5 million project.

Attention to Detail, Dedication, Energy

“Sean Faircloth’s determination and attention to detail is what has made this project as successful as it has been,” Martha Dudman, Capital Campaign Director. At opening, the Maine Discovery Museum was the largest children’s museum outside Boston in New England.6

The Bangor Daily News called The Maine Discovery Museum a “grassroots success” not possible without Sean Faircloth’s “dedication and energy.”7

 

1. Bangor Daily News, February, 11, 2002.
2. Downtown Bangor, Feb. 17, 2001.
3. Boston Sunday Globe, March 11, 2001.
4. Bangor Business Monthly, April 1997.
5. Bangor Daily News, January 18, 2001.
6. Bangor Daily News, January 18, 2001.
7. Bangor Daily News, Editorial Page, June 2002.
8. Bangor Daily News, October 4, 2003; Bangor Mayor John Rohman, Downeast Magazine, December 2000.
9. Lewiston Sun Journal, February 12, 2002
10. February 12, 2001.

Sean Faircloth

Exceeding Expectation:

Transforming Bangor

The energy and pride that we experienced in the establishment of the Maine Discovery Museum has been repeated over and over with the University of Maine Museum of Art, the library expansion and the Bangor Museum and Center for History.  That pride in our community is exactly why we see the national exposure and enthusiasm to have major events like the National Folk Festival in a city our size.”  -John Rohman, Bangor Mayor, thus matching the Mayor’s earlier prediction that the Maine Discovery Museum would “change the face of downtown.”8 

“Discovery Museum Exceeds Expectations”9

“…Heart Restored to Bangor’s Downtown”, Bangor Daily News headline, Maine Discovery Museum opening day.10

Maine Discovery Museum, described by Mayor John Rohman, as the catalyst that revived downtown Bangor.

Sean, Grand Marshall of Bangor 4th of July Parade, selected for his founding of Maine Discovery Museum.

More Results for Downtown: In 2018 Faircloth wrote a grant application and secured funding from the Stephen & Tabitha King Foundation to renovate The Together Place Peer Run Recovery Center, including funding two large outdoor art murals that depict prominent Mainers. The grant also funded renovation of the facade of the facility’s adjacent 1886 building.  As Executive Director of Maine Mental Health Connections (which administers Together Place), Faircloth chose the names of people depicted on the murals (this list was in turn approved by the Together Place board). The murals, by artist Liam Reading, help revitalize a challenged Bangor neighborhood.

To inspire recovery and artistic expression Faircloth, with board approval, created Stories of Maine, a 68-piece exhibit celebrating Maine writers and artists from Pulitzer-Prize-winning novelist Elizabeth Strout to most Oscar nominated movie director to Stephen King. Faircloth selected the images and text for this exhibit with professional graphic design by Bill Dwyer.