A Brief History of BRAF

​The Boothbay Region Art Foundation (BRAF) began when 26 Boothbay artists saw a need to leave a legacy to a region that had given them both inspiration and livelihood. In 1963, an auction was held on the library lawn and raised $1,700 to establish the Boothbay Region High School Scholarship Foundation.  The goal was to promote public interest in the arts, encourage visual arts in the local schools, and raise funds to provide a scholarship for graduating students pursuing further education in the visual arts.

​In 1965 the group applied to become a 501[c](3) not-for-profit and expanded its mission to "create opportunities for people of all ages to enjoy, learn from, and participate in the visual arts."  From 1966 through 1993, the BRAF Gallery was located in the historic Brick House behind the House of Logan. In 1994, BRAF moved to 7 Townsend Avenue, where both sales and memberships increased. In 2006, the gallery moved to its current location,1 Townsend Avenue, which provided even greater opportunity to increase membership and sales.

Now, more than 60 years later, the Boothbay Region Art Foundation stands as a cultural pillar in the region. BRAF's community outreach continues to include sponsoring the Annual K-12 Student Art Shows and awarding scholarships to graduating seniors, to continue their education in the visual arts.