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LEWISTON — The Great Falls Forum continues from noon to 1 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 16, in Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library, 200 Lisbon St..
The forum will feature Martin O’Brien, president and founder of Grace Street Services, who will speak about “Placemaking and the Foundation of Identity.”
Before his current work, O’Brien hosted “Grace Street,” a weekly radio talk show featuring guests such as Dallas Henry Taylor, drummer for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Harold Owen, director of The Grammy Awards charitable arm, “Musicare.”
It was during this time that he read about the founding of Friends Hospital in Philadelphia, with dignity, place, and belonging as core values that continue to this day, according to a news release from the library. This led to the idea that empathy and design could create environments that shimmer with dignity and grace.
O’Brien went on to found Grace Street Services and was named Innovator of the Year Award by colleagues in 2016.
O’Brien has also produced plays and art shows on topics related to addiction, and in 2004, produced the documentary film “A Call to Return,” about the devastating effects of the misuse of the medication Oxycontin.
In his Great Falls Forum presentation, O’Brien will focus on the power of rehabilitation in our community and the narrative urgency of belonging, as well as place making, the design activity that uses communication to connect people to place.
Admission is free to all forum events, and no reservations are required. This program is a bring-your-own, brown-bag lunch event. Coffee, tea and bottled water will be available on site at the library.
The Great Falls Forum speaker series is co-sponsored by Bates College, Lewiston Public Library and the Sun Journal. For more information on the lecture, contact the Lewiston Public Library at 207-513-3135 or LPLreference@gmail.com.
