BANGOR — The Downtown Bangor Partnership is gearing up for ARTober -a month of showcasing and supporting area artists and their talents. Brian Cattelle is one of those artists, and he is preparing his mobile art portfolio for the ARTober festivities. 

“I think that Bangor, in particular, is really fertile ground for opportunities for artists,” said Cattelle. 

Cattelle is a visual artist, photographer and Bangor native. It’s not just his striking black and white photography that sets him apart at art markets. He doesn’t sell out of a booth or under a tent — his mobile art van is his preferred method of traveling with his portfolio.

“I created this art van so I could show my work freely, anywhere without cost and pop up on any street corner at any time,” he stated. 

He shoots photos on vintage and inexpensive cameras to show other artists that good art doesn’t have to come at a major cost. 

“Bangor is a really fantastic opportunity for artists,” Cattelle stated. “I think that we have a city that’s starting to see that fostering the development of the arts is really beneficial to the community as a whole, and I think they’re going to embrace that and take us to the next level.”

Betsy Lundy, Executive Director of the Downtown Bangor Partnership, says ARTober is another way to encourage locals to appreciate talents like Cattelle.

“Having a sidewalk art festival is a great opportunity for people to walk around and see art of every different style, at every different price point and every different medium,” Lundy shared. “You find when you’re walking around in the community that there is all this art and all this art opportunity in unconventional spaces.”

For more information on ARTober events, visit the Downtown Bangor Partnership website.