Maine has long held an attraction for painters and artists, Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth among them. The state abounds in summer theaters, the oldest and most famous of which is at Ogunquit. The Portland Symphony (est. 1923) is Maine's leading orchestra. Augusta and Bangor also host symphonies. The Maine State Ballet Company is based in Westbrook. The Portland Ballet is also well known in the state. The Bossov Ballet Theatre in Pittsfield is part of a boarding school for high school students looking for rigorous preprofessional training in dance. One of the newest additions to Maine's cultural life is the Maine Grand Opera Company (est. 2001), based at the Camden Opera House. There are many local theater groups.
Some well-known festivals include the Arcady Summer Music Festival (est. 1980), specializing in chamber music, and the annual Bowdoin Summer Music Festival (est. 1964), presented at Bowdoin College in Brunswick.
In 1979, Maine became the first state to allow inheritance taxes to be paid with qualified artworks. The Maine Arts Commission is an independent state agency funded in part by the Maine State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts. The state Department of Educational and Cultural Services has an Arts and Humanities Bureau that provides funds to artists in residence, Maine touring artists, and community arts councils. In 2003, the Maine Arts Commission and other Maine arts organizations received grants totaling $983,900 from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funds come from the state and other private sources. Arts education is offered by the state to about 11,600 schoolchildren.
The Maine Humanities Council (MHC), founded in 1975, has distributed over $4 million in grants since its inception. Several ongoing reading programs sponsored in part by MHC include Born to Read, for children and youth; New Books, New Readers, for adult learners; and Let's Talk About It, for adult readers. In 2000, the state received $1,059,661 from the National Endowment for the Humanities.