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Log inIconic oil tank art project puts Portland on the map
Iconic oil tank art project puts Portland on the map
by Outspoken on Sun Jul 06, 2008 5:44 am
Iconic oil tank art project puts Portland on the map
Despite some controversy, the first paint could be applied to one of Sprague Energy's tanks this fall.
By BOB KEYES
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
The most dramatic change in the public art landscape in Greater Portland promises to be the Art All Around project spearheaded by the Portland-based Maine Center for Creativity. In that project, the center intends to commission artists to create painted designs for eight oil tanks and eight additional tank tops owned by Sprague Energy Corp. on the South Portland side of Portland Harbor.
The Portland Public Art Committee is not directly involved, although one of its members, Alice Spencer, is part of an international panel of judges reviewing submissions.
She and eight other judges, including one each from Spain, Switzerland and Canada, have narrowed the field from more than 500 submissions to 10 semifinalists. That list of 10 will be winnowed to five, and those five finalists will be in Maine in August to present their ideas in a series of public forums.
The first swatches of paint could be applied to one of the tanks in October, said Jean Maginnis, executive director of the Maine Center for Creativity.
The tank project is massive – a total of 261,000 square feet of surface, requiring 4,500 gallons of paint. The budget is $1.2 million.
So far, the center has raised $200,000, enough to undertake the submission-and-review process and get the project under way, Maginnis said.Like many others, this project has been dogged by controversy. Some artists complained about the submission process, saying it should have been open only to Maine artists. Others objected to a submission fee, which ultimately was dropped, resulting in a huge spike in last-minute submissions from around the globe.
Bloggers and online posters also complained that the project is misguided because of its association with an energy corporation during times of high oil prices. Others complained that one of the judges is married to Maginnis.
But Maginnis remains committed, and the project is on schedule to be completed by 2011, she said.
Spencer spent two days last week judging the submissions. She was impressed with the quality of the proposals.
“This should be considered a major, major project for the Portland area and for the state of Maine,” she said. “It has been done well and done with a broad reach. I think it puts us on the map as an arts city and a city that supports the arts. Something like this can become iconic. I am very impressed.”
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=197804&ac=PHnws
Despite some controversy, the first paint could be applied to one of Sprague Energy's tanks this fall.
By BOB KEYES
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
The most dramatic change in the public art landscape in Greater Portland promises to be the Art All Around project spearheaded by the Portland-based Maine Center for Creativity. In that project, the center intends to commission artists to create painted designs for eight oil tanks and eight additional tank tops owned by Sprague Energy Corp. on the South Portland side of Portland Harbor.
The Portland Public Art Committee is not directly involved, although one of its members, Alice Spencer, is part of an international panel of judges reviewing submissions.
She and eight other judges, including one each from Spain, Switzerland and Canada, have narrowed the field from more than 500 submissions to 10 semifinalists. That list of 10 will be winnowed to five, and those five finalists will be in Maine in August to present their ideas in a series of public forums.
The first swatches of paint could be applied to one of the tanks in October, said Jean Maginnis, executive director of the Maine Center for Creativity.
The tank project is massive – a total of 261,000 square feet of surface, requiring 4,500 gallons of paint. The budget is $1.2 million.
So far, the center has raised $200,000, enough to undertake the submission-and-review process and get the project under way, Maginnis said.Like many others, this project has been dogged by controversy. Some artists complained about the submission process, saying it should have been open only to Maine artists. Others objected to a submission fee, which ultimately was dropped, resulting in a huge spike in last-minute submissions from around the globe.
Bloggers and online posters also complained that the project is misguided because of its association with an energy corporation during times of high oil prices. Others complained that one of the judges is married to Maginnis.
But Maginnis remains committed, and the project is on schedule to be completed by 2011, she said.
Spencer spent two days last week judging the submissions. She was impressed with the quality of the proposals.
“This should be considered a major, major project for the Portland area and for the state of Maine,” she said. “It has been done well and done with a broad reach. I think it puts us on the map as an arts city and a city that supports the arts. Something like this can become iconic. I am very impressed.”
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=197804&ac=PHnws
"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'."
Erma Bombeck (1927-1996)
Erma Bombeck (1927-1996)
