Portal
Home
Calendar
Gallery
FAQ
Search
Register
Log inWorld-class sculpture just a stone's throw away
Page 1 of 1•
World-class sculpture just a stone's throw away
by Outspoken on Sun Jun 15, 2008 6:17 pm
World-class sculpture just a stone's throw away
The fruit of the Schoodic sculptors' labors dots the Down East countryside, and going rock to rock to see it makes for an excellent road trip.
By BOB KEYES
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
ELLSWORTH — A funny thing happened after they installed the sculpture on the grassy knoll on State Street.
Late at night, under the cover of darkness, personal offerings began appearing in an opening of the sculpture, as if it were an altar and these mysterious tokens some sort of sacrifice or gift.
One morning, local businesswoman Karin Wilkes noticed that someone left a squash. Another morning, there were toys.
"I went by one time, and there was a little dinosaur there," said Wilkes, who owns the Courthouse Gallery Fine Art just up the street.
Out of curiosity, admiration or for some other private spiritual reason, people are responding to the squatty sculpture created in 2007 by Narihiro Uemura.
The Japanese artist made the sculpture, titled "I Want to Ride the Cloud," as part of the landmark Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium, held last summer at Schoodic Point.
Seven sculptors from around the world, including three from Maine, each created a large piece of outdoor public art during the symposium, using local stone. The pieces now are installed along Maine's Down East coast, from Ellsworth to Milbridge, in communities that raised money to sponsor a sculpture.
The seven are spread out over a 90-mile one-way route, which begins in the relatively urban setting of Ellsworth, and winds through the dreamy Mount Desert community of Southwest Harbor, then skips over Frenchman's Bay to the rugged Schoodic Peninsula and the towns of Sullivan, Winter Harbor and Steuben, before ending near Route 1, overlooking the Narraguagus River in Milbridge.
By using local stone, the artists pay homage to Maine's quarrying past. Until a century ago, Maine sent stone by boat to support the growth of the burgeoning East Coast, for use in bridges, buildings and monuments.
The Schoodic project "was a way to take something that once was exported all over the place, and now is a dying industry, and bring people back here to use it in a creative way," said project founder and sculptor Jesse Salisbury of Steuben.
Salisbury grew up among the local quarries. He took a liking to the arts as a young man, and gravitated toward working in stone.
Now in his mid-30s, he has become one of Maine's celebrated sculptors, participating in symposiums across the world -- in Japan, New Zealand, and this past winter, in Egypt.
The budget for the Schoodic project was $120,000, all raised by a symposium committee of local residents. They received small grants from the Maine Arts Commission and other state agencies, but more than half the money came from individuals.
Hosting a symposium Down East, where rock is abundant, was Salisbury's way of bringing the international sculpture community to Maine while using the local stone to highlight the region's history and culture.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=193870&ac=Audience
Bob Keyes photos
Craig Schoppe photo
The fruit of the Schoodic sculptors' labors dots the Down East countryside, and going rock to rock to see it makes for an excellent road trip.
By BOB KEYES
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
ELLSWORTH — A funny thing happened after they installed the sculpture on the grassy knoll on State Street.
Late at night, under the cover of darkness, personal offerings began appearing in an opening of the sculpture, as if it were an altar and these mysterious tokens some sort of sacrifice or gift.
One morning, local businesswoman Karin Wilkes noticed that someone left a squash. Another morning, there were toys.
"I went by one time, and there was a little dinosaur there," said Wilkes, who owns the Courthouse Gallery Fine Art just up the street.
Out of curiosity, admiration or for some other private spiritual reason, people are responding to the squatty sculpture created in 2007 by Narihiro Uemura.
The Japanese artist made the sculpture, titled "I Want to Ride the Cloud," as part of the landmark Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium, held last summer at Schoodic Point.
Seven sculptors from around the world, including three from Maine, each created a large piece of outdoor public art during the symposium, using local stone. The pieces now are installed along Maine's Down East coast, from Ellsworth to Milbridge, in communities that raised money to sponsor a sculpture.
The seven are spread out over a 90-mile one-way route, which begins in the relatively urban setting of Ellsworth, and winds through the dreamy Mount Desert community of Southwest Harbor, then skips over Frenchman's Bay to the rugged Schoodic Peninsula and the towns of Sullivan, Winter Harbor and Steuben, before ending near Route 1, overlooking the Narraguagus River in Milbridge.
By using local stone, the artists pay homage to Maine's quarrying past. Until a century ago, Maine sent stone by boat to support the growth of the burgeoning East Coast, for use in bridges, buildings and monuments.
The Schoodic project "was a way to take something that once was exported all over the place, and now is a dying industry, and bring people back here to use it in a creative way," said project founder and sculptor Jesse Salisbury of Steuben.
Salisbury grew up among the local quarries. He took a liking to the arts as a young man, and gravitated toward working in stone.
Now in his mid-30s, he has become one of Maine's celebrated sculptors, participating in symposiums across the world -- in Japan, New Zealand, and this past winter, in Egypt.
The budget for the Schoodic project was $120,000, all raised by a symposium committee of local residents. They received small grants from the Maine Arts Commission and other state agencies, but more than half the money came from individuals.
Hosting a symposium Down East, where rock is abundant, was Salisbury's way of bringing the international sculpture community to Maine while using the local stone to highlight the region's history and culture.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=193870&ac=Audience
Bob Keyes photos
Craig Schoppe photo
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
Take a self-guided tour of the Schoodic pieces
by Outspoken on Sun Jun 15, 2008 6:30 pm
Take a self-guided tour of the Schoodic pieces
By BOB KEYES
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
A tour of the public art that resulted from the 2007 Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium offers a different way to see Down East Maine.
Our sculpture tour begins in the relative bustle of Ellsworth. State Street is tucked away off to the right of Route 1, as the highway going north begins to climb through downtown.
The sculpture of Japanese artist Narihiro Eumura, “I Want to Ride the Cloud,” sits in a grassy cutout on State Street. It features a small house-like structure with a solid roof and a carved opening. On the shelf of the opening, Uemura has placed a human figure, arms raised skyward.
Uemura’s sculpture has taken on the character of downtown. It receives a lot of attention from pedestrians, and many people spend time in its presence.
The next stop on the sculpture tour is Southwest Harbor, a tony island community about 30 minutes from Ellsworth. Roy Patterson of Gray created a sweet, soothing piece for Southwest Harbor Public Library called “Sisters.” Two abstract human forms, pink in color, sit side-by-side in quiet conversation in front of the library, right on Main Street.
It’s almost as if the sisters are sitting in the front lawn of the library, inviting passersby into their world.
Jo Kley of Germany created “Sullivan Tower,” which, as its name implies, strikes a towering, hulking presence over the Sullivan Town Green, some 30 miles, or 50 minutes, from Southwest Harbor.
Although this piece is sited close to Route 1 – the highway is right there – the 20-foot-tall “Sullivan Tower” may also be easy to miss because of people’s tendencies to drive by at a high rate of speed. When you cross from Hancock into Sullivan on Route 1, begin slowing down. The town green is up ahead on the left, with ample parking.
Kley built the piece by stacking blocks of granite, each symbolizing friendship and home, with open doors and windows. He topped his piece with a round ball perched on the edge.
Perhaps the two most dramatic pieces in terms of their environmental interaction are along the Schoodic Scenic Byway. At the town landing in Winter Harbor, where Route 186 hits the bay and banks left, stands Don Meserve’s “Cleat” in the intertidal zone. It’s a 20-minute drive from Sullivan, covering a dozen miles or so.
At the right tide, water laps at the base of the sculpture, which mimics a cleat used in nautical pursuits to tie up boats at port. Meserve, who lives in Round Pond, has made his career creating nautical and industrial forms from rock.
Even though this one is tucked away in a tiny town far from any population center, “Cleat” may well be Meserve’s most public piece of sculpture. Standing in the harbor beckoning ships, it’s ripe with symbolism and beauty.
Just a few minutes away in front of Moore Auditorium at the Schoodic Education and Research Center is Ian Newberry’s “Tribute to Life.” An artist from Sweden, Newberry created a wiry, horn-like sculpture with arms that resemble lightning bolts twisting their way skyward.
On a foggy day, with the mist rolling in among the trees, the sculpture looks menacing, standing tall against the elements.
The drive along Schoodic Point from the research center back out to Route 1 is among the most impressive in all of Maine, as it winds along the undeveloped rocky coast with the sea on one side of the road and trees on the other.
Back on Route 1, about 30 minutes from Schoodic Point, the next stop is Steuben, home of Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium founder Jesse Salisbury.
Take the rest of the ride here: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=194108&ac=Audience
By BOB KEYES
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
A tour of the public art that resulted from the 2007 Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium offers a different way to see Down East Maine.
Our sculpture tour begins in the relative bustle of Ellsworth. State Street is tucked away off to the right of Route 1, as the highway going north begins to climb through downtown.
The sculpture of Japanese artist Narihiro Eumura, “I Want to Ride the Cloud,” sits in a grassy cutout on State Street. It features a small house-like structure with a solid roof and a carved opening. On the shelf of the opening, Uemura has placed a human figure, arms raised skyward.
Uemura’s sculpture has taken on the character of downtown. It receives a lot of attention from pedestrians, and many people spend time in its presence.
The next stop on the sculpture tour is Southwest Harbor, a tony island community about 30 minutes from Ellsworth. Roy Patterson of Gray created a sweet, soothing piece for Southwest Harbor Public Library called “Sisters.” Two abstract human forms, pink in color, sit side-by-side in quiet conversation in front of the library, right on Main Street.
It’s almost as if the sisters are sitting in the front lawn of the library, inviting passersby into their world.
Jo Kley of Germany created “Sullivan Tower,” which, as its name implies, strikes a towering, hulking presence over the Sullivan Town Green, some 30 miles, or 50 minutes, from Southwest Harbor.
Although this piece is sited close to Route 1 – the highway is right there – the 20-foot-tall “Sullivan Tower” may also be easy to miss because of people’s tendencies to drive by at a high rate of speed. When you cross from Hancock into Sullivan on Route 1, begin slowing down. The town green is up ahead on the left, with ample parking.
Kley built the piece by stacking blocks of granite, each symbolizing friendship and home, with open doors and windows. He topped his piece with a round ball perched on the edge.
Perhaps the two most dramatic pieces in terms of their environmental interaction are along the Schoodic Scenic Byway. At the town landing in Winter Harbor, where Route 186 hits the bay and banks left, stands Don Meserve’s “Cleat” in the intertidal zone. It’s a 20-minute drive from Sullivan, covering a dozen miles or so.
At the right tide, water laps at the base of the sculpture, which mimics a cleat used in nautical pursuits to tie up boats at port. Meserve, who lives in Round Pond, has made his career creating nautical and industrial forms from rock.
Even though this one is tucked away in a tiny town far from any population center, “Cleat” may well be Meserve’s most public piece of sculpture. Standing in the harbor beckoning ships, it’s ripe with symbolism and beauty.
Just a few minutes away in front of Moore Auditorium at the Schoodic Education and Research Center is Ian Newberry’s “Tribute to Life.” An artist from Sweden, Newberry created a wiry, horn-like sculpture with arms that resemble lightning bolts twisting their way skyward.
On a foggy day, with the mist rolling in among the trees, the sculpture looks menacing, standing tall against the elements.
The drive along Schoodic Point from the research center back out to Route 1 is among the most impressive in all of Maine, as it winds along the undeveloped rocky coast with the sea on one side of the road and trees on the other.
Back on Route 1, about 30 minutes from Schoodic Point, the next stop is Steuben, home of Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium founder Jesse Salisbury.
Take the rest of the ride here: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=194108&ac=Audience
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)