In celebration of 30 years of Maine's Percent for Art program, the Maine Arts Commission announces a series of public art events in Maine that features world renowned artists. This series, highlighting successful and innovative public art, will take place at venues throughout the state beginning May 29 in Portland and ending at the Juice Conference on the creative economy in Camden, November 13.
Through a juried selection process, five arts organizations were funded by the Maine Arts Commission to present dynamic speakers who make significant contributions to our notions of public art. The arts organizations that received funding are: Tides Institute and Museum of Art in Eastport, Portland Arts and Cultural Alliance, Waterville Arts Council, SPACE Gallery in Portland and Maine College of Art.
These arts organizations have put together a staggering series of events that include world famous artists, such as Jean Shin, who currently has work on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum; New York street artist Swoon who will discuss her public installations and interventions, from cut paper paste-ups to collaborative public events; and MacArthur Award recipient Liz Lerman, founder of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange.
Since the creation of this series other organizations, such as the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium, have joined with the Maine Arts Commission to present an entire season of public art events to honor the 30 years of Maine's Public Art program.
Following federal policy, in 1979 Maine began incorporating artwork into every new or renovated state-funded building. Sculptures, murals, paintings and other structural and freestanding elements have been selected by local committees throughout the state. Public art now graces schools, governmental buildings, libraries, ferry terminals and college campuses to enliven spaces and reflect the community's relationship to the purpose of the facility. Along with municipal and federal public spaces, Maine boasts nearly 450 pieces of public artwork, from Kittery to Fort Kent.
"Public art provides a vehicle for healthy public dialogue around definition of place while enhancing our quality of place and defining a community's people, their history, interests and endeavors across time," said Maine Arts Commission director Donna McNeil." America's Statue of Liberty, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Saint Louis Arch demonstrate how public art functions as a signifier of place, telling the story of who we are throughout our history.
"As Maine celebrates 30 years of support for public art, the lecture series will broaden this dialogue by highlighting the knowledge, understanding, implementation and contemporary expressions of public art."
Percent for Art is also about a community investing in its own imagination. Beyond traditional memorials, the Percent for Art commissions are defined by citizen participation and can integrate into the life of a building in new and bold ways. At its best, public art enhances the environment, creates a sense of place, and expresses a community's values and identity. Public art can transform and heal a site; it can remind us of our past, and point to a future.
The inaugural event is Friday, May 29, when the Portland Arts and Cultural Alliance presents an evening with Amy Hausmann, the assistant director of New York City's Arts for Transit Program in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. She will discuss artwork that graces subway stations throughout New York City. The event begins at 6:00 PM at SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress St, Portland. For further information on the Public Arts Event Series, please visit www.ManieArts.com
See it split, see it change (2008) - Doug & Mike Starn, South Ferry, 1 line, MTA New York City Transit. Commissioned and owned by Metropolitan Transportation Authority Arts for Transit. Photo: Gaudericq Robiliard.
For more information:
Contact: Darrell Bulmer
Phone: 207/287-6746
email: darrell.bulmer@maine.gov
WWW: mainearts.com
