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Brewer Gets Early Look at Waterfront Art BREWER — A metal sculpture destined for a small island in the Penobscot River was unveiled Monday at the University of Maine’s Sculpture Studio, located in the low brick building with a large metal spike affixed to its roof. Though the piece, titled “Windswept,” won’t be installed permanently on its base until later, the work was unveiled Monday because its designer, studio art major Isaac Dupere of Orono, is leaving soon for basic training with the U.S. Marine Corps. Dupere, who is 25 and has lived in Orono for 15 years, said he signed up with the Marines months before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and this nation’s more recent counterattacks. “I’m supposed to be leaving in the next couple of weeks, but it’s kind of iffy,” Dupere said of the exact timing of his departure. “I chose infantry, which you have to volunteer for. I didn’t foresee [the events of Sept. 11] but I took that into consideration before I enlisted. I don’t want to be the kind of person who backs out at the first sign of trouble.” At the city’s invitation earlier this year, several University of Maine art students submitted designs for the work of art. Seven design proposals were reviewed by a waterfront art committee consisting of city officials, residents and members of the business community. Dupere’s was selected because it was suggestive of movement and Brewer’s shipbuilding heritage. It depicts a pair of triangular jib sails set upon a post and leaning into the wind. “The idea was to evoke Brewer’s industry past and its shipbuilding history,” he said. “It will give the illusion, at least, of forward motion, which is something that I wanted to convey.” After the sculpture’s unveiling, Dupere and fellow sculptor Claire Rau demonstrated some of the welding techniques used in the artwork’s fabrication, The idea, according to Brewer Economic Development Director Drew Sachs, was to provide a work that could be enjoyed from the Brewer and Bangor banks of the Penobscot River as well as from the boats that ply its waters. He said the sculpture would be set on the northwest corner of the small island and face upstream, oriented in the direction of the river’s flow and prevailing winds. The city’s plans also call for nighttime lighting. Dupere, who has taken part in welding and foundry work, was assisted by several of his fellow art students and members of the campus engineering department over the summer and fall. The artist group worked under the direction of UM art professor Cristin Millett in the project’s early stage and, more recently, with Sam Van Aken, a sculpture professor. “This is real art,” said art department Chairman James Linehan. Like they will soon do as professional artists, students involved in the project came up with concepts and designs for the piece and presented them to a selection committee, which chose the design that was used to create the waterfront statue. “This is how the grown-ups do it,” Linehan said. According to Sachs and Deputy Mayor Donna Thornton, the project is the result of a series of partnerships among the city, the university and businesses. “The University of Maine is an invaluable resource to the communities of our state,” Thornton said. With the exception of the cost of preparing the site, the sculpture hasn’t cost the city a cent because virtually all of the ingredients used to create it were donated. Trans-Tech Industries provided the aluminum that served as the raw material, as well as the use of its high-tech welding systems. Lane Construction donated equipment and additional project materials. Dead River Oil Co. is transferring to the city the 60-by-60-foot island it owns but no longer uses in the Penobscot River, along with a strip of land along the shoreline to connect the island to public space on the mainland. Irving Oil Corp. agreed to provide the metal footbridge connecting the island to the shore. Brewer Automotive Components gave the $1,000 used as an honorarium for the student art team that fabricated the piece at the university over the summer and fall. The final touches, largely involving the surface finish, will be tackled in the next few weeks. After that, the sculpture will be stored in Brewer pending some erosion control work at the small island in the Penobscot River on which it will be placed. This is a copyright article written by Dawn Gagnon of the NEWS Staff that appeared in the Bangor Daily News, Tuesday, October 16, 2001. |
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The
City of Brewer