The 2011 Symposium resulted in six large scale granite sculptures.  The rigging crew, led by Jesse Salisbury, worked through December to get as many sculptures installed in their respective communities.

The installation season began with the placement of the Gouldsboro sculpture made by Ahmed Karaly in 2009, which was delayed until recently due to MDOT site work. And before the winter cold settled in firmly, the crew was able to install five more sculptures.

In the spring of 2012, the sixth and final sculpture created during the 2011 Symposium will be installed in Sorrento.  A new map will be produced to show the expanded sculpture trail.

The Gifted Hand, a Fine Art, Craft and Gift Show,  featuring over 60 locally and nationally recognized artisans, is dedicating a portion of admission benefits to the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium.

The event, organized by Christina Heiniger, has been featured in Maine Home + Design Magazine, Bangor Metro Magazine, and on Classical Music with Suzanne Nance on MPBN Radio.

Date:   Friday, November 11th 11:00 am to 7:00 pm
Saturday, November 12th 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, 2011

Location: The Ramada Inn (formerly the Holiday Inn Convention Center), Tennis Court Area, 215 High Street, Ellsworth, ME.

The 2011 Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium came to an end on September 14, with over 350 attending the closing ceremony.  Six sculptures were created during the six week Symposium in Prospect Harbor, Maine.  The finished sculptures are currently being installed in their permanent locations in communities around Washington and Hancock counties, an effort which will continue over the next few months.

The first installation took place on October 6 in Addison.  Artist Lise Becu of Tenants Harbor was on site to help direct her sculpture’s placement.  Jesse Salisbury, Jim Salisbury, Kazumi Hoshino and Dan Gagnon coordinated the crane work to place the sculpture on the waiting foundation.

The park where Lise’s sculpture now rests is set against the back drop the tidal waterfront and a beautiful marsh.  This scene played and important role in Lise’s figurative design, which incorporates a blue heron and a person with face uplifted, created out of dark stone.   Lise, who predominantly works with found rocks, picked the boulder from a local source before carving out her design at Fisher Field with the other artists.

The next installation on October 18^th will bring Hitoshi Tanaka’s sculpture to Emerson Park, in Blue Hill.  These installations continue as the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium prepares for another event scheduled for 2012 at the University of Maine, Orono campus. The 2012 Symposium will bring the growing sculpture trail to the Bangor area and provide greater reach for opportunities for schools and students.

Artist application for the fourth Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium to be held at the University of Maine in 2012 is now available for download. Interested artists should submit their materials on or before the submission deadline of December 31, 2011.

The 2012 SISS, which will be held in Orono, Maine will engage between 7 and 8 artists to create monumental sculptures out of granite.  The sculptures which will be large scale, original creations by world-class artists, will be permanently installed in cities and towns in Maine.

The event will take place from July 22 through August 31, 2012.  This is the largest public sculpture event in the USA.

The University of Maine has forged a partnership with the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium to bring this event to the Bangor-Orono area in 2012. This partnership represents a unique effort to extend the growing Downeast Sculpture Trail into a new region.

Continuing all aspects of the SISS mission, the 2012 event will create opportunities for area schools, and interaction and engagement with local communities.  In particular, this venue will create expanded opportunities for University students in the study and practice of stone sculpture.

The event will be held at the University of Maine, Steam Plant on the Orono campus from July 22 to August 31, 2012.  More information and a call to artists will be posted soon!

The 2011 Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium ended on Wednesday September 14 with well over 300 visitors in attendance.

After a visit from several classes from Peninsula School in Prospect Harbor, the ceremony began with words from Cathy Lewis from the SISS Board of Directors.

Jane Weil, who organizes the large scale volunteer effort involved in the six week symposium, thanked all the participants for their contributions.  “Without you, we could not have this amazing event,” said Jane to the gathered crowd. Each of the artists and assistants received local flowers and cast bell-chimes from U.S. Bells.

Buses filled with children from area schools visited the Symposium site at Fisher Field today.  Artists stopped work to speak to the students, telling them a little about their sculpture, and details about their methods.

As the buses seemed to all arrive simultaneously, Dan Gagnon, lead Assistant commented that the site was a “Sea of students, climbing and touching the sculptures.”  This interaction with art and artists is a fundamental element of the Symposium.  Providing opportunities for area school children to see these large granite stone pieces become permanent sculptures is part of the SISS’s education and outreach initiative.

All teachers interested in joining the growing number of area schools that have visited the site, are welcome to contact us for more information.

The six artists, who are working on large granite sculptures in Prospect Harbor, will soon have to put down their grinders and polishers to celebrate the closing of the six week event.  The third Symposium which has been open since August 2, has had over 6,000 visitors since opening day.  As the new school year begins, many teachers are taking advantage of the last week of opportunities to see the artists at work before the closing ceremonies on September 14 at 1:00 p.m.

Hancock’s sculptor Jörg Plickat finished his sculpture early last week and has been dedicating his time to helping other artists to finish their pieces.  “This is a joint effort, and we work as a team. Our goal is to finish all six sculptures and we all work together to achieve that.” Jesse Salisbury commented.  Jesse Salisbury of Steuben, Maine, is the Art Director for the project.

This is the public’s last chance to observe the work of these international, national and Maine artists as they carve out final works of monumental size.  Each finished piece will be installed in six communities, adding to the growing public sculpture trail that follows the Downeast coast of Maine.

The 2011 Symposium opened on August 2, despite the rain.  Four artists, including Lise Becu, Jim Boyd, Kazumi Hoshino and John Barlow Hudson were soon joined by Hitoshi Tanaka and Jörg Plickat later in the week.  With stone on site, the artists began work on their large scale granite sculptures.

The finished sculptures will join the growing trail of outdoor public sculptures in the Downeast Maine area.  The artists are working seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., rain or shine! Join them and experience this amazing event at Fisher Field in Prospect Harbor, as they each develop their pieces over the six week Symposium.