AUGUSTA — Representatives of Maine’s cultural agencies and the Maine Arts Commission gathered Sept. 21 to celebrate the unveiling of a new art installation in the Cultural Building atrium, according to a news release from the Department of the Secretary of State.

“Home,” by Maine artist Elizabeth A. Busch, of Glenburn, (elizabethbusch.com) is on display to view when entering the Maine State Library, Archives or Museum. Busch’s work is a series of nine abstract tapestry panels depicting scenes of Maine, from the potato fields to the coast.

“Home” by Maine artist Elizabeth Busch, was formally unveiled today, Sept. 21, at the Cultural Building in Augusta. Contributed photos

From left, are State Librarian James Ritter; Executive Director of the Maine Arts Commission Julie Richard; Maine State Museum Assistant Director Sheila McDonald; Maine State Archivist David Cheever and Julie Horn, visual arts director with the Maine Arts Commission.

“For me and ‘Home,’ Maine is my home. I wasn’t born here, this is where my heart is. I’ve been supported by the people, by the landscape, by the love that surrounds me on a regular basis, by the artwork that I do,” said Busch in the release.

“Home” is a second-generation Percent For Art project for the Cultural Building, replacing the original work commissioned from Busch in 1990, which was also displayed in the atrium. That piece was replaced for the past several years by a Civil War garrison flag replica on loan from the Pejepscot Historical Society, in celebration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. The flag was lowered in a ceremonial folding last week and returned to the society.

Maine’s Percent for Art law, instituted in 1979, allocates funding for the state to commission public art works for state buildings, according to the release.

“There are few states in the country that actually have a statewide Percent for Art law. So we’re actually really lucky here in Maine,” Maine Arts Commission Director Julie Richard said in the release.

“We’re very pleased with the work, it’s beautiful and right for our space. All of us recognize, in the work that we do — whether it’s written word or performing arts or visual arts – that art in our community makes our community stronger and it underscores the importance in our culture of who we are as a people,” said Maine State Librarian James Ritter, who coordinated with Maine State Archivist David Cheever to commission the work, in the release.

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