The City of Hallowell recently received a $10,000 Maine Bicentennial Community Grant to support the Hallowell Granite Symposium, a 10-day event focused on the art of stone carving (specifically granite) planned for Sept. 12-21, on the grounds of Stevens Commons on Beech Street in Hallowell, according to a news release from the Hallowell Arts & Cultural Committee.
Six of Maine’s most notable sculptors will transform granite quarried in Hallowell into works of art inspired by one of the four “Maine200” Bicentennial themes over the 10-day event. The public can interact with the artists on site at Stevens Commons daily and to watch the sculptures develop over time.
Visitors can vote for their favorite sculpture and at least one work of art will be selected to commemorate the Maine State Bicentennial as permanent public art in the city of Hallowell.
Augusta sculptor Jon Doody demonstrates tools for carving granite on site last May at Stevens Commons in Hallowell. Photo by Deb Fahy
The symposium is a joint project of the city of Hallowell’s Arts and Cultural Committee, Vision Hallowell and the Maine Stone Workers Guild that will bring the art of stone carving back to the city to educate and engage the citizenry, and reintroduce granite sculpture to public spaces as permanent public art that reflects back on Hallowell’s history for current and future generations, according to the release.
Other key partners include Stevens Commons, Historic Hallowell Committee, and the Vaughan Woods & Historic Homestead.
The symposium is bringing together diverse groups: artisans, historians, city officials and committees, to commemorate Maine’s bicentennial by connecting to Hallowell’s unique past. A special presentation on the story of the granite industry in the city will formally launch the symposium.
The event will unveil an illustrated timeline of the history of the city depicting the introduction, expansion and ultimate decline of the granite industry to be displayed in a special history booth at the symposium along with tools and other artifacts from the granite industry. One well-known example of historic Hallowell granite workers’ skill is the “National Monument to the Forefathers,” a large-scale sculpture located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, according to the release.
“Faith,” the central female figure is 36-feet tall and took a full year to carve in the Hallowell granite yards in the 1880s. One can imagine Hallowell citizens visiting regularly to watch Faith emerge from a massive block of granite. The symposium will offer an echo of that experience to citizens today, providing the public with opportunities to interact with artists, learn about the art of stone carving and its role in shaping Maine’s first 200 years and the city of Hallowell, according to the release.
To raise awareness, the Hallowell Arts & Cultural Committee and Maine Stone Workers Guild jointly organized a “teaser” event for 2019. Every weekend beginning in June and continuing into the fall, Maine Stone Workers Guild member Jon Doody, of Augusta, worked at carving a sturgeon out of reclaimed Hallowell granite to raise awareness for next year’s symposium.
The public was invited to visit his worksite between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturdays at Stevens Commons in Hallowell. These times overlapped with the hours of the Hallowell Farmers Market, resulting in a welcoming, open, and creative community space.
The project generated considerable interest in plans for 2020 and Doody will return in the spring to continue work on his sculpture, according to the release.
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