Maine Arts Commission Seeks Proposals for $20,000 Art Competition at Peaks-Kenny State Park
DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine – As Maine prepares to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its state parks, the Maine Arts Commission is seeking proposals for a Percent for Art project at Peaks-Kenny State Park in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. The project, which gives preference to Maine artists, has a budget of $20,000 and a submissions deadline of January 29, 2010.
Funding for this project comes from Maine’s Percent for Art law, which reserves one percent of the construction funds for all state-funded building projects for art work. In 2007, Maine’s voters authorized capital funds for significant upgrades to state park facilities, and the $20,000 in funds for artwork reflects a percentage of that total.
The art selection committee overseeing the process is interested in commissioning art that deeply responds to, rather than competes with, the park’s natural environment. In addition, the committee would like the art to enhance or heighten visitors’ experience of the park’s natural surroundings.
The committee is open to all art forms and all media with the exception of two-dimensional work; there is no facility at the park in which this artwork can be installed or exhibited. The art can be sited anywhere in the park, as long as it is sensitive to the environment and to the manner in which visitors use the park.
“Placing artwork within Maine’s state parks signals a new direction for the Maine Arts Commission,” said Alison Ferris, assistant director of the Maine Arts Commission. “This inter-agency cooperation will highlight the important position that art has within Maine’s environment and within its tourism industry.”
“Our work with the Maine Arts Commission is one of many steps we’re taking to showcase the remarkable beauty of our parks,” said Eliza Townsend, deputy commissioner of the Maine Department of Conservation. “We are planning to install exceptional artwork, and to offer celebrations and events that invite all Maine people to take it outside in Maine parks in 2010.”
Peaks-Kenny State Park lies on the shores of Sebec Lake just north of Dover-Foxcroft. The 839-acre park lies in the Central Maine Highlands, an area renowned for its natural beauty and outdoor opportunities with Moosehead Lake, the Appalachian Trail, and the southern end of Baxter State Park. The Park encompasses more than a mile of shoreline along the clean, deep, spring-fed waters of Sebec Lake. A sandy swimming beach offers views across the lake to Borestone Mountain, a 1600-acre nature sanctuary. The park is home to stately trees (old-growth hardwood forests, hemlock and pines) and large, magnificent glacial boulders.
“We’ve been working with the Piscataquis County Tourism Task Force, local guides, and local businesses to make strategic investments at Peaks-Kenny State Park,” said Alan Stearns, the deputy director of the Bureau of Parks & Lands at Maine Department of Conservation. “Art installations in the park will be a welcome addition to our recent investments in camping facilities, bath houses, trails, and interpretive signs. Peaks-Kenny is emerging as one of Maine’s polished jewels – a destination for nature-based tourism and an affordable experience for Maine families on vacation.”
There is approximately $20,000 in Percent for Art funds available for this art project. These funds will be used to commission work(s) from a single artist or artist team. An artist budget proposal must cover all design, fabrication, transportation, documentation and installation expenses, including any building or site modifications associated with the artwork.
Peaks-Kenny State Park is closed for the winter; therefore, any potential applicants wishing to view the site should contact Mike Leighton, regional manager of the Northern Region Parks, at 207/941-4014 to set up an appointment.
All other questions can be directed to Alison Ferris at the Maine Arts Commission, by email alison.ferris@maine.gov or by phone 207/287-2710. Full details of this competition are available online at MaineArts.com.
