BANGOR, Maine — Downtown Bangor is welcoming a new art installation as part of the city's ARTober, a month-long celebration showcasing the work of local artists.
A 14-foot sculpture of Maine’s native fish, the sea-run brook trout, now stands outside the Bangor Public Library.
"Such a masterpiece to be shown off," resident Rogan O'Donnell said. "It just warms the heart on a nice fall day."
Artist Joe Rizzo couldn't be happier to see people gathering around his piece called "Chance."
"It’s nice that when I put a piece somewhere a crowd will gravitate towards it and I love it because that's a great compliment. It creates an heirloom moment for those folks," Rizzo said.
For Rizzo, it’s a passion project and a piece that captures the essence of one of the most well-known fish in the northeast.
"I like to promote the beauty of the outdoors in my work and in that promote the species," Rizzo said.
The piece sheds light on a species that conservation organizations are working to protect, including the Downeast Salmon Federation, Trout Unlimited, and Ducks Unlimited, to name a few.
"It's nice to educate people about it and they learn about the organizations that are involved and they realize that we only have a limited amount of resources of water," Rizzo said.
The display is a space Betsy Lundy, who spearheaded this project, said will do exactly that.
"If it was put outside of the way not many people would have the opportunity to stumble across it and learn something new,” Betsy Lundy, the executive director of Downtown Bangor Partnership, said.
You can come and view "Chance" now and throughout the rest of November.
