Art for Portland's future roundabout down to four finalists

PORTLAND, Maine —

A busy intersection in Portland where a roundabout is expected to be built and will be home to a public art installment is down to four art finalists. 

The six-legged intersection of Brighton Avenue, Deering Avenue, and Falmouth Street has been a crash-prone and traffic-laden location for decades according to the city of Portland and MaineDOT. 

The idea of replacing the intersection with a roundabout started in 2012 and according to the city's website, they hope to bid out the work this year.  

A five-member subcommittee of the Portland Public Art Committee was formed to decide the fate of the Roundabout Art. They are expected to make their final decision and recommendation on Monday, June 24. The public is welcome to attend their meeting but may not be allowed to comment. It will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Wishcamper Center, Room 203, at 34 Bedford St. The public did weigh in on the art at a meeting on Wednesday, June 19.

A city ordinance allocates a half percent of the city's annual Capital Improvement Project budget to restore and acquire permanent public art. The budget set aside for this project is $30,000 but Portland's Urban Planner Caitlin Cameron says the committee should have enough money for the installation because their fiscal year ends in July. Cameron admits this it will be a few years until the city can purchase more public art because of the costs of this project. 

Four Finalists: 

Mark Pettegrow who is from Machiasport but now lives in Pennsylvania and studied fine arts at the University of Maine is one of the four finalists under consideration. His installation called "Passing the Torch" consists of four abstract bronze sculptures atop three steel bases that are estimated in Pettegrow's proposal at $88,475 which includes installing, lighting and landscaping. In his proposal, Pettegrow says the torches represent "home and welcome and to keep the fires burning and to light the torches to guide you home." 

Quincy Owens and Luke Crawley of Owens and Crawley LLC in Indianapolis, Indiana are proposing two similar colorful concepts for the Roundabout Art project both estimated at $70,000. The first concept is 12 sculptures derived from DNA patterns that try to show just how similar all people are to one another. Both sculptures are internally lit with slowly changing colors. The second concept celebrates individuality in a geologic sense according to their proposal with seven sculptures.  

Will Vannerson of Kansas City, Missouri calls his installation "Pelagic Dream" and says in his proposal that it is a "vigorous yet melancholy composition" that differentiates itself from the surrounding environment. The sculpture is 3000 lbs of steel finished in a layer of zinc. Vannerson's proposal is estimated to cost $68,000. 

At least one public comment on Wednesday's meeting mentioned the piece appeared to have a phallic reference. 

Anna Hepler is a sculptor who lives in Eastport. Her proposal "True North", is estimated to cost $70,000 and includes a 30-40 foot upside-down hull of a wooden schooner with its bow pointing north. In Hepler's proposal, she says her installation will be a reminder of "Maine's robust maritime heritage and a visual beacon providing a sense of place and orientation."

Some public comments made at the June 19 meeting said "True North" had a negative feel.  

The subcommittee is comprised of Daniel Minter, Diana Greenwold, Carol Schiller, Lydia Swan, and Keith Smith. 

The Public Art Program was established in 2000  "to preserve, restore and enhance the city's public art collection." Currently, there are 56 works installed throughout Portland, a mix of gifted pieces and commissioned work.