Penobscot Power
Artist's statement, by Cynthia Thompson, MFA
Penobscot Power is abstract art, but it is not without meaning. For this project, I took inspiration from the area's history. The wings of the building are named after the major economic resources and activities of the Penobscot Valley's history: Wood, Paper, Brick, River, Ice, and Marine.
In my installation, you can see the light blue Penobscot River winding its way down from the top of the atrium. The white sections represent ice, which was cut from the river and shipped as far as the Caribbean in the 19th century.
Next is the brown and tan piece representing wood and paper: Logs cut upstream were floated downstream to sawmills powered by the river, or to pulp mills for paper, or to Penobscot Bay, for shipbuilding.
Then comes the piece representing brick making, which took place on the shore of the river, powered by the river and fueled by logs from upstream.
At the bottom, a deeper blue piece represents the Marine resources of Penobscot Bay, including the largest lobster fleet in the world. All these activities except ice making still take place today.