Penobscot Power

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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.

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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.

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If I were a painter or mosaic artist, I would have been limited to a two-dimensional installation. But I'm a sculptor-  I work in three dimensions. This project allowed me to use the entire atrium above the school's entry: 38 feet above the floor, 15 feet wide and 18 feet long, and viewable from below as well as from all sides on the second floor. This is a wonderful space in which to play! What  makes tension fabric interesting to me is that it looks different from every angle, moving and changing in every kind of light. It's my hope that the students and the staff of the school will look at Penobscot Power frequently, and come to know it over time.

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