The Maine Sculpture Trail is an outdoor exhibit of 34 stone sculptures positioned over a 200-mile stretch of coastal Maine. If you haven’t already, check out our Part One post, and then come back here to continue your adventure.
Day 2: Back At It
After a well-deserved night of rest, we’re rejuvenated and eating breakfast at Two Cat’s Restaurant, a morning favorite in Bar Harbor. After filling our stomachs with their “Farmer’s Breakfast”, we are ready to continue on our journey.
14.1 Miles (149 miles total on the trail)
Staying on MDI, we head to Southwest Harbor–the “backside” or “quietside” of the island as it’s known. And we certainly are going to a quiet place–the library. At the Southwest Harbor Public Library stands “Sisters” by Roy Patterson. To me, these sisters appear to be looking at each other. They are separated by a plaque and demonstrate a certain stoic affectation, perhaps because they don’t want to disturb the studious patrons inside the library.
After seeing the Sisters, we stop by one of our favorite neighborhood sports bars, Joey’s Place. We have a drink with the affable Joey himself as we talk to locals and tourists alike about our adventures. Feeling the spirit, we raise a toast to Jesse Salisbury for making such a wonderful trail possible.
Location:
Southwest Harbor Public Library, 338 Main St.
44°16’48.4”N 68°19’34.0”W
22.2 Miles (171.2 miles total on the trail)
Next, we leave MDI and the famous Acadia National Park. Don’t worry, we are headed to another great park, perhaps less internationally known, but very beautiful in its own right– Lamoine State Park. Here you will find gorgeous views looking back towards MDI, and the sculpture “Dialog” by Roland Mayer from Germany. This stunning piece certainly is a topic for discussion. As the artist puts it, “A dialog comes up between the monumental sculpture, the natural environment and the viewers themselves.”
Location:
Lamoine State Park off of Route 184.
44°27’21.4”N 68°18’01.2”W
10.9 Miles (182.1 miles total on the trail)
Our next stop is the Hancock town office to see “Sublime Portal: Whispering Stones” by Jon Barlow Hudson from Ohio. The site for this piece is apt because there was once a train station here, a portal for many travelers coming and going. When I look at this portal, it transports my imagination to another place. It also a gateway to the next sculpture on our trail, which is at the Sullivan town green.
Location:
Next to the Hancock town office.
44°31’41.0″N 68°15’12.1″W
7.7 Miles (189.8 miles total on the trail)
Downeast Maine is not known for its soaring towers and skyscrapers, but Sullivan Maine does have “Sullivan Tower” by Jo Kley from Germany. This tower is part of a series of tower sculptures located in at least 15 countries. I would love to see the others someday, but this is the Maine trail, so we will stay here for the time being. I love “Sullivan Tower” for the sense that it’s balancing a ball on top of an uneven, ascending group of rocks. It makes me think of the Leaning Tower of Pisa meets Tim Burton.
Location:
Sullivan Town Green.
44°31’48.0”N 68°13’49.3”W
10.3 Miles (200.1 miles total on the trail)
Next we go to Franklin for “Recurrent Journey” by another one of Maine’s very own artists, Mark Herrington. The Maine Sculpture Trail itself can feel like a recurrent journey, in that it stays in our imagination and thoughts long after our travels are over.
Location:
Galimander Park in Franklin, next to the Historical Society.
44°34’44.7″N 68°15’49.2″W
10.4 Miles (210.5 miles total on the trail)
“Gate of the Sun” by Jörg Plickat from Germany brings the light into the town of Sorrento. This sculpture faces north so that the sun passes through it during the day. As the artist notes, “From ancient times you find ritual gates in all cultures of the world. Egypt has the pylons, the Romans their victory arcs, the Japanese have shrines in form of gates in the water, the Incas had their ritual sun gates-and all over Europe you find stone circles with ritual gates from Celtic culture.” Now Sorrento has the Gate of the Sun.
Location:
Near the Sorrento town office, off of ME-185 (East Side Rd.).
44°28’53.8”N 68°10’17.6”W
15.0 Miles (225.5 miles total on the trail)
Our next stop is Winter Harbor for “Cleat” by Mainer Don Justin Meserve. As the artist notes, “A winter harbor is a safe haven in the worst of weather and season…the cleat and boat forms are symbols of home and safe arrival. I hope the constant tidal motion around the sculpture will increase our awareness of the magical forces that energize seventy percent of the earth’s surface and effect all of our lives on this fragile planet.” There is nothing fragile about this robust sculpture, as you will when you stand next to it. You will certainly feel magical, grande forces.
Location:
The intertidal zone at the Winter Harbor town landing on Rte. 186.
44°23’40.3”N 68°05’02.3”W
5.6 Miles (231.1 miles total on the trail)
The SERC campus on Schoodic Point is our next stop, to see “A Tribute to Life” by Ian Newberry. In this sculpture, two swirling, twisting pieces, like semi-straightened horns, emerge in diverging directions from a rock, perhaps suggesting that life is teeming and strong and a little chaotic. And here on the beautiful Schoodic Point, in the lesser visited part of Acadia, it does seem like life goes on in all directions.
Location:
Moore Auditorium at the Schoodic Education and Research Center on the Schoodic section of the Acadia National Park
. 44°20’07.3″N 68°03’40.0″W
12.2 Miles (243.3 miles total on the trail)
Next we head to Gouldsboro to see “The Gate” by Ahmed Karaly of Egypt. This piece is part of a larger project of gates exhibited around the world. The artist explains, “The idea is using architectural units and transferring them in sculptural works of art. Experiencing sculpture in Egypt made me discover that Oriental art has a huge potential, which needs to be developed and given a modern shape, so as to be understood by the public and carried on. I have chosen for this project a few architectural elements, such as muqarnas, whose climax in Europe is in Alhambra Palace, Spain.” As we venture further down the Maine Sculpture Trail, The Gate becomes the gateway to Downeast Maine.
Location:
The entrance to the Peninsula School at the eastern end of the Schoodic National Scenic Byway.
44°24’22.2″N 68°01’37.2″W
9.9 Miles (253.2 miles total on the trail)
The Maine sky is well-known for great stargazing. In Steuben we get “A Glimpse of the Moon” by Jesse Salisbury, who is not only from Maine, but is the man responsible for the Maine Sculpture Trail itself. Jessie organized the symposia that resulted in this beautiful trail and this wonderful adventure we are on. A Glimpse of the Moon is a sculpture of movement, of a rock being split apart and put back together, almost like a puzzle. Is it possibly a rebirth? With the headstones from the cemetery in the background, it evokes rebirth, a glimpse of the moon, and something beyond our lives.
Location:
The Moore Library and Community Center, 22 Village Rd., Steuben.
44°30’39.6”N 67°57’40.1”W
5.4 Miles (258.6 miles total on the trail)
Our final sculpture today is in Milbridge, where we find “Transitory” by Dominika Griesgraber from Poland. Transitory takes the form of two tall, impressive granite columns, side by side. The human-likeness of these columns is accentuated by two tete-a-tete seats, also overlooking the water. It is as if two kinds of creatures are both watching the water… creatures that look very different, but are commonly encapsulated by the goings on of the sea.
Location:
Near the Women’s Health Resource Library at 24 School St.}
44°32’21.6”N 67°52’48.2”W
Overnight Stop
8.0 Miles (266.6 miles total on the trail)
We stop for the night to get some rest at the Englishman’s Bed & Breakfast in Cherryfield. It’s a classic, charming place and just what the doctor ordered after a long day of traveling. Next, we will head to Harrington and finish our Maine Sculpture Trail adventure.
Stay tuned for Part 3, the final day along the Maine Sculpture Trail!