The Maine Coast Stone Symposium
Maine Coast Stone Symposium
August 1 - August 31
From granite for some of the country’s most significant public buildings to slate for roof tiles, commercial quarrying and stone working has thrived in Maine since around 1800. The sector’s evolution affected transportation by both sea and rail, while technological advances changed the industry in significant ways. Today, Maine stone artists and artisans still use many traditional techniques to create everything from garden benches to world-renowned public architecture.
Spend some time at Boothbay Railway Village - 586 Wiscasset Road/Route 27 in Boothbay - during the month of August in celebration of the history, art, and culture of Maine’s stone industry.
For more information, visit http://railwayvillage.org!
Schedule of Events
August 1 – 31 Exhibit Built with Stone: The Story of Granite, Slate, and Limestone in Maine
Through August 21 Don Justin Meserve Sculpture Raffle
Thursday, August 3 Illustrated Talk: Portrait of a Granite Schooner Captain
Saturday, August 5 J.C. Stone Open House
Saturday, August 5 & Sunday, August 6 Slate Carving Demonstrations with Jon Doody
Tuesday, August 8 Illustrated Talk: Remembering Cabot Lyford, Maine Master
Wednesday, August 9 Illustrated Talk: A Brief History of a Billion Years of Earth Time as Recorded in Maine’s Rocks and Minerals
Friday, August 11 Opening Reception for Museum Members, Sponsors and other invited guests
Friday, August 11 - Sunday, August 20 Sculpture Symposium (Artists Working)
Tuesday, August 14 MCSS Artist Talk with Mark Herrington
Thursday, August 16 MCSS Artist Talk with Dick Alden & Andreas von Huene
Monday, August 21 Tour Dragon Cement Plant, Rockland
Monday, August 21 Closing Gala Celebration with the Artists - Tickets are $75 pp
Tuesday, August 22 & Wednesday, August 23 Making Stone Leaves Demo with Obie Buell
Wednesday, August 23 Panel Discussion: Bringing Artists Together: An Inside Look at Creating Sculpture Symposia
Participating in the 10-day live sculpture event are ...
Dick Alden, Boothbay ~ Lise Becu, Tenants Harbor ~ David Curry, Union ~ Mark Herrington, Franklin ~ Isabel Kelley, Portland ~ Paul Kozak, Hulls Cove ~ Roy Patterson, Gray
Miles Chapin, Arrowsic ~ William Royall, Southport ~ David Sywalski, Trenton ~ Dan Ucci, Pittston ~ Andreas von Huene, Arrowsic ~ special guest sculptor, Kamu Nagasawa, from Japan.
Mr. Nagasawa’s participation is made possible through the support of the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium.
The Maine Coast Stone Symposium is funded in part by an Arts & Humanities Grant from the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Maine Humanities Council.
Don Justin Meserve raffle winners announced
Boothbay Railway Village’s Executive Director Margaret Hoffman announced the winners of the Don Justin Meserve Sculpture Raffle: East Boothbay resident Sue Newbold won Meserve’s “Hook Form” in Impala granite and Neal Kimball of Bristol won “Toucan” carved in Chelmsford granite.
The raffle proceeds will be split 50-50 between the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium (SISS) and Boothbay Railway Village to support the Maine Coast Stone Symposium. Meserve participated in the…
Stone sculptures receive final touches
The Boothbay Railway Village Green was all abuzz during the morning hours of Aug. 21.
The stone sculptors participating in the Maine Coast Stone Symposium’s 10-day live sculpting event were putting the finishing touches on their works. The “crane crew” was busy lifting and installing the granite and basalt sculptures for the gala.
Dick Alden of East Boothbay and David Randall of Wayne were polishing their Heritage granite sculptures, light water spray rising up from the…
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Special guest sculptor Kamu Nagasawa
Kamu Nagasawa is visiting from Tokyo Zokei University as part of the Maine Coast Stone Symposium at Boothbay Railway Village. Nagasawa, who hails from Sapporo, Japan, attended Zokei for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees before becoming an undergraduate professor.
“Three days prior to leaving, Kamu cracked his knee in a motorcycle accident, but he decided to come anyway,” said BRV Executive Director Margaret Hoffman.
“Oh, and he doesn’t speak very much English,” Hoffman said…
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Final programs of the Maine Coast Stone Symposium
As the night gets a bit crisper it’s clear that the month of August will quickly give way to September. The final demonstrations and programs of the Maine Coast Stone Symposium will be just as excited as how the month began.
Slate Carving & Stone Leaves Demonstrations
Two Maine Stone Workers Guild Members will be in residence this coming week. Jon Doody will return for Saturday and Sunday the 19th & 20th to demonstrate slate carving. On Tuesday,…
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Stone sculptors: Making art in Boothbay
From the ting of hammer and chisel to the screech of the carbide blade saw and the percussive beat of the quarry hammer, there is no mistaking that it’s not business as usual at the Boothbay Railway Village this week. The 13 Maine stone sculptors plus a guest from Japan and a local student intern are hard at work from early in the morning until the sun sets each night at the Museum transforming blocks of granite and other Maine rock into original works of art.
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Maine Coast Stone Symposium programming change
Raffle of Don Justin Meserve sculptures under way
Don Justin Meserve’s widow Juanita Dugdale said Aug. 4, through the sculptor’s fellow artists who were his colleagues, “He’s still with us in spirit.”
Two of Meserve’s works are prizes in a raffle at this month’s Maine Coast Stone Symposium. Organizers said half the proceeds will go to the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium and the other half to Boothbay Railway Village to support the Maine Coast Stone Symposium.
The raffle features two of Meserve’s granite pieces, “…
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Supporting the ‘starving’ artists at the Maine Coast Stone Symposium
The phrase “starving artist” has a double-meaning for the Maine Coast Stone Symposium.
The participating sculptors are traveling to Maine from across the state and even from Japan. Many are staying with local families and enjoying their hospitality during the overnight hours. They will be working physically hard each day, carving one of the hardest materials on earth. By lunchtime they will need to relax and refuel.
There’s not a better way to say “welcome” than to treat…
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Grandfather’s sea tales open Maine Coast Stone Symposium
John H. Anderson shared the work he had done to transcribe 3o years of his grandfather’s journals and family stories in his recently completed book during the first official event of the Maine Coast Stone Symposium at Boothbay Railway Village on Aug. 3.
The lecture was held in the former Boothbay Town Hall at the musuem.
Anders Anderson was born in 1864, the eldest son of an eldest son, in Sweden. His family owned a farm, and the young Anderson would have expected to inherit…
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Sculptors arrive for Maine Coast Stone Symposium
At the heart of the Maine Coast Stone Symposium (MCSS) is the 10-day sculpture symposium. The participating artists will be arriving soon and are scheduled to begin work at the Boothbay Railway Village on Friday, Aug. 11 and continue daily to Monday, Aug. 21.
The first sculpture symposium of the modern era was held in Austria in 1959. Since then, sculptors have been gathering at various places around the world to practice their art and to learn from each other and from the symposium…
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Andreas von Huene strives to create art that comes alive. The artist wants his medium itself to almost breathe life. He enjoys challenging himself to create different levels of imagination within each individual work. While he is continuously delighted to find new materials and skills to incorporate into his art practice, it is the wide range of projects and processes that will always serve as his most grand adventure.
After nearly 40 years of working with stone, I have come to a place where my studio, equipment, employees and income allow me to produce large scale sculptures that represent the essence of stone and crystallize my beliefs about sculpture.
Unlike many of my contemporaries, I choose to work in stone rather than bronze. I find that each stone piece is unique. I can get textures that have the natural feel of the hand, carving rather than modeling, and I can achieve colors and rhythms via the organic qualities of stone, which cannot be achieved in castings.
For more on this sculptor visit the website listed below.
“I enjoy the mentally and physically intensive process of carving and shaping my pieces to exude a rhythmic motion, balance, and harmony in the final composition. The challenge is to capture that special spirit which each stone possesses.” - Dick Alden
Mission
The mission of the Maine Stone Workers Guild is to recognize and encourage excellence in stonework and to educate the community to the value of its members and resources.
The Maine Stone Workers Guild promotes the services and products of its membership and supports the growth of quality stonework and stoneworkers.
About MSWG
Throughout the world, the reputation of the artist and craft worker from Maine is one of care and excellence. The Maine Stone Workers Guild represents individuals who work with stone and use both traditional and modern techniques. We understand and appreciate the power and beauty of stone. From hammer and chisel to diamond power tools and sand blast etching, Guild members can design, cut, carve, and build whatever the stone will allow. Stone’s most familiar attribute is permanence, but it is also a tremendously versatile material.
The same material that provides a firm foundation to the tallest structures can also bring delicate beauty into your home, garden, or workplace. Working either individually, or combining skills in collaboration, the Maine Stone Workers Guild can bring the best to project designs; will cut, carve, and build in stone; and will show the incredible range and versatility of stone.
“The Vision of the Boothbay Railway Village is to utilize its unique village setting to engage adults and children in hands-on activities designed to create a better understanding of Maine village life throughout the period. We aspire to transform the way we view and relate to Maine’s rural past through interactive visitation, educational opportunism, and a variety of dynamic programs to enrich our daily lives.” - Boothbay Railway Village website
Said executive director Margaret Hoffman of the Maine Coast Stone Symposium, “ ... it’s exciting about how it all fits together - the Village and the Symposium -the stone industry was a major industry during the same time period focused on by the Village. The symposium helps capture the magic of this traditional craft.”
Boothbay Railway Village holds events throughout its season, late May through late October. Visit the website for more details about them - including the Symposium!