Public art is coming to South Portland’s Greenbelt
South Portland will add new public art along the Greenbelt Walkway and is issuing a call for artists.
Anyone can apply to be one of four artists in the city’s pilot public art project, as long as they submit a brief proposal and examples of past work. The call to paint on the 4-foot by 8-foot wooden surfaces will be open through the end of the month.
The first mural will be installed in Mill Creek Park, and the second will be added to Bug Light Park, with plans to expand until there’s art along the length of the trail.
A biker travels along along the Greenbelt Walkway in April 2021. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)
“I really hope that the Greenbelt becomes known as an art walk that hopefully attracts people to come here,” said James LaPlante, the chair of the public art committee.
He said he wants the Greenbelt to include sculptures and other media in future years, and for the art to expand westward. In the meantime, each selected artist will paint on one side of a wooden surface, with full creative liberty.
“We’re open to art that helps bring introduction to new cultures or gives a moment of joy or wonder, anything that brings artistic engagement to the Greenbelt,” LaPlante said.
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Funding of $5,000 for the first two wooden murals came from the city. The mural in Mill Creek cost $15,000, and many artists said that was on the cheaper side of what they’d be willing to do, said Willys DeVoll, a member of the public art committee. With smaller surfaces, the city can provide public art for a more reasonable price tag.
“There’s so much ambitious public art that we’d like to do that’s just totally impossible, given the current financial reality,” DeVoll said. “We can have more amateur or youth artists, and there’s an opportunity to showcase work in a really public way, so I think that’s democratizing.”
The call is open to all, with South Portland artists especially encouraged to participate, LaPlante said.
The committee is applying for matching grants with the hopes of adding more surfaces for art around the city, using the Greenbelt as the initial anchor.
“We want to put public art where we know the people are,” DeVoll said.
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Tagged: public art, trails
Dana Richie is a community reporter covering South Portland and Cape Elizabeth. Originally from Atlanta, she fell in love with the landscape and quirks of coastal New England while completing her undergraduate. More by Dana Richie
