Copper Reuse Art Projects
As part of the Dome Replacement Project, the Legislative Council authorized copper to be saved for art projects that would be designed specifically for the State House. A special committee, the State House Copper Reuse Project Committee was formed from legislators, artists, the Maine Arts Commission and others to select the artwork that would be displayed in the State House.
The first of the art projects has been completed and is hanging above the Law Library door. This project is entitled Outside In by Judith Allen of Portland, Maine. Ms. Allen is a visual artist and printmaking instructor and professor. She has taught printmaking, drawing and sculpture at the University of Maine at Augusta, the University of Southern Maine and the Maine College of Art. Some of her recent work has been exhibited at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Portland, Maine and the University of New England in Portland, Maine.
The second art project has been installed in the main lobby as you exit the building. Artist Jim Creighton has created what he has entitled White Pine Trees in Silhouette. After working as a cabinetmaker in Boston for a decade, Mr. Creighton moved with his family to Maine in 2011. Since that time he has returned to art making, pursuing public art projects as well as maintaining a studio practice in Brunswick. Originally trained as a sculptor, Mr. Creighton creates 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional works in a variety of materials. His works often include representations of nature while exploring the nature of representation.