Sculpture project in Monson

MONSON — The sculptures are coming! The Monson Collaborative, a downtown MDF affiliate organization, has been working with the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium for the past three years to bring a large-scale outdoor sculpture exhibition to Monson. This is the first project of this scale to take place in Piscataquis County.

Artists Jesse Salisbury, Kazumi Hoshino, Tim Shay and Mark Herrington will be installing new works that have never been shown before, created specifically for this traveling large scale exhibition. Monson is the first stop! Celeste Roberge will be installing a beautiful Chaise Gabion (Lounge Chair), a series that is currently in collection at the Farnsworth – a piece that invites you to take a seat and soak in the view. 

The partnership with stone sculptors and Monson was an inevitable match with the slate and granite mining history, as well as the creative draw of the town. Monson has been a home and destination for creative folks including photographers Frank Sherburne and Berenice Abbott, painter Carl Sprinchorn and writer Henry David Thoreau. The creative arts continue to define Monson as many contemporary artists live there year-round and the addition of Monson Arts in 2018, bringing artists from across the globe to rural Maine.  

On June 27 you will be able to see the stone sculpture installation process for all five sculptures along Route 15 – it will take place all day, come visit any time!  

A reception will take place Aug. 8 from 5-7 p.m, alongside the gallery exhibition “Quarries: Muse and Material” at the Monson Arts Gallery (8 Greenville Road) which features smaller scale sculptures, paintings and photographs inspired by quarries. Artist visits will be scheduled later in the year to learn more about each work of art and the process of stone carving at large scale. 

This project is made possible by a $10,000 grant received from the Maine Community Foundation, $8,000 raised by donations and $5,000 from fundraising through the Monson Beautification committee. If you would like to make a donation towards this project’s continued programming, please contact monsoncollaborative@gmail.com. The sculpture project will be up through June 2026.