AUGUSTA, Maine —
A new public sculpture by a Maine artist was unveiled at the Blaine House in Augusta on Thursday.
Gov. Janet Mills, the Friends of the Blaine House, the Blaine House Commission and the Maine Arts Commission celebrated the unveiling of “Pinecone Pair with Tassel,” which was sculpted by Patrick Plourde.
Plourde made the sculpture out of reclaimed hand tools once used by Maine farmers, builders and communities. The Maine Arts Commission said the sculpture celebrates the state’s natural landscape and working industry.
“To be chosen for this is a really, really special thing,” Plourde said. “To have it mounted in this manner and shown professionally like this, a really, really super job.”
The sculpture was selected through a statewide artist selection process led by the Maine Arts Commission. The artwork was also acquired entirely through private fundraising conducted by the Friends of the Blaine House.
The commission said Plourde’s sculpture stood out, in part, because of its compatibility with the Blaine House grounds and how it reflects Maine’s forests and fields. The white pinecone and tassel was designated as Maine’s state flower in 1895.