Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – A new mural featuring the educational institutions in the Star City was unveiled at a celebration in Presque Isle’s downtown Monday.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
LEADERS OF PRESQUE ISLE’S DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION COMMITTEE joined city officials and representatives of Northern Maine Community College, SAD 1, and the University of Maine at Presque Isle Monday to unveil a new mural featuring the three educational institutions in the Star City. The 104-foot pictorial large print adorns a concrete support wall on Main Street next to the Key Bank building between State and Hall streets.
Leaders of Presque Isle’s Downtown Revitalization Committee joined city officials and representatives of Northern Maine Community College, SAD 1, and the University of Maine at Presque Isle to unveil the mural. The 104-foot pictorial large print adorns a concrete support wall on Main Street next to the Key Bank building between State and Hall streets.
A collaborative effort between the three organizations, the mural features vibrant color photos and design elements representing each institution.
“This is very unique, and something we should all be very proud of, and it continues to make Presque Isle a place of destination,” said City Manager Tom Stevens. “This has been one of the more fun projects to work on in a very long time, and I learned something very valuable in this particular project … this is like fine art … you can’t describe it, but you know it when you see it, and you like it.
“The major theme is to highlight the excellent educational opportunities in our community,” he said. “We’re fortunate to have these entities in Presque Isle. We’re unique in the fact that we have two institutions of higher education in the same community. We hope that this mural will be the catalyst for future murals in not only Presque Isle, but throughout Aroostook County. A mural adds charm to a community.”
The inaugural mural in the Star City was unveiled in style with a ceremony featuring the Presque Isle High School Jazz Band and comments by representatives of the organizations who worked on the project. Following the entertainment and greetings, students from UMPI, NMCC and SAD 1 removed the covering to reveal the artwork.
“This undertaking, and the mural that has come as a result of a collaborative effort between the educational institutions and the city, illustrates the wide array of high quality educational opportunities available to the people of Presque Isle and northern Maine,” said NMCC President Tim Crowley. “The mural also serves as a very visible example of the education continuum we offer locally. We see many students who graduate from Presque Isle High School, move on to NMCC to earn an associate degree, and continue to UMPI to complete their baccalaureate degree. All three organizations play a vitally important role in educating the future workforce and leaders of our region.
“Education is valued in Aroostook County,” he said, “and in Presque Isle, you can see the value the community puts on it by the quality of the institutions that are here and the work that they do.”
SAD 1 Superintendent Gehrig Johnson said the mural will help show visitors from southern Maine how strong the educational partnership is in Presque Isle.
“In SAD 1, we have about 20 to 25 communities to the south of us that we have relationships with … sports, activities, and so on, and through the course of the school year, they’ll venture up I-95 and down this street,” said Johnson. “Many of them, from year to year, year in, year out, are folks that haven’t been to our community before. I think it’s pretty neat that as they come up Main Street they’ll be able to see this mural, and from SAD 1’s point of view, our wildcat, and the relationship we have with the other institutions represented here today. It sends a very good message of the positive relationship that we all have.”
“We are pleased to be able to join together with SAD 1 and NMCC on this project to bring more energy and color to our downtown, and we feel especially honored that the city of Presque Isle and the Presque Isle Downtown Revitalization Committee approached us about participating in this first-of-its-kind project specifically because of the value this community places on public education at all levels,” said UMPI President Don Zillman. “We see this as a way to thank our community for their continuous support of our endeavors while also serving as an important first step in bringing permanent art and other visual installations to downtown Presque Isle.”
The original concept for a mural was first discussed in 2006 with a simple observation that the retaining wall on Main Street in front of Key Bank could be made more attractive if it had some color other than the gray concrete. Stevens ran with the idea and spoke with some of the participants involved in the Downtown Revitalization effort, where the idea of a mural was born. Presque Isle business owners Rick and Sandy Guerrette of 27 Sign Place were brought on board to work on the project.
At the same time, the Downtown Revitalization Committee appointed a three-member subcommittee (Patty LeBlanc, Ted Roberts and Billie Brodsky) to work with Stevens on the project. After several proposals, the photo mural was selected. The City Council agreed to a lease arrangement with Key Bank to allow the mural to be placed on its wall at no cost.
With this first mural now a Main Street fixture, officials hope this will spark the creation of more murals throughout the downtown Presque Isle area.
“What a wonderful addition this is going to be to our downtown,” said LeBlanc. “We are encouraging other businesses to take a look at this today, and if you have a blank wall on your business, whether it’s in the downtown area or not, to get an artist and have it painted. It will make the city more attractive.”
Following the unveiling, guests were treated to light refreshments outside the Key Bank building.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
FOLLOWING THE OFFICIAL UNVEILING Monday of a new mural featuring the educational institutions in Presque Isle, community members got a closer look at the 104-foot pictorial large print that adorns a concrete support wall on Main Street next to the Key Bank building between State and Hall streets. A collaborative effort between Northern Maine Community College, SAD 1, and the University of Maine at Presque Isle, the mural features vibrant color photos and design elements representing each institution.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
A NEW MURAL featuring the educational institutions in Presque Isle was unveiled in style Monday with a ceremony featuring the Presque Isle High School Jazz Band and comments by representatives of the organizations who worked on the project. Following the entertainment and greetings, students from the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Northern Maine Community College and SAD 1 removed the covering to reveal the artwork, which is located on Main Street next to the Key Bank building between State and Hall streets. Here, the band gets spectators excited about the official unveiling.
