"Dancing for Joy (By the Will of the People)" Community Opening
Schedule
Thu Jun 13 2024 at 05:00 pm to 06:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
Back Cove Trail | Portland, ME
A community “opening” for “Dancing for Joy (By the Will of the People)” is planned for 5-6 p.m. June 13, with performances by Maine Academy of Music (rain date June 14). On June 15, the Myth Makers will host a free workshop called “Discovering Creating of Building with Bamboo” from 10 a.m. to noon.The installation will be installed along the water adjacent to Back Cove Trail Parking across the street from Hannaford on Baxter Boulevard.
About the Project
This twenty foot bamboo sculpture will feature two monumental great egrets performing their distinctive mating dance on the shores of the Back Cove. This duet symbolizes the local bird life of the cove and the way people move in and out of and connect to this special place. Back Cove Trail is used by over 250,000 people a year in all seasons. Dancing for Joy (By the Will of the People) will attract even more, amplifying the Trail as a hub of community activity because of TEMPOart’s extensive programming, and will also enhance the local creative economy.
The collaboration between Dodson and Moerlein grows out of a mutual love of the wild. Dodson takes inspiration from the mysterious nature of birds that spark her imagination. Moerlein takes inspiration from events in the natural world that leave visual marks and strike a narrative chord in the artist. Although monumental in scale, their ephemeral bamboo sculptures are temporary in nature. Made from natural materials, they are site specific, and respond to their local audience.
Dancing for Joy, reflecting the artists’ love of the wild, will celebrate the beauty of nature, in this case great egrets, and foster among viewers an appreciation of the nature that surrounds the greater Portland community. Great Egrets are flamboyant and vivid. Each spring they grow extravagant plumes and leap with abandon to attract and impress a mate. They are unusual birds that share all nesting and child care duties.
This work of art will be a meeting place, a place for children to play in and run through. A glittering silver white and nearly 20 feet tall, it will be a beacon, visible from many views along the Back Cove trail. Dancing for Joy is designed for all ages. The doorways are a variety of sizes. Which entry suits you? Can you dance your best show off prance through the display of the Dancing Great Egrets?
This installation is dedicated to the freedom to marry who you love. These sculptures celebrate the will of the people to democratically transform society. In 2012, Maine became one of the first states to legalize same-sex marriage through a citizen’s petition that won the popular vote.
