MEDIA ADVISORY: First Completed Oil Tank on Display as Part of Maine Center for Creativity's Art All Around Project

Media invited to photo op at public art project at South Portland oil storage tank facility

What: Media invited to view and photograph the first completed oil storage tank as part of the Maine Center for Creativity’s Art All Around project – the largest public art project in the world.
When: WEDNESDAY, Nov. 25 – 10:30 a.m.
Where: Sprague Energy tank farm in South Portland. Check in at office at 59 Main St., South Portland. Bring photo ID and wear shoes with good tread.
Who: The Maine Center for Creativity (MCC), a non-profit organization with a mission to create projects and programs that promote the arts and stimulate the growth of Maine’s creative industries.
Why Cover? The completion of artist Jaime Gili’s impressive design on the first of 16 tanks marks a significant step in the three-year painting project. Eventually, 16 Portland Harbor tanks will be painted, making the 261,000-square-foot artwork the largest permanent art display in the world – even visible from satellites. Your audience will be interested in seeing the completed design on this 36-foot-tall oil storage tank.
Media Contact: Jean Maginnis, Executive Director, Maine Center for Creativity 207.730.0694 jmaginnis@mainecenterforcreativity.org

More Info: This project was conceived as an important strategic step in developing Maine’s worldwide reputation for creativity and innovation. The aim is to build Maine’s reputation for creativity and innovation through a unique art and industry collaboration, and to inspire Maine’s people to rejuvenate our economy through creativity, innovation and collaboration.

MCC will start the painting of the next tank in the spring of 2010 and hopes to complete the rest of the tanks (seven tank tops and sides, plus seven more tops only) by 2012.

For more details, visit www.mainecenterforcreativity.org.

The Art All Around international art competition drew 560 entries between its March 25 kickoff and June 25, 2008 deadline. Submissions poured in from 80 countries worldwide, including Italy, Australia, Thailand, Brazil, Spain, China, France, Nigeria and Taiwan, as well as nearly every U.S. state. Following rigorous deliberations that concluded a multi-phase selection process, Gili’s design was selected.
“Gili’s bold design represents a multifaceted response to the industrial landscape and will become another world-class addition to Maine’s significant art collection,” said juror Linda Earle, program director of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.

"His bold, colorful gestures refer to Latin American modernism and the important historical role that movement has had in the history of public art. The triangular forms resonate with the shape of sails in the wind and the crashing waves of Maine’s rocky coast,” added juror Mark Bessire, director of the Portland Museum of Art. “This lyrical movement is a very sophisticated global and local response to the much loved gritty working harbor of our city. The palette and gestures will always project exuberant energy, offering Maine a work of art that will stay fresh for years.”

“We are confident that, when the tanks are painted, these images will help add to Maine’s reputation as a vibrant, innovative, creative place for the visitors and residents who view them by land, sea and air, “ said Maine Center for Creativity’s President, Greg Boulos.

Professional paint subcontractors AMEX completed Gili’s artwork on the first Sprague tank.

“Art All Around presented a great opportunity for us to continue our long history of community involvement and it has been a pleasure to participate,” said Burt Russell, vice president of operations, Sprague Energy Corp. “We look forward to joining our neighbors’ innovative community.”

MCC is continuing to raise funding for the project through donations from private individuals, corporations and foundations. To date a total of $500,000 has been raised through the hard work of the Maine Center for Creativity Board of Directors.

About Artist, Jaime Gili
Jaime Gili began his art studies in his native Caracas, Venezuela, in 1972. He received his Masters of Fine Art from the Royal College of Art in London in 1998 and currently lives in London with his wife, Lucia. He also earned a bachelor’s degree and doctorate in fine arts from the University of Barcelona. He has also studied in Paris and Berlin. Gili has participated in dozens of solo and group exhibitions in countries including Mexico, Venezuela, Australia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. His work appears in public collections at Saatchi Gallery, Banco Mercantil in Caracas, and the University of Essex. Gili has been featured in publications such as Artforum, ArtPapers and The Guardian. He has also worked as London correspondent for LAPIZ, a Madrid-based arts magazine. He is represented by the London gallery Riflemaker (www.riflemaker.org).

About The Maine Center for Creativity
The Maine Center for Creativity (MCC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) led by a volunteer board of directors. Founded in May 2005, MCC is committed to attracting innovative companies to Maine by developing projects and programs that support the growth of creative industries and the arts. Among its educational and arts-related projects, MCC is organizing Art All Around™, an international design competition to paint the Sprague Energy tanks in South Portland and Pecha Kucha events in Maine. For more information, please visit www.mainecenterforcreativity.org.

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