Maine Center for Creativity Kicks Off Next Phase of "Art All Around" Project in Portland Harbor

Community leaders link world's largest public art painting to innovation that is lifting Maine's creative economy

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (May 4, 2010) - The Maine Center for Creativity (MCC) kicked off the next phase of its "Art All Around" project in Portland Harbor on Monday by showcasing Maine's ability to foster and grow creative businesses.

Painting is beginning this spring on the second of 16 Sprague Energy oil storage tanks in South Portland that when completed will be the world's largest public art painting, viewed by land, sea and air - even from space.
The event also included a visit from London-based artist Jaime Gili, who for the first time saw his artistic vision transferred onto a 36-foot tall tank. The first tank was completed last fall, and work is expected to be completed by 2012.

MCC (www.mainecenterforcreativity.org) used Monday's celebration as a platform to tout the collaboration behind the project as well as Maine's growing reputation for creativity and innovation, linking the state's art and business communities.

"We are confident that when the tanks are painted, these images will help add to Maine's reputation as a vibrant, innovative, creative place," said Greg Boulos, Maine Center for Creativity's Board President.

The Maine Center for Creativity is a non-profit organization led by a volunteer Board of Directors dedicated to creating projects and programs that support the arts and promote the growth of the creative industries and professions in Maine that contribute to the vitality of Maine's economy.

Speakers on Monday included South Portland Mayor Tom Coward, Portland Museum of Art Director Mark Bessire and Planning Decisions economist Charles Lawton as well as representatives from some of Maine's thriving creative businesses, including Sputnik Animation, Angela Adams Designs and Octagon.
Coward said creative thinking and ideas are keys to economic recovery in South Portland and across Maine and New England.

"I'm thrilled with this project because it will be another example of South Portland as a place where creativity and economic growth go together hand in hand," he said. "More importantly, however, I'm proud of this development because it brands our city as a place that "gets it." South Portland is a place where creativity is welcomed, nurtured and celebrated in every aspect of our economy, in all our industries. And that bodes well for our city."

Peter Carlisle, Managing Director for Octagon, a world-wide sports management company, stressed the importance of letting those from out of state know that Maine is a great place to live and work. Just a few years ago, he said, some in his national company had doubts as to whether enough people would follow him to Maine. But they did, and his growing company now employs 12.

Angela Adams, the owner of Angela Adams Designs, mentioned the importance of building Maine's reputation for innovative design. Along with her husband Sherwood, their distinct perspective has quickly established them as international leaders in contemporary design.

Mark Bessire, the Director of the Portland Museum of Art focused on the importance of bringing people together through the arts. "Only through the arts are diverse groups linked for a common goal and vision," he said.
Maine Center for Creativity conceived the project as an important strategic step in developing Maine's worldwide reputation for creativity and innovation. The aim is to showcase Maine's ability to foster and grow creative businesses, said Jean Maginnis, MCC's executive director.

MCC is continuing to raise funds for the project through donations from private individuals, corporations and foundations. To date, a total of $600,000 has been raised through the hard work of the MCC Board of Directors, she said. Anyone interested in making a contribution to help complete the project is encouraged to send donations to MCC (www.mainecenterforcreativity.org).
.
The "Art All Around" international art competition in 2008 drew 560 entries from 80 countries worldwide as well as nearly every U.S. state. More than a million visitors viewed the website's call for entries during the three-month submission period. A nine-person jury of international judges selected the five semi-finalists announced in 2009, including two Maine winners. Following rigorous deliberations that included a multi-phase selection process, judges concluded Gili's bold, colorful design was the strongest.

A native Venezuelan now living in London, Gili's work has been described as Latin American modernism projecting exuberant energy, with triangular forms that resonate with the shape of sails in the wind and the crashing waves of Maine's rocky coast.

Professional paint subcontractor AMEX has been enlisted to transfer Gili's artwork onto the Sprague tanks. Sherwin-Williams donated the paint used on the first tank.

Gili, who hasn't traveled to Maine since last May, said Monday that he is pleased with what he's seen so far.

"The importance of this work as something that will mean something for a whole community in the future is very important for me," Gili said. "I still have lots of things to learn from this experience. Making such a large project real, takes a lot of thinking and dreaming about how you want your world to be. Such dreamers need to understand very well how things work locally, and this in turn must connect you to the rest of the world. This is a fine example of perseverance and work towards making dreams come true for a community."

Gili said his vision will come into full focus once all the tanks are completed.

"As more tanks are painted, reverberances and rhythms will appear between the tanks and the city will gain something like a new map," he said. "New connections will appear through these landmarks, new points of view will appear, and there should generally be a renewed interest in the industrial heritage and the history of the place."

About Artist Jaime Gili
Jaime Gili currently lives in London and 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 shows his work 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 the U.S., 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 as well as Painters, Players and Poets, a collaboration of 30 Maine artists, musicians and poets. For more information, please visit www.mainecenterforcreativity.org.

# # #
Here is more information about Maine Center for Creativity

Photos
Top: London-based artist Jaime Gili (left) and Tom Pitts, Northern District Manager at Sherwin-Williams, which donated paint for the first completed storage tank in the background.
Bottom: Jaime Gili and Jean Maginnis, executive director of The Maine Center for Creativity.