The city paid $135,000 in 2006 for the landscape sculpture called Tracing the Fore, located on Fore Street in the city’s Old Port. The sculpture consists of rolling steel “waves” designed to evoke the flowing waters of the Fore River.
The sculpture features metal waves seeded with tall grass. The idea was that the grass would sweep over the waves, representing the Fore River, which flows into Casco Bay. Critics quickly took aim, and it didn’t help when weeds sprouted. One critic described the work as “metal shards” rising from “a weed-infested park.”
The City Council voted in February against spending $30,000 to $50,000 to move the work from Boothby Square to a new location. That meant the creation of Boston artist Shauna Gillies-Smith would be removed altogether.
The city opted to remove the sculpture from its art collection and sell it after some nearby property owners called it dangerous, out of place and ugly.
The only bidder was a Portland company called PWM Land, which offered $100.
PWM Land manager Scott Cohen tells the Portland Press Herald that the piece will be moved to a sculpture garden in another part of the city.
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Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-07-26-11 2017GMT
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