The 2009 Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium is Now Underway

The Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium follows a tradition, set in Austria in1959, where sculptors gather worldwide to practice their art and to learn from each other in a symposium setting.
The 6-week Schoodic Symposium is a biennial cultural event that brings together artists, visitors and communities to create a public sculpture collection in Eastern Maine. This gathering of sculptors is a fun and educational way to see how large-scale sculpture is made from granite, one of Maine's natural resources that at its 1901 peak, during commercial production, was responsible for the employment of 3,500 people in 152 Maine quarries.
From July 25 to September 12, visitors can get a sense of that history while witnessing the creation of sculptures. Artists from around the world are selected through a juried process to participate in the symposium. The final sculptures that are produced are placed at public sites in Maine communities. The symposium is free and open to the public.
This year’s artists are Ahmed Karally from Egypt; Attila Rath Gerber from France; Jhon Gogaberishvili from the Republic of Georgia;

Mark Herrington from Maine; Roland Mayer from Germany, and Songul Telek from Turkey. The Maine communities that are set to receive the finished artwork are Franklin, Gouldsboro, Machias, Deer Isle/Stonington, Bar Harbor, and Lamoine.
Remember that the symposium is free and open to the public as an educational resource. Schools are welcome. Students from pre-school to college participated in the 2007 symposium. Younger students came not knowing what to expect and then took in the stone sculptures with all of their senses-smelling the stone, rubbing the surfaces and feeling the variety of textures.
Contact details and full information is available at the symposium Website.