MIDDLETOWN--A lot of the artwork on display in the newly installed Sculpture Mile along the sidewalks in Middletown may be open to interpretation. But there's no disputing that this open-air exhibit is generating good buzz, that buzz brings bustle, and that bustle is good for downtown.

The exhibit, which will remain in place for two years, will eventually consist of 30 pieces ranging from realistic to abstract. It was brought to Middletown by the Hollycroft Foundation, an Essex-based nonprofit organization. Hollycroft organized the Madison Mile, as well as a sculpture garden in the Ivoryton section of Essex in 1996.

Several of the Middletown pieces were placed in various locations around downtown last week.

Some are very realistic. A rust-colored octopus is mounted on stone in front of the offices of Thomas D. Comer & Co. A bronze turkey displays its fan-shaped tail and wings in front of Jozus Milardo & Thomasson next door at 73 Main Street. Up the road and around the corner, a steel Gerry the Giraffe, painted mustard-yellow, stands in the front yard of Kidcity Children's Museum on Washington Street.

Other pieces defy description. A sculpture in front of the Middletown Press building appears to depict three silver garden slugs converging over a broken axle. Another looks like a collision between Mr. Machine and a tricycle.

On the sidewalk outside NOMA Gallery at 648 Main Street stands a larger-than-life sculpture of a naked man and woman embracing. The day it was installed was "our best Thursday since we opened in December," said Steve Bemont, an artist who helps run the gallery.

Artistic preferences aside, the Sculpture Mile at Middletown has already gotten people talking and taking notice. It's also injecting an element of surprise and fun into the experience of downtown. It's a good thing.


May 22, 2004
Sculpture gets good reviews at Savin Rock (excerpt)
Mark Zaretsky

WEST HAVEN--If you're wondering what Japan, Rome, Brooklyn, N.Y., and Savin Rock have in common, the answer is plain to see.

You can see it every day as you walk along the boardwalk, right at the end of Altschuler Plaza.

Brooklyn sculptor Masuru Bando and William C. Bendig, the president of the nonprofit Hollycroft Foundation, the organization responsible for the shorefront Sculpture Mile, joined city officials Friday to unveil the latest addition, a huge bronze Bando sculpture entitled "Profile of Family."

The 6-foot-high, family-sized sculpture, created in 1996 and installed with a crane earlier this month, appears to be a smooth, abstract block from a distance.

But up close, all kinds of textures emerge, including a series of lines on its front face that outline a woman holding an infant and, at her side, a man holding a toddler that in turn is reaching out one hand toward his mother.

"I think it's wonderful," said Mary Ann Forbes of North Branford, who was walking with her friend, Dominic Perrotti of Guilford, on Friday morning. "At first I thought it was the Blessed Mother with the baby Jesus."

"I thought it was a rock...but when you get close, you can definitely see the mom and the baby," said Angel Esposito of West Haven.

Bando, a native of Japan who studied at the Tokyo University of Art and Design, lived in Rome for 10 years and studied with Emillio Greco at the Roma Academia. He has lived in Brooklyn for 20 years while maintaining a studio in Rome.

"I was delighted to see that school children are climbing and playing around another one of my sculptures in Madison," said Bando, who also has two pieces in the Sculpture Mile in Madison, also organized by the Hollycroft Foundation.

"My hope is that one day all children will have the opportunity to create a peaceful world for themselves with that same freedom," Bando said. "'Profile of Family' is created with the image of happiness in mind. It means to portray the tranquility that can be achieved when people have the security of family."

Mayor H. Richard Borer, Jr., who was at a conference in Boston, earlier said, "We in West Haven are honored to have such a talented, internationally known artist participate in the Sculpture Mile at Savin Rock. I'm especially happy to see that the exhibition is about to be refreshed with some new sculptures."

The exhibit...now has 11 pieces and is scheduled to have several new sculptures installed, some replacing existing ones. There should be 15 pieces by the end of June, Bendig said.

The foundation, based in the Ivoryton section of Essex, is trying to raise funds for installations, he said.


August 30, 2001
Editorial: MADISON IS AN OUTDOOR GALLERY
A mile of sculptures enriches town.

MADISON--The arts capital of the state has shifted 18 miles to the east this summer, from New Haven to Madison. There, in a town of less than 18,000, a million dollars worth of sculpture is on display along a mile's walk through the town's center.

Unlike the cookie cutter fad of fiberglass animals that started two years ago with Chicago's sidewalk display of cows, the art in Madison is individual and unique. In all, 64 sculptures by artists from eight states are on display through next May.

The display has been underwritten by the Hollycroft Foundation of Ivoryton, where a similar sculpture show was staged last year.

The dream is for the "Madison mile" of sculpture to become a permanent outdoor exhibit, with the sculptures changed each year.

The sculptures and the town already are interacting in expected as well as unanticipated ways that are contributing to this beach town's civic vitality. The sculptures placed in business courtyards and on the broad lawns of homeowners and businesses have attracted curious strollers. Youngsters are particularly drawn to the works, whether they are abstract or realistic.

Several acts of vandalism culminated by the theft of a 12-foot fiberglass plane hanging from a tree on the town Green first horrified residents and then solidified support for the new art in their midst. The theft and vandalism cast a shadow briefly over the exhibit's fate. There had been no similar incidents in Ivoryton.

There has been talk of neighborhood watches to guard the art, and questions about the adequacy of police patrols. A Madison couple who owns another of the paper plane sculptures has loaned it for the show. It will be firmly anchored at the police station. The town Saturday held a parade featuring restored sculptures that had been damaged by exuberant children and by vandals.

The community support has convinced the foundation to go on with the show.

A teaching guide has been prepared for the exhibit. The hope is that school children from kindergarten through high school in Madison, Clinton and Guilford will have a chance to visit as part of their art classes, according to Ann Christensen, the exhibit's director.

Everyone who has seen the sculptures or discussed the theft and vandalism is already learning about art and its place in public life. For Madison, the sculptures add another attraction to a town that already boasts one of the state's best bookstores, an art cinema and boutiques in its small, postcard perfect commercial center.


February 22, 2001
Editorial: WHIMSY IN WINTER

MANCHESTER--Winter in February seems never-ending. On the streets of downtown Manchester, the season is a battle against ice, slush, grime and gloominess. But this year, a bit of whimsy and a blast of artistic license have lightened the burden. Outdoor sculptures--big enough that they can't be missed-are gracing Main Street, Mary Cheney Library and Center Park. It is a great venue for an open-air exhibit, even in the dead of winter.

The exhibit's goal is to help people appreciate sculpture and its impact. That's certainly been accomplished. Whether it is the twist of holes and angles dubbed "Snowman" that first catches one's eye or the contemplative figure suggestive of Rodin, it is hard not to stop and consider the feelings and thoughts they convey. Frigid temperatures fade as the artistic message gets stronger. Snow can't mask their strength.

But if the cold does drive an art lover inside, that's not a problem. Smaller pieces were installed at town hall Friday and will be on display at several Main Street businesses.

The original plan was for five sculptures in Center Park. But that was expanded to 20 pieces all over the downtown area. The exhibit was arranged by the Society for Outdoor Sculpture, which loans works to municipalities at no cost, and was expanded when another arts group obtained additional pieces. Because they are being installed in phases, every visit downtown holds new surprises.

Fittingly, several people with ties to Manchester are project curators. The artists are paid $1,000 each--money raised through private donations. The exhibit costs the town nothing but a willingess to be an artistic showcase. The benefits are priceless.

There are plans to have walking tours and art lessons for students once the weather is warmer. Organizers should consider holding similar tours for the public.

These works remind people why artists inspire awe. Fair weather or foul, they shouldn't be missed.