For the first time, a public holiday display in downtown Searsport includes a sculpted menorah that’s being lit on each of the eight nights of Hanukkah.
Organizers hope that the new display in Memorial Park, which is the first commissioned work of public art to go up in Searsport in many years, will serve symbolic roles for both Jewish people celebrating the holiday and the town as it welcomes the completion of a large two-year project to improve the downtown roads and sidewalks.
“The menorah was an interesting way for us to do something for our first piece of public art. The menorah, we hope, is going to light the way for future developments,” said Aaron Rosen, executive director of the Parsonage Gallery.
The town’s community enhancement committee commissioned the interactive work, with funding from the town and various other local institutions, including the Parsonage Gallery, local churches and individuals.
It was done by Aaron Margolis, an Ellsworth resident who is a carpenter by trade and a self-taught sculptor. The piece is made from cedar, copper and found objects, and is meant to be equally representative of Maine and the artist’s Jewish family history. The sculpture includes a lintel with a roofline inspired by the shtetl, or town, where Margolis’ family lived in Eastern Europe before immigrating to America.
Beyond shining a light for Searsport, organizers also see the sculpture as significant due to the global turmoil caused by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
“In a time that’s really fraught for Jews, and there’s feelings of anxiety and alienation, it was really wonderful to see how much the community rallied behind a public display of Jewish faith and identity,” Rosen said.
A ceremonial dedication of the sculpture will take place at 6 p.m. on Dec. 31, which is the sixth night of Hanukkah, followed by a reception at Rosen’s gallery.
In the coming years, Searsport hopes to commission work from more artists — with the possibility of representing other religious and cultural identities as well — but Margolis’ menorah will be brought back annually as well, Rosen said.
After this year’s holiday, Rosen said the sculpture may either remain on display in Memorial Park or put on rotation to be on display at his gallery.
By next year’s holidays, it will have additions to the original piece: empty boxlike spaces cut into the front of the sculpture that can display objects from members of the Searsport community behind plexiglass, serving as a time capsule of sorts.
“We wanted to do something that was meaningful to Jews, but more importantly, remind people that Searsport is a small town in coastal Maine, but it’s very embracing, very welcoming,” Rosen said. “That’s certainly been my experience as a Jew in Searsport. We wanted to share that with people.”
