BANGOR — Ecology and art students from the University of Maine alongside Bangor Beautiful will be celebrating the unveiling of a new mural on the Kenduskeag Pump Station building on Saturday, May 3 from 2-4 p.m. (rain date: Sunday, May 4). This public event will take place at Broad Street Park (behind the building) and will include a free raffle, vendors, live music and family friendly activities. All are welcome to come and learn more about the mural, local conservation efforts and the goals of Bangor Beautiful.
This mural is an interdisciplinary work between ecology and art meant to convey the interconnectedness and importance of aquatic species. All of the species depicted on the mural are critical to a healthy Penobscot River, including under-appreciated creatures like freshwater mussels and bugs. The mural includes acknowledgements to the Penobscot Indian Nation and local landscape features like Mount Katahdin to acknowledge the cultural importance of the Penobscot River Watershed. We’re in the process of building a website with more information about the cultural and ecological importance of this public art piece that will be publicly available via a QR code on the work.
The concept for the mural was initiated by Jill Fedarick, a PhD candidate in the department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology at the University of Maine; Chrissy Murphy, assistant unit leader & assistant professor at U.S. Geological Survey, Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit & University of Maine; Susan Smith, graduate coordinator of the Intermedia Programs at the University of Maine; and Annette Dodd, president of Bangor Beautiful. This project has been a collaborative effort between undergraduate and graduate students at UMaine as well as students from Bangor and Brewer High Schools.
A big thank you to our sponsors: University of Maine Arts Initiative; Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; Edwards, Faust, and Smith, CPAs; Atlantic Salmon Federation; and Beth Swartz.
For more details, visit https://www.bangorbeautiful.org/projects/mussels-mural.
