Grand State of Maine

This life-size bronze sculpture incorporates all the emblematic symbols of the state of Maine, from the state mammal (moose) to the state treat (whoopie pie).  Artist Nina Katchadourian was inspired to create Grand State of Maine by the many “welcome to” roadside sculptures and signs that greet visitors at city, state and national borders.

Grand State of Maine includes eighteen official symbols designated by the state legislature, as well as two unofficial emblems that are synonymous with Maine: the lobster and the potato.  A Maine Coon (state cat) is seated on the moose’s haunches, while black-capped chickadees (state bird) perch on its antlers.  A land-locked salmon (state fish) leaps from the base toward a can of Moxie (state soft drink).  More obscure symbols are featured on the sculpture’s base, such as wintergreen (state herb), the European honeybee (state insect) and tourmaline (state gemstone).  Even the title itself—Grand State of Maine—is taken from the first line of the state song, and is displayed on the base.

Seen in its entirety, the sculpture is both humorous and educational.  Combining all the state symbols into one sculpture is unexpected and a bit absurd, but it also provides a visual summary of the cultural heritage of Maine.  Katchadourian’s selection of cast bronze, a material usually associated with more serious subjects, such as military heroes on horseback, to render her unconventional tribute to Maine unites conceptual and traditional approaches to art.

To create Grand State of Maine, Katchadourian enlisted the expertise of Maine-based wildlife sculptor Glenn Hines.  Katchadourian purchased the unadorned bronze moose, which Hines had created in 1998, and commissioned him to transform the sculpture by adding the nineteen other symbols of Maine.  Under Katchadourian’s artistic direction, Hines sculpted the elements in clay, made rubber molds, cast them in bronze and welded them onto the original moose sculpture.