Copper salvaged from Maine's Capitol dome to become public art

Judith Allen of Portland and James Creighton of Brunswick will reuse copper from the Capitol dome for new pieces of public art that will be installed at the Maine State Capitol Complex in summer 2018.

The Maine Arts Commission announced its selection Tuesday as part of the State Capitol Copper Dome Reuse Project. The artists will use century-old copper sheathing, which was replaced in 2014. The pieces vary in size, but average 20-by-36 inches.

A committee of legislators, artists and arts commission staff reviewed 29 proposals. Allen’s piece is “Outside In,” a silhouette of pine trees and landscape, presented as a triptych on three copper panels. The piece will hang above the Law and Legislative Reference Library door.

Creighton also uses a tree motif. He will etch an image of an eastern white pine into smaller pieces of copper, accenting the natural patina of the panels. “The patina becomes a metaphor for the history of the state — a history that is deeply rooted in its natural beauty,” he wrote in his proposal.

In a press release, Allen said she was “thrilled and very honored” to repurpose the State House roofing copper. The sheets of copper were originally installed in 1909-10. Architect Charles Bulfinch designed the State House. Construction began in 1829 and was completed in January 1832.