TOPSHAM — The new $60.7 million Mt. Ararat High School opened in September with three new artworks designed to reflect the communities the school serves in Maine School Administrative District 75.

Dan Dowd of Phippsburg, one of the artists chosen to create an artwork for Mt. Ararat High School, said Maine has a law that requires 1% of building construction budgets funded by taxpayer money be set aside to purchase art. Known as Percent for Art, the Maine Arts Commission oversees the program. Open to Maine artists only with a $42,000 budget, a total of 19 proposals were submitted for Mt. Ararat and vetted by a selection committee, according to Julie Horn who manages the Percent for Art program.

To create his concept, Dowd visited the old high school and discovered the school mascot is an eagle. He also researched what kind of materials were historically produced at mills within the four towns served by Mt. Ararat — Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Harpswell and Topsham.

Dowd, who typically works with objects in his art, created a nearly 9-foot-wide eagle. The wings are made of window sashes, the body is made of wooden shingles held on with nails and the head and tail are made of door fragments Dowd scavenged. The talons are made from a garden fork, he said.

This installation required more planning, thought and time than most of his studio pieces. Dowd spent about a year creating the eagle and hung the raptor in a prominent spot between the main lobby and the dining commons.

“I really hope that it brings some joy and interest to the students who pass under it,” Dowd said.

Artist Richard Keen taught visual arts at Mt. Ararat High School between 2000 and 2003. Keen created a multi-panel mural, a brightly colored landscape based on the topography of the local area that hangs in the school’s dining commons.

“It was more than exciting just to be a part of a place where I used to work with kids in-person to know I can leave a legacy and give the student body and faculty something to carry through for years to come and inspire them to be a part of education in a different sense,” Keen said,

Part of the call to artists was to present something students may associate with no matter which part of the district they are from, he said. He chose uplifting colors for his piece.

Some students may never visit an art museum or art gallery but Keen hopes his art can inspire them to look at the world differently.

“It’s important to me to let everyone engage in a work of art,” Keen said.

Additionally, artists Elizabeth Atterbury and Anna Hepler created a large tile wall mosaic in front of the learning commons.

Principal Donna Brunette said she plans to make sure that students know what this artwork is about and why it was selected for this building.

“All the pieces of art are just beautiful pieces of work that reflect the community and they’re just aesthetically appealing, as well as they add a beautiful touch to the building,” Brunette said.

 

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