The March 29 edition of the Press Herald had a front-page story headlined “Portland public art gets a fresh look through social justice lens.”
The story has a serious omission. It mentioned that only two pieces of public art were done by women of color, one of whom was Ayumi Horie.
She created “Portland Brick,” a piece that was installed in 2015 along India Street, which did a good job of articulating the history of the diverse communities that once lived there. The work includes sidewalk bricks imprinted with stories about the neighborhood and its history.
The omission is that after “Portland Brick” was installed, there was significant construction on the west side of India Street, which resulted in most of the “Portland Brick” installation, including one brick paid for by the Chinese and American Friendship Association of Maine, documenting an 1890s Chinese laundry, ripped out and trashed.
This demonstrates Portland’s claimed respect for public art that celebrates the city’s diversity.
Gary Libby
Portland
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