Scott Berels, Fabricator, Ziggy Drozdowski, Engineer, Alice Spencer, Artist, Judith Hoffman, Sculpture Artist and Sean Foley, Curator and Art Instructor  at Me College of the Atlantic,  in Front of The American Dream.

Hoffman’s Mission Statement at Lincoln Park.

Judith Hoffman, Sculptor and Sean Foley, Curator of the Project at Lincoln Park This Morning.

By Carol McCracken  (Post # 2,606)

“The American Dream is changing,” said Judith Hoffman, this morning at a press conference at Lincoln Park.  Hoffman was referring to her just installed temporary sculpture,  “The American Dream.”   The unveiling of the 14-ft tall steel  sculpture comes tomorrow, Friday, June 3, 2016 at 6:00 pm. – during  the monthly First Friday Art Walk. .There will be a celebration of the unveiling from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm.

Last year, Sean Foley was asked by  TEMPOArt for artists he though might qualify for an installation at Lincoln Park.  Foley, an artist himself and an art instructor of Maine College of the Atlantic, was able to identify eight artists who qualified for the temporary art project.  The field was narrowed down to four candidates and then down  to two and the finalist, Judith Hoffman.

The theme of the sculpture was “places in transition” – and that certainly applies to Portland’s housing scene. “It’s happening everywhere in the country,” said Hoffman.  “I want people to relate to this and  bring their own ideas to the front on this.”  The miniature houses are stacked on top of each other and the top one is upside down – certainly what is happening to many residents of Portland and more specifically Munjoy Hill.  There was a tight turnaround time.  It took six weeks to construct and was constructed in Detroit – the location of the engineer, photographed above left.

The sculptor will be on exhibit at Lincoln Park for a year.  After that it will be relocated at an undetermined site at this time.

Hoffman, currently lives and works in Geneva, Switzerland. She graduated Smith College with a BA, attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago on her Master’s and received her Master’s from the Art Institute of Chicago.  She has shown her work extensively all over the country.