New Art Sculpture To Be Unveiled In Concord Point Park

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — The Havre de Grace Public Art Committee will unveil and dedicate a new sculpture this weekend at Concord Point Park. The piece is a giant stainless steel rockfish made of hundreds of smaller rockfish that connect to make its body.

"The new piece of public art is not only emblematic of the city’s heritage but will attract new visitors to the area," Mayor William T. Martin said in a statement.

Called "Big Fish, School of Fish," the stainless steel striped bass sculpture was created by artist Thomas Sterner, who has a studio in Westminster. The artwork is off the sidewalk leading to Concord Point Lighthouse next to the water.

It is the first project funded by the Havre de Grace Public Art Committee, which was formed in 2014 to help develop a public art plan for the city. The city council passed a resolution to support the public art plan that year, and during a work session, the group identified Concord Point Park as a priority area ideal for a sculpture. Then the committee requested proposals for a sculpture celebrating the region's ties to the Chesapeake Bay and maritime history.

"We wanted to highlight the ecology of the bay and also the people that live and work on the Chesapeake Bay," Havre de Grace Public Art Committee Chair William Watson told Patch. "And its not just Havre de Grace — we wanted to celebrate the Chesapeake Bay in general."

The committee's requirements called for the artwork to be easily viewed by water or land, to be substantial and to be structurally sound. Artists were given wide latitude. The committee selected Sterner's proposal because it met all the criteria and was a natural fit in terms of its subject matter.

"The rockfish is, of course along with the blue crab, a standard predominant fish that's obviously used in commercial fishing and supports the region," contributing to both the economics and the health of the Chesapeake Bay, Watson said. "Our hope is this will serve as a talking point about ecology and fisheries."

The sculpture cost $20,000, of which $10,000 was raised by the arts committee through events such as holiday galleries. The other half was matched by the city, which is a designated Maryland Arts and Entertainment District.

Ceremony To Unveil The Sculpture

The new sculpture in Concord Point Park will be dedicated at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24. It will be covered in a special shroud that can easily come off.

Speaking at the unveiling will be the Havre de Grace Public Arts committee chair, mayor of Havre de Grace and creator of the "Big Fish, School of Fish" sculpture.

The unveiling coincides with the opening of the Havre de Grace Waterfront Festival, which will be Saturday, Aug. 24, and Sunday, Aug. 25.

At night, the sculpture will have special temporary lighting for the festival, Watson said, and it will later have permanent lighting installed.

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