Hampden Academy's Bronco

Hampden Academy’s Bronco

October 3, 2012

Community Artist: Forest Hart

The following update is from art educator Leah Olson who had submitted photos in the spring that I posted about the sculpture being created for the new Hampden Academy. Students and teachers have just moved in to the new school, and so has the bronco.

Today I received a gift that has surpassed my expectations of what the arts can do for a community. Forest Hart never stops giving. He presented 32” x 20” framed and matted picture mosaic of the process to David Greenier (then vice principal), Ruey Yehle (principal), and myself. I couldn’t help but feel the tears coming on!  In one of the pictures, my son and I are putting clay on the sculpture. 

Emil Genest, Assistant Superintendent, David Greenier, 45 year Assistant Principal who just retired, Forest Hart, Leah Olson, and Ruey Yehle, Principal

Forest Hart –  “Known as “Toby” to old friends — moved to Hampden with his family in 1948 when he was five years old. Artistry was always a part of Hart’s motivation as a taxidermist. His animals display the spirit and authenticity of living creatures, and his unique work has won awards in competitions all over the country. Given his drive and his innate creativity, the progression to casting animals in bronze was, perhaps, inevitable. Now his bronzes are winning accolades far and wide.”  About the Bronco – “It also led to an unparalleled gift of time, beauty, education and history for the town in Maine where he grew up.” – Robin Wood – Bangor Daily News

“We are absolutely thrilled about this,” Hampden Academy principal Ruey Yehle said as she helped push clay onto the horse frame. “They will take ownership of this bronco and they’ll take a lot of pride in it.”  Mrs. Yehle went several Saturday’s with students to work on the sculpture. She has worked tirelessly for this school system so that students have a high quality education in every way possible. Excellence in the small details consistently makes for excellence overall. Hampden Academy has two “state of the art” art rooms now! While in the planning stages Mrs. Yehle asked many questions to art teachers, furniture people, and architects as to what would work best for a student experiencing a successful studio art room.

The power of the arts lives strong here in this community. What is even more remarkable is that Forest Hart did not charge the school the money that it cost to create the large bronze bronco. It is a gift from the Hart’s. The idea is that by selling the smaller table top broncos the cost of the full-sized monument will be covered. “What if you don’t sell enough to pay for the job?” he was asked.
“That thought never entered my mind,” Hart remembers saying. “But I told them, ‘that’s my responsibility, not yours.’”

I am inclined to think that not just the alumni and residents of Hampden would purchase this magnificent tabletop sculpture – but anyone, anywhere who believes in the power of the arts symbolized in a running bronco. It connects us and reaches us in ways that cannot be said. This gift teaches us that through making small differences in our lives can have large effects. I have personally learned this year that the ability and willingness to surrender to unanticipated possibilities can bring opportunities, inspiration and an unprecedented pride about education for students…..priceless.

Black Bear Finds Home in Houlton's Riverfront Park

By Gloria Austin, Houlton Pioneer Times

Posted Sept. 26, 2012, at 11:50 a.m.

HOULTON, Maine — Riverfront Park has a new visitor.

On Sept. 20, Forest Hart’s fourth of 12 “Bear Tracks” bronze statues was added to Houlton’s Riverfront Park, replacing a moose sculpture created by Glenn Hines.

Hines had leased his sculpture to the town for $1, with an expectation that the Riverfront Park Committee would raise $25,000 over three years to pay for the statute. The moose remained with the town from June 2009 to July 2012, but when the money wasn’t raised, Hines removed his sculpture in anticipation of selling it to someone in Brooklyn.

Hart, who is from Monroe, is lending the “Bear Tracks” to the town with no immediate intention of removing the bronze statue.

“If there is a need for it, I still have another one at home,” explained Hart. “So, it will be here awhile.”

Former Town Manager Doug Hazlett had corresponded with Hart to see if the sculptor would be interested in setting a piece in the Shiretown.

Hart agreed. The piece had been displayed at the Game Farm in Gray, which closed Sept. 15. The hope was to have the bronze statue set by Sept. 29 in time for the first-ever Harvest Festival, sponsored by the Riverfront Park Committee, Vital Pathways, town of Houlton and the Houlton Chamber of Commerce.

“This is a nice place and there are wonderful people here. I also lived in the area for five years,” Hart said smiling when asked why he chose Houlton for his piece. Hart worked at A.H. Fogg Company and Worthmore, which closed in 1969. He has plenty of friends in the Oakfield area, too.

“I have an inventory, so sometimes I have extra pieces I don’t have a place for,” he said. “I let people [organizations, towns and more] borrow them that want them.”

Each piece that Hart casts is a limited edition. The “Bear Tracks” is number four of 12.

“I do have people call and commission my work,” he said.

Hart’s work can be seen all across the country, as he has sculpted the “Cub Scouts” in front of Nutting Hall at the University of Maine Orono, as well as the Tiger of the University of Missouri. He also has crafted life-size sculptures of people such as Daniel Cony, founder of Cony High School, and the eighth supreme court justice of the United States, Melville Fuller, who was born in Augusta, but made his mark in Chicago. Fuller served from 1888-1910.

Hart has sculpted pieces in Africa, given sculpting classes at the University of England and held classes in South Africa, as well. Hart completed a bronze moose for Moosehead Brewery in St. John, N.B.

“Most of my pieces are in this country,” he said. “I have 22 life-sized pieces outside my place.”

Hart’s interest in sculpting took shape when he was 10 years old when he switched from being a painter to trying his hand at taxidermy.

As they were listening to Hart talk about his foray into taxidermy, Lori Weston, Houlton’s community development director, and Jane Torres, executive director of the local chamber of commerce, asked in unison, “Your mother let you do that?”

Hart smiled and explained his mother had been the only girl among four brothers. They were restricted and couldn’t do what they wanted.

“So, she said when she had kids they could do anything they wanted, as long as it was in reason and legal,” Hart said with a laugh. So, he raised wild animals and at the age of 11, he took a taxidermy correspondence course.

At the end of his taxidermy days, Hart specialized in life-size animals and freelanced for museums.

“I actually worked for the Denver museum for a short time,” he said.

For Hart to sculpt life-size animals, he had to make a mannequin to put the skin over.

“The demand for the mannequins was so great, I quit doing taxidermy and just sold mannequins,” he said. “It was fun and I really enjoyed it.”

While making mannequins, Hart started doing bronze pieces, which he said, “was a step up and a lot of fun.”

Though the mannequin business was steady, Hart was getting away from the one thing he loved the most — sculpting.

“The business got so big with the mannequins that I wasn’t a sculptor anymore, I was a businessman,” Hart explained. “I didn’t like being a businessman. I like to make things. So, I sold the business and have been doing bronzes since then. It is what I like to do.”

Hart never attended art school and his abilities are natural and self-taught.

“I learned a lot from the animals,” he said. “When you have to make the mannequins you have to really know them. I made face casts of them, muscle casts and I had measuring charts so I could measure them and get all the proportions.

“I even cleaned the skeleton and set it up for an armature,” he said. “I sculpted over the skeleton, so I knew all the joints were in the right place and the legs bent in the right place.”

A fire in 2005 caused Hart to lose all of his possessions.

“I lost everything,” he said. “I had to start from scratch and since then it’s been like a marathon of monuments I’ve had to do and deadlines.”

The 350-pound “Bear Tracks” is making its home in Houlton for now.

During the Harvest Festival on Saturday, youths participating in the children’s race at 9 a.m. will be invited to name the bear in Riverfront Park.

Galloping Bronze

Hampden Academy Bronco

May 24, 2012

Galloping bronze

On Friday, May 18, 2012, the Bangor Daily published an article on the new Hampden Academy Bronco that is being created for the high school scheduled to open for students in September. Artist and Hampden Academy graduate, Forest Hart has created a wonderful opportunity and gift for the students and community.

Thank you to Art teacher (and arts assessment teacher leader) Leah Olson for sending this post that includes the experience that students and staff had throughout the process of creating the bronco.

“A great teacher never strives to explain his vision. He simply invites you to stand beside him and see for yourself.” (Raymond Inmon)
It was with mixed emotions that we completed our last visit to work on the New Academy Bronco sculpture on Saturday, May 12. It has been a wonderful experience for faculty and students. I organized and carried through many scheduled trips which were attended by various faculty and administration. As a first year Hampden Academy Art teacher, I see very clearly that the loyalty of alumni is strong. I feel very fortunate to be a part of Hampden Academy’s past, present and future! It is an experience that will always bring a sense of pride in what our mascot is about! My interpretation:

Freedom of expression – Freedom to be lifelong learners – Freedom to take education that is offered and go for it!

May 5

The work we did on Saturday, May 5th, consisted of placing shims (pieces of metal) along the seams of the sculpture that are used to separate parts of the plaster mold. We also worked on making “birds nests” from hemp that is like hay to hold the plaster mold.

The Master Mold – Getting ready for bronze –  A mold is a container used to shape material. The clay bronco was divided into multiple sections by inserting thin flat metal strips (shims), on end, into the surface of the soft clay. Next a rubber material was brushed onto each side of the dividers. The rubber flows and forms into every detail of the sculpture. Several coats are applied, being careful not to completely cover the metal shims. The shims keep the rubber sides from sticking together. After the rubber has dried, wet plaster (with the hemp “nests” we just made) will be put on top of the rubber. The plaster willharden to form a casing around the flexible rubber to maintain its shape once the clay is removed. When the plaster has hardened, the mold is opened at the shims dividing the sculpture. The clay bronco is removed. It will leave two halves which when joined back together form a container/cavity in the shape of the bronco that will be used to pour liquid bronze in.  

May 12

When we arrived at the studio, the Bronco was completely encased with a white rubber coating.  Quite a shock as I was used to seeing the gray clay.  The goal of the 24 hour day was to get the sculpture completely covered with plaster.  The studio was set up for beginning the process of adding the plaster. Officer Stewart, James and I worked outside making “birds nests” from hemp that is used to create a strong plaster mold. Jacob worked with the other men adding the plaster to the Bronco. My son had the fortunate job of unwrapping the small bronze sculptures from the foundry that are sold in gallery spaces. He was also busy taking pictures with his IPad so he could document his experience. I think he took about a hundred pictures and then he learned about “editing”.

Once the Bronco is sent to the foundry in Colorado, it will take up to two months before it is returned. Not sure if the sculpture will be in place when school opens in the fall. So many factors in the final steps make it difficult to predict when the unveiling event will take place.

I have learned a great deal about sculpture and the importance of the arts in communities. Mr. and Mrs. Hart welcomed us into their studio space to be a part of something great. They understand that the sculpture experience is important to promote as education, advocacy for the arts, respect for nature and pride of community.  
From the bottom of our “H(e)arts” – THANK YOU!

Art Focus: Forest Hart’s Wildlife in Bronze

Art Focus: Forest Hart’s Wildlife in Bronze

Posted December 14, 2010

In reviewing the many log home pictorials in magazines and some Katahdin archives, we noticed that quite a few log home owners enjoy hunting and have mounted their hunting trophies in their homes. So it seemed to make sense to write an article on taxidermy. But that story will be told in a future View From Up North, for we found another very interesting story to tell.

In some ways similar to this article, Forest Hart got his start in taxidermy. In Aroostook County, Maine, he grew up with a strong interest in animals. He learned taxidermy in a traditional manner, mounting the trophies of local hunters. Then at the age of 21 he was accepted as a taxidermy apprentice with the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, Pa. There he studied and learned—not only the art of taxidermy but anatomy, behavior, and lives of the creatures he was preserving. He learned how to craft the frames and mannequins over which the skins of bears, deer and other creatures would be stretched.

Hart returned to Maine where he started to practice his taxidermy art. He found that there was a demand for mannequins, which were relatively easy to manufacture out of polyurethane. He ultimately had four people working for him making the animal forms. “But the business got too big and I didn’t like being a businessman,” he said. “I like to make things, and I didn’t have the time anymore.” On his website, he writes, “The hundreds of animals that I modeled to produce mannequins for taxidermy provided me with the best training and education possible.” But he was also interested in developing his own artistic style and modeling in a more impressionistic technique.

He chose bronze as his medium, which allowed for multiple sizes, from paperweights to monuments. The art of creating his bronze wildlife pieces involves a multi-step process, beginning with sculpting the figure in oil-based clay in his studio in Monroe, Maine (above right). Once he is satisfied with his clay model, he makes a rubber mold of the sculpture and ships the mold to the foundry he uses in Colorado.

At the foundry, wax is poured into a mold that makes a hollow ¼-inch thick reproduction of the original sculpture. Hart then removes any imperfections or bubbles in the wax figure.

The next step is what is commonly called the “lost wax” process, used in jewelry and other metal fabrication. Hart says it’s a bit of a misnomer since the wax is ultimately collected and recycled.  For this next step, the wax model is cut into manageable pieces, as few as two for small pieces or dozens for large animals. Each wax piece has a handle attached, and then is dipped into a cool ceramic slurry. The ceramic coating then dries and the process is repeated three times a day for three days until the ceramic mold is the proper thickness. Next the molds are placed in a kiln at 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, which melts the wax and leaves the ceramic molds empty.

Then the ceramic molds are re-heated to 2200 degrees Fahrenheit and the molten bronze is poured in at the same temperature. When they cool the ceramic molds are carefully broken away with hammers. After the bronze pieces are sand blasted, the sculpture is assembled with a TIG welder.

Once it is welded, the seams are carefully ground down to match the surrounding textures, providing an unblemished surface. The bronze is then sandblasted again and Hart applies a mixture of liver and sulphur, which blackens the bronze. It is then rinsed with water, scrubbed with Scotch Brite scrub pads to highlight the high spots and heated with torches to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. With a combination of different chemicals the desired patina is achieved. Once the piece is cooled, it is sealed then waxed to preserve the finish.

Though the process is detailed, the results are magical. Hart’s customers have commissioned oversized and life-sized statues of horses, tigers and moose as well as his own lively deer, foxes, bears and other woodland creatures. One of his most challenging pieces wasn’t an animal but a statue of Daniel Cony, the founder (in 1815) of Cony High School in Augusta, Maine. Because there were no photographs of Cony, Hart had to refer to a portrait of Cony painted by Gilbert Stuart. Hart happened to be the same size and stature of Cony and he was able to assemble a period suit to model so that Cony’s likeness would be as realistic as possible.

Hart’s work can be seen in locations across the U.S. and around the world and on his website, where sculptures can be purchased. Whatever size the sculpture is, Forest Hart’s figures make a lasting impression.

Connections: Tale of the Cat

Soon after students voted to make the bobcat the official Bates mascot in 1925, the Varsity Club stated its eagerness “to see a monument erected which will consist of a granite shaft with a life-size Bobcat in bronze before the present college year is ended.”

That year passed, as did 83 more, before Bates commissioned and happily dedicated, during Reunion 2009, the bronze Bobcat seen in this slide show. Designed by Maine artist Forest Hart, it’s atop a boulder near Leahey Field, where it exchanges greetings with people along the walk to and from Merrill Gymnasium and Underhill Arena.

The Bobcat Statue

• Artist: Forest Hart of Monroe, Maine
• Size: twice life size (60 inches long)
• Medium: bronze (copper, silicon, magnesium). The sculpture comprises 25 separate pieces welded together
• Thickness: quarter-inch
• Weight: 250 pounds
• Foundry: Lands End Sculpture Center, Paonia, Colo.
• Artist’s quote: “What struck me the most was the enthusiasm and passion of the Class of 2004. What wonderful, positive energy. I was proud to have been chosen and proud to be a part of the project.”

Making the Bates Bobcat real was the Class of 2004’s potent cocktail of organizational skill, passion, and perseverance. They raised about $27,000 for their Senior Gift in 2004, asking the College to use it to create a bobcat sculpture. (Other fundraising efforts raised the total to nearly $50,000 by 2009.)

At the time, Bates officials tried to refocus the class gift — a bobcat still wasn’t in the plans. “They asked us to choose something a little less ambitious,” class co-president Tanya Schwartz ’04 recalled during the dedication on June 13.

But the class didn’t yield. Instead, “we rallied,” Schwartz said. True, it was a long rally, at five years, but co-president Eduardo Crespo ’04 said he was always confident that “our class’s work ethic and passion for Bates would take us all the way to today.”

The soft-spoken Hart, having met Crespo and Schwartz at the Reunion dedication in June, was dazzled. “Seems to me they could do anything they set their minds to,” he said. “A Bobcat sculpture or world peace.”

Five years ago, faced with the Class of 2004’s high seriousness, Bates channeled their energy by forming the College’s first Public Art Committee, which in 2007 drafted a policy to guide all such projects. Then, a Bobcat Selection Committee of faculty, staff, and 2004 alums guided the process, including a public presentation in spring 2008 by three artists chosen by the committee, including Hart.

Each artist’s proposal was in turn shared with the Class of 2004, which embraced Hart’s realistic interpretation of an athletic predator on the move, one that echoed the College’s official Bobcat logo. “I love that the Bobcat is in motion — [it] speaks to the ever-evolving and dynamic nature of academics and Bates College,” wrote Julia Allen ’04 in an e-mail response to Hart’s presentation.

(Hart, who lives in Monroe, halfway between Bangor and Belfast, has a strong background in taxidermy but knows his live cats, too. “I’ve made five bobcat sightings in the last 10 months,” he said.)

Albeit long, the process was pure Bates, “democratic and egalitarian,” said Mark Bessire, former director of the Bates Museum of Art and chair of the Public Art Committee and now director of the Portland Museum of Art. When you have a solid process marked by “intelligence and spirit,” he said, “you end up with great art. Process equals excellence.”

In the end, the project’s success belies the 84-year-old notion of institutional rigidity, Crespo told the audience. “The one thing that was present all along [was] this institution’s capacity to welcome excellence and change.”

Forest Hart Sculpture Centerpiece of Nutting Hall Courtyard; Dedication Saturday

October 18, 2005 Archives

Contact: Judy Round, 581-3229

ORONO –The Forest Hart sculpture “Cub Scouts” will be the centerpiece of the renovated Nutting Hall Courtyard at the University of Maine. The revitalized courtyard, which will be dedicated on Saturday morning, is part of a three-year celebration of the 100th anniversary of UMaine’s forestry program.

The nine-foot bronze sculpture of three Maine black bear cubs was chosen because it symbolizes forest resources, youth and promise for the future. The base of the sculpture was donated by FreshWater Stone and Brickwork, Inc. from Orland. The family of Earle Bessey, Jr., a 1940 forestry graduate and owner of E.D. Bessey and Son in Hinckley, gifted the placement of the sculpture in his honor. The family has also created a scholarship in Mr. Bessey’s name to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the forestry program. Both Bessey and his son Chip are expected to speak at the dedication, which is scheduled as part of UMaine’s Homecoming, this weekend.

The courtyard project was funded through private donations from alumni, faculty, students, Maine’s natural resources industries and other Maine-based companies. The courtyard will be dedicated on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 9 a.m., in honor of all those who have passed through the University of Maine to study, teach, and advance the fields of forestry and wildlife.

The event is open to the public.

Cub Scouts

Cub Scouts

Artist: Forest Hart, Maine
Courtyard in front of Nutting Hall, Grove Street Extension

Map and directions

Nutting Hall is the academic home of students majoring in forestry and wildlife ecology; thus, the perfect location for this sculpture of inquisitive, climbing bear cubs. The artist, known for his “wildlife in bronze,” draws on his studies of taxidermy and animal behaviors to create impressionistic pieces. Look near the base for the red squirrel poking its head out of the tree. A nearby plaque notes the donor of the granite base, as well as the name of the alumnus (’39), a leader in the forest products industry, whom the sculpture honors. The sculpture is the centerpiece of the courtyard, dedicated in 2005.

History of Tiger Plaza

History of Tiger Plaza

The Mizzou Alumni Association would like to thank the alumni and friends of the university who marked their names in MU history as contributors to Tiger Plaza.

Designed as a meeting place for alumni, students, faculty, staff and visitors, Tiger Plaza symbolizes the pride Tigers feel in Mizzou. Helping alumni make a lifetime connection to campus is a vital role of the association and Tiger Plaza will serve as a symbol of that connection for years to come.

The Tiger statue was cast at a foundry in Colorado and trucked to Columbia. A layover in Lawrence, Kan. gave the Tiger a chance to scout his favorite prey: the Jayhawk.

The 1,200-pound Tiger was gently maneuvered into place by sculptor Forest Hart. Members of the Alumni Association Student Board spent a long rainy night guarding the wrapped Tiger before the dedication ceremony the following day, Oct. 25, 2002.

More than 450 alumni, students, faculty, staff and visitors crowded Tiger Plaza to get the first "official" glimpse of the statue and the Tiger Plaza contributors plaques. Members of the Tiger Plaza Planning Committee, artist Forest Hart and Homecoming Grand Marshal John Anderson unveiled the Tiger.

The dedication ceremony ended with members of AASB helping lead the singing of MU's Alma Mater. As visitors explored Tiger Plaza, they were treated to Bengal stripe cookies and warm cider. More than 2,200 alumni and friends of the university marked their names in MU history as contributors to Tiger Plaza.


How Tiger Plaza was built.


How the Tiger Plaza Tiger was made.