Belfast Harbor Muses Replacement

Help us restore the Harbor Muses of Belfast, Maine

Originally there were seven faces that appeared at low tide and disappeared at high tide in the harbor of Belfast Maine but blizzards, ice storms, driving wind and daily submersion have all taken a toll. Ron Cowan’s Harbor Muses “The Long Breath” have watched over the Belfast Maine harbor since 2000  but have slowly been taken by the sea until only two remain.  We are raising funds to restore all seven of  these nationally recognized works of art. Cost to replace is $9000.00 

A quote from artist Ron Cowan
"The muses first went into the harbor in May of 2000. I had rented the old trap shop for my studio and I would look out the window at the little inlet during low tide and see the remnants of an old dock. Inspiration was not long to follow. I began to think of how interesting it would be to see some of my muses coming and going beneath the tide each day. I had been selected artist of the year for the Arts in the Park show that Summer and my booth looked right down on that little dock area. I spent a lot of time on the rocks at low tide figuring out where to put them and how many there should be. In the end I decided there would be seven and I would carve them out of some cedar logs I had recently come by. I also decided I would name it the "The Long Breath".

I worked feverishly over the next many weeks as the faces came in one by one. With a week to go before the show, I began to install them into the stones. I would start at low tide and work the furtherest out. I would dig down into the stones as far as I could go and then drag the muse out over the rocks and drop him into the hole and start chinking rocks around the base to make him stand straight. My biggest lesson was learning that the tide does not stay low for very long and many the time I would have to slosh my way back to shore. Finally, all seven were in place and holding against the coming and going of the tide. I placed some seaweed on their heads for added personality. Needless to say they were an instant hit with all who encountered them. On the day of the Arts in the Park show, the tide was just right. It was high in the morning at the start of the show and they slowly began to appear one by one over the next six hours until they were all standing above the water together looking out at the many people who had made their way down for a closer look. Looking down at the scene from my booth, I found It all very exciting.

I have really enjoyed being the "keeper of the hair" and caring for the harbor muses over the past 16 years and have especially appreciated the many conversations and words of kindness that came my way from people from all over the world regarding this unusual public sculpture in this special place called Belfast."