The South Portlander

Well, this proves that it is definitely possible to take something that is already ugly, and make it uglier.
And naturally, as is always the case, nobody outside of SoPo seems to be aware that SoPo and Portland are two separate cities. Maybe instead of seceding from the state, we should change the name of our city.  At least people would then realize that South Portland isn’t just “the part of Portland where the mall is.” As for the tanks: how about planting tall trees around the perimeter of each tank?  Eventually they’d get tall enough to hide the tanks completely.  Nah, that’s just crazy.

Wow.  I hadn’t paid too much attention to this contest as I had no idea the intense feelings that I would have upon seeing the possible winning designs.  Horrible!  Is there any way to turn back now?  I can’t believe these are the finalists.  What a horrible turn of events for SP.  Please, please, please, Sprague Energy, let South Portland residents have a say in this and don’t thrust these images upon us.

Love the tree idea for lots of reasons.  Was it ever in the running?  The only downside I can think of is making sure the trees’ root systems wouldn’t compromise the tanks, but that’s not too difficult—distance and/or type of tree should be well within the capability of any good landscape designer.  And we could give some work to a local small business or two or three… yeah, you’re right, that’s just plain crazy.

UGLY!!

I can’t imagine how ugly the other 500 were!

It will achieve its ends by always drawing your, and our visitors from away, eye to the oil tanks. Like a car crash many will not be able to look away. Sprague Energy will be the benefactor garnering this unwarranted attention not the creative economy and artists in Maine.  Billboards do not always have words on them.  However with the obvious eyesore potential for most of the entries it may in the end backfire and make Sprague oil executives positively squirm with the insider jokes that will come their way. Pity the poor Sprague Energy executive at the next oil dealers convention.  Of course that is little comfort for those of us who will need to live with this project in our home town.

What a colossal waste of money! What happens in a few years when the paint starts peeling.  Aren’t we creating another long-term maintenance obligation?  Aren’t there other needs more pressing around the city than this?  Also, aren’t we supposed to be “going green”?  What is environmentally sensitive about having oil tanks look like a circus extravaganza?  I am very concerned about creating a driving distraction.  Do you want to be rear-ended by someone craning their neck to take in this breath-taking sight? 

Since there will never be agreement on the designs, it might be better to pass out colored glasses for those who think that their morning commute is just too drab.

Very telling that many of the artists mentioned Portland and its architecture, but not SoPo. I would like to hear Blake and Soule’s thoughts.

If these eyesores had to be painted, why not attempt to chose art that was “pretty.” I would have supported something that looked like a Monet or Seurat. Something that told a story rather than abstract shapes that mean nothing and only enhance the “eyesore” presence of these tanks. No offense to the artists (as art is subjective), but, these five choices are amateurish at best.

OK, the oil tank art won’t give Maine or its arts power brokers the prestige hoped for, but it may add a whimsical element to South Portland’s highly commercial landscape. Over time, the public might not only get used to it—but learn to love it. Fifty years from now, people will be crying foul if anyone tries to removed the painted oil tanks, as we end our addiction to fossil fuels. They will see these murals as a reflection of a quainter time, when we thought we could solve global ills with a pretty coat of paint.

Give Art a Chance, you sure are a pollyanna! If these designs are still on these tanks 50 years from now, I will be very surprised. I give em two years tops before an angry mob trespasses and paints over them. Everyone involved should be highly embarrassed.

Depending on how the tanks are prepped and how the painting is done, the art probably won’t last for 50 years even under good conditions.  It *might* last that long if the tanks are completely sandblasted, primed, painted with the artwork (several coats), and then coated with several thick layers of UV-resistant clear coat.

Nothing says high-quality art like sandblasting, priming, and finishing with several thick layers of UV-resistant clear coat! Again, everyone involved should be embarrassed!

I see glaring problems with two of these designs.  First is the way overdone pixel collage.  First pixels are only relevant in concept if you are up close so essentially what you get are defined faces as most people, if they can actually see these works will be viewing from a distance.  But that is not the real problem.  Who are we to co-opt peoples faces for use in such a manner?  The image of E.B. White or Marsden Hartley are not ours to use as we see fit.  The best example of an artist who planned for this very kind of exploitation is Frank Zappa.  His image and even his trademark mustache is copyrighted and vigorously protected. It is absolutely arrogant of the Maine Center for Creativity to think they can plaster someones face for their own sorry ends. Now Dick Cheney, or George W. Bush, or Susan Collins those faces might be a go. 
The second entry that is suspect is the tossed off aerial images of Portland harbor.  Map makers actually do have copyrights.  Lifting their work and transferring it to an oil tank template should have raised a red flag especially for the Maine Center for Creativity who just recently held a seminar on intellectual copyright.
Lets demand a little more scrutiny of this group. Who knows they may plan for a telephone pole painting contest in the future.

Hi, 1980? Hi, it’s 2008 calling. I was wondering if I could use some of your pop culture icon-ism for some large-scale projects I’m thinking about having done. What? No, no. People won’t be upset, they’ll be too worried about being called ‘closed-minded’ to object to using 30-year-old imagery. Besides, you have to either be real self-assured or be rich to question the validity of art in public. What’s that you say? Wasteful? No no! As long as it’s art, we can squander endless resources on it. What’s that now? You think it would be artfully ironic for us to use some asphalt to fill in the unfinished road ‘fixes’ on Broadway as a creative statement? Stop being silly! Road fixing is so 1990s!

Mike,
I don’t have a clue who you are, or if you are even a “Mike”, or even a man at that, but I LOVE your wit and observations. Please add more to other parts of this blog as the pontification and seriousness can be a bit dry and boring at times!
LOVE YOU!
ILM

So let’s see all the entries.

OK, now the MCC has had their run of free publicity. Now how about the other half of the story?  The public does not like this project.

No news organization yet has published anything beyond press releases and feel-good stories, so why start now? Ditto for South Portland resident input. I’m going to put this in my “stop caring” pile and let them do whatever they want. Life’s short.

I would hate to see the other 150 submissions if this is the best of the best! I think I would prefer they stay white than to have to look at any of these ugly options!

"Gee, Leonardo, great picture of the missus, but maybe she should actually be smiling? And those dull colors!” Not that these proposals will rank up there with da Vinci, but give us a break on the negativism, folks!  What we have now is a bunch of pastel cylinders that would not be out of place on Chemical Mile in New Jersey.  Someone is thinking about (at worst) painting them with abstract patterns, or (better) a pixellated face that will resolve from a distance but stay enigmatic up close.  The only “constructive” criticism offered is that the proposals are not “pretty” enough.  (How about some kittens?  Flowers, maybe?  Or Weimaraners?  (Sorry, that one’s been done already.)). With such public responses to a project like this, is it any wonder its so hard to get volunteers for community efforts?
I personally like the pixellation concept, possibly with some different images (and, there are many of famous people in the public domain, Calvin). It is just a bit of a challenge, educational on several levels, eye-catching, and memorable.

The education needed in regard to oil tanks, is the history of the oil industry and how it has been able to maintain its influence on every man woman and child on the planet.  It has lied about global warming, it has purchased influence in Washington, it has destroyed public transportation, it has squashed innovation, it has been the cause of countless wars, it has been the source of major environmental damage (oil spills and 250 year underground coal fires), and has made us reliant on foreign sources of energy.  We are a country weakened and at risk because of them. This is particularly sickening in the wake of the industries record profits. Last quarter EXXONMobil made $1500 a second, every second, for three straight months.  As this type of greed continues we have this horrible little contest whose result will just be another diversion away from the insidious reality of what the fossil fuel industry has done to us.  They do not deserve anymore free passes and “art all around” is just a big pat on the back.  In our current state of decline our eyes should only be drawn to these tanks in order to trumpet the call for “no more”.  Like the skull and crossbones on poison in the cupboard, warning is what we need.  Instead we choose to walk once more down the road of denial and celebrate these tanks as if they have no consequence to us at all.  A sad form of visual “soma” lulling us to sleep.  “Its all going to be just fine, you do not need to change your lifestyle, just look at the pretty colors nothing to worry about here.” Take heart though Tom volunteerism in South Portland is actually flourishing.  Witness the energy and recycling committee or the new Cool South Portland group.  Now those are two endeavors worthy of an art contest, both timely and educational. 
And pixels? They have been done to death, a co-opted idea that has been overused for years.  My son had a great Darth Vadar poster all pixellated out, really super cool. Finally, if you really need to search the public domain to feel safe about using someones image then you should probably question the validity of the entry. Was Bach from Maine?

So, Calvin, what do you propose to put on these oil tanks, today, in 2008?  Even assuming your premise that Exxon/Mobil lies, cheats and steals, what is your concrete proposal for these pastel cylinders that today deface our lovely city?
What sticks in my craw is that people who volunteer their time and money to make even a small improvement in our community get attacked by some blogger who doesn’t feel the need to get off his duff to do something himself, but who can google up a treatise on the evils of the oil economy.  Would we all rather live in a world run on ethanol, hydrogen, biodeisel or wood pellets, or geothermal/hydro/nuclear/wind/who-know-what-other-green-clean electricity?  Of course.  But we do not live in such a world now, and may not for many decades.  In the meantime, we have oil tanks.  They need painting. We can repaint in industrial green, or we can try something else.  It is good to have a debate about what should go up as an alternative for us all to look at.  (Maybe we can put up something that will pique the interest of a few of the thousands who fly over South Portland every year!) It is not good to sneer at those who try to do some small thing to improve our community.  Once again, it seems, the perfect has become the enemy of the good!

Tom I would like to suggest that you watch Bill Moyers Journal today at 2:00 on MPBN channel 10.  The full hour is spent with retired Army Colonel Andrew J. Bacevich a conservative who has some interesting things to say about oil and its history.

Someone please wake me up. The nightmare has to end. Of all the craziest ideas I have encountered this has to top the list. Ugly doesn’t even come close do describing this fiasco. Blend them in with the scenery not stick out like a sore thumb. If I have to look at this art? on a daily basis I think I might just puke. There just has to be more pressing matters in South Portland than these tanks!!

If planting tall trees around the perimeter of each tank isn’t an option—and I think it *should* be an option—then how about *painting* tall trees on all the tanks? I’m serious.

Comments on Sprague Competition
1 - I have a degree from U.S. M. for Design I.
2 - I am not one of the 5 winners.
3 - The S curve was my goal for the competition.
4 - The prominent S was a symbol for Sprague owners.
5 - It also was a symbol for the State of Maine.
6 - I broke the rules knowing it also accidently was a symbol for me as a signature artist.
7 - I have decided not to critique the artwork of others and place them in a detrimental position.
Last but not least, thanks for allowing me to compete without a fee and also thank you for allowing me to voice my final comments as a Mainer with no regrets.  Best wishes to all of you in your final decision in September.
Alberta M. Sevigny
“Alveta”
Centre Artistra

I am not speaking to the good people of South Portland when I write this.
I am speaking to you guys.
South Portland is not some island off in the middle of nowhere. The Sprague tanks are a major visual component of the landscape, as seen from Portland’s Western Prom or out on the water. The tanks are seen from I-295 as people to Portland and up the coast - and back down again to places like South Portland and Cape Elizabeth and Boston.
So, yeah, this project could warrant state money. It doesn’t all have to come from South Portland.
I would advise the people running the program to have a say by doing the following:
Let the people of Maine vote in person in South Portland to:
a. remove one of the current finalists; and
b. include an additional finalist from the 500 rejects
To vote, all one would have to do is have their ID photocopies and then they could write the removal and addition on that sheet. I am sure there are many businesses that would be happy to host such a thing (good marketing to get people in your door).
To do this, the Maine Center for Creativity would simply have to post all of the submissions on the their web site and assign them numbers. Then they would simply have to find the venue and set the deadline for September 30 or something.
That way we could get something cool and the people of the area wouldn’t feel like they are getting this shoved down their throats.

Hey T: I think you’re a bit behind the story here.  First of all, you must recognize that the MCC could care less about public opinion.  This is arrogant insider dealings from top to bottom.  It is privately funded and meant only to gain attention for the players involved.  The public interest, while touted as the reason for scribbling on these tanks, is just a means to the end, which is to give Sprague Energy and Jean Maginnis a spotlight.  If they felt any concern for public opinion they would certainly realize that forcing us to live with and look at these cotton candy, salt water taffy colored entries, is about as arrogant as you can get.  Of course as stated earlier this is a private affair, on private property, and they can, and will, do as they please.  It just stinks that they would seek to define and use the community as a reason for doing it. Jean Maginnis is a public relations specialist, a career known for manipulating public opinion to protect and put positive spin on whatever issue is at hand. So far she has won over everyone but the public.

The best ideas I have heard so far are to ignore the pathetic drivel that has been chosen as the final five choices and instead choose one of the three ideas:
1) paint the tanks to look like giant stacks of pancakes
2) paint the tanks to look like a giant game of whack-a-mole
3) leave them the hell alone and put our energy into a more worthy project, like painting my damned house!

So far, I like ideas 1 and 3 the best.

Yo, dosomething: live up to your moniker, dude. If you don’t like the project, speak up about it: draft a letter and send it out to the MAC, the Press Herald, etc. The MCC is a non-profit and not completely free of the fetters of public opinion and state oversight. They still have to raise a million dollars. There’s also plenty of intrigue if you aren’t too lazy to dig it up.

Hi Linda,
Thanks for the article about the Art All Around contest.  It was a step in the right directions to more accurately define some truths about the project. 
I am, however, a little concerned with the portrayal of the results as mixed.  From what I have read online negative comments out run positives to a very high degree.  On your own website I believe there are two out of 31 comments that express tepid support.  The Portland Press herald was likewise reflecting the same.  I know that some of the man on the street interviews in your article seemed to paint a different story, however these did not seem random but rather targeted.  Zoo Cain for example who had an entry can hardly be representative of public opinion.  This is also true of a resident of Dresden who does not live at ground zero and might think otherwise if it were happening in her own backyard. 
I was also disappointed to see Jean Maginnis making the exact same comments she has made in the past.  Her comments in the article were word for word identical to other past interviews.  Did you ask her any questions about the extremely negative response to the results and how that might actually translate to a negative image of Maine worldwide?  It only makes sense that we may not come off so well based on the feedback we’re seeing locally.  Was she disappointed in the public response?  Is the project volunteer driven like Tom Coward assumes, or is she, for example, paid a salary to pursue this project?  What went through her mind when she heard that we narrowly averted another oil spill in Casco Bay this past week?  Would that give her second thoughts or would she move ahead regardless?
Finally, I was also a bit confused about your portrayal of my comments on the South Portlander concerning over-consumption by the public. I’m not sure where this sentiment was construed.  I certainly feel that way, but I am having a hard time determining it’s origin in my postings of last week.  When you get a chance if you could point to the parts you feel impart this stance it would help me a great deal.  I am always trying to improve my writing in order to convey my thoughts more clearly and I honestly do not recall chastising the public over oil consumption, at least in these particular instances. 
Oh to have the luxury of an editor, to date its always been me myself and I so many times I will re-read something and wonder what the hell I was thinking.  As always I appreciate your work and love the new website as a vital forum for citizen input.  I will also send this e-mail to your comment board under the Art All Around post and hope you will place into the public record.

Thanks,
Calvin

I love the designs. Great colors. It seems we’ve had to look at the drab green for 30 years.

They are currently white not drab green.  Which tanks are you looking at?  Replacing them with cotton candy and saltwater taffy colors will certainly make things worse.  Just looking at them could be hazardous to your health.

Sorry, SoyBoy, but we are stuck with the drab green tanks. The only tanks being considered in this “contest” are the white ones owned by Sprague. I believe the green ones are owned by the Portland Pipeline. They rarely get involved in the community, so I doubt there is any painting of those drab green tanks in the near future.

OhBoy,

You couldn’t be more wrong about the Portland Pipeline’s community involvement if you tried. The Pipeline has been an OUTSTANDING neighbor to South Portland and continues to work with the community at every turn. Their latest move? Offering the house at Spring Point to the South Portland Historical Society FOR FREE. Please, know something about the subject matter before you write. The Pipeline should be a model for more American businesses. They win environmental stewardship awards year after year for going absolutely above and beyond the call of duty, they are famous for being terrific to work for, and they are a conscientious member of our business community. Throwing out uninformed statements sells them short and too many people will take your statement to heart without researching it. Don’t get me wrong; oil tanks are ugly and a blight on our waterfront. But they are there, and they are not leaving (unless all of Atlantic Canada ceases to consume oil), so hate them for that if you want, but they are a terrific neighbor to us.

Mike you may be right on all your points except me being uninformed. MY OPINION comes from knowing who the business leaders are of many of the area companies because they attend events and participate in the community. I have NEVER once met anyone from Portland Pipeline at any of the community events or seen them as a sponsor or donor. They are making billions of dollars, so why don’t they have a bigger presence in South Portland? They make billions of dollars, so why didn’t they just give the house to the society from the beginning? I would feel better about PPL if all I know of them wasn’t just the ugly green tanks that litter our waterfront. Just my OPINION...not right or wrong or uninformed...just an opinion. Thanks.

The quote is, “They rarely get involved in the community.”
That my friend is not an opinion. That is a statement. That is like saying “a car just drove by” and then when challenged on whether or not it happened claiming that it was your opinion that a car went by. And just because you haven’t met them at one of your “events” does not mean they don’t have a positive impact on the community. “Events” are quite often staged so that those that give something to the community can make sure their “gift” is widely known and heralded. I too have attended many “events” and typically they make me want to throw up.
Perhaps PPL, like a lot of us who make it a point to make some small positive impact on the world each day, doesn’t give a hoot about having everyone know about what they do. Maybe they do good because they - and we all - simply should.
The oil tanks on our waterfront stage oil on its way to Eastern Canada. The oil tanks, like gas stations, Wal Marts, and the annoying coffee houses that have popped up on every street corner, exist because of consumer demand. When Eastern Canada no longer requires oil, the tanks will be dismantled. Just because I think something is unsitely does not mean it should not exist. There is one particularly offensive house on Willard Beach that would be the first to go if I chose what remained and what was torn down based on my finely tuned sense of what is tasteful. I think you may know the one.
But on the other hand, we really should hate PPL because they make billions of dollars. That makes a ton of sense. Bad capitalists! Bad!

Oil tanks and gas stations do not exist because of consumer demand.  They exist because of a long standing contrived manipulation of energy policy by big oil and their bidders like Dick Cheney.  Snuffing out cafe standards, buying up patents for alternative energy inventions in order to keep innovation out of the market, and lying about global warming is what this industry is all about.  They have no interest in doing whats right for America or the world. Next to big tobacco these people are the bottom of the barrel.  Thats why Art All Around is so absurd, it’s goofy painting contest seeks only to help a despicable industry which seeks to wring out every last dirty drop of oil they can. And based on the public response so far, it can be argued that Maine will actually suffer a public relations nightmare once this ridiculous project is completed.  Not only do citizens find the art ugly but they know now more than ever what a stranglehold the industry has on their very ability to survive and prosper in America.  Perhaps we should suggest to the five entries that they withdraw their work. This is particularly true for the two entries from South Portland.  They might not get the prize money but they will be able to hold their heads high by acting courageously to do whats right.  Now that would be a real statement.  Its not always about the money is it?

Rather than painting the tanks which certainly does not have the backing of the public, this non-profit should find a way to donate the proposed 1.2 million dollars to the low and moderate income residents of South Portland who will have to choose between heating their homes this winter or buying food, clothes, or medicine.

Economic Colors

Not only artists benefit from the oil tank project.

A.  Why do artists not have the backing from the public businesses and the State of Maine for this project?

B.  Why does the public at large believe that most artists are not moderate income individuals who need to pay their bills also?

C.  Is the public not - - - 1 - the truckers who deliver the oil to these oil tank companies
2 - the industrial businesses who will benefit by selling their paint for the oil tank project
3 - also the industrialist workers who use other business products to paint these oil tanks

Last but not least “We do have a state who at the present time is out of the economic color picture and not overly concerned about the oil tank project.”

Alberta M. Sevigny
Maine Artist

Mr. Sevigny,

Huh?

Mike