Hallowell Mural

by Chris Cart | American

Category: content-right

  • Declaration of Independence

    Declaration of Independence

    rare 1776 broadsheet

    Mayor Robert Stubbs is shown holding Hallowell’s rare, original broadsheet from 1776 of the Declaration of Independence.

    At the time of the writing of the Declaration of Independence a printer in Salem Massachusetts was ordered to print 250 of these copies for distribution around the colonies. Only 11 of these broadsheets are known to exist today.

    This rare document was found framed in storage in the Hubbard Free Library in Hallowell. Hallowell’s copy of the Declaration of Independence is now housed at the Maine State Museum. It is shown in Hallowell occasionally on July 4th during a ceremonial reading of the Declaration.

    This is a quote from the artist.

    artist, Chris Cart

    Nora Winslow Keene

    I’m Nora, a dedicated public interest attorney based in Denver. I’m a graduate of Stanford University.

    Woman on beach, splashing water.
  • Sponsors

    Sponsors

    a public mural


    The Hallowell Mural is a publicly funded mural with over 100 generous donors who helped buy the paint, canvas, varnish and keep the artist going over the years of work. Begun in 2018 as an idea over dinner, the mural was finally installed at 89 Water Street, Hallowell, Maine in the summer of 2023 with great fanfare and a celebration with our Mayor George Lapointe, Representative Dan Shagoury and Maine’s Governor Janet Mills all giving talks.

    We couldn’t do it without our Sponsors. Thank you!

    major sponsors

    organizations

    major individual sponsors

    individual sponsors

    Major Sponsors

    Grants by:
    Maine Arts Commission
    Maine Community Foundation
    Elsie & William Viles Foundation
    Kennebec Savings Bank

    Other organization sponsors:
    Vision Hallowell
    Row House Inc
    Ian Parker Foundation
    Arts & Cultural Committee
    Hallowell Board Area of Trade

    Ray Valle, a major donor is shown as an Atlas sculpture.

    Major individual sponsors

    Ray Vallee · E. J. Perry · Steven Marson

    Deb Poulin · Chris Vallee · Gary Violette

  • musicians

    musicians

    ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

    There are far too many musicians known in Hallowell to count let alone include on one small section of wall. But music is central to Hallowell’s daily life with our musicians playing at restaurants, bars and our annual festivals.

    it would have required several wall this size to do justice to all the musicians who play in Hallowell. These musicians will have to stand in for all the rest.

    artist, Chris Cart

    the musicians listed

    Roger Sampson
    Steve Vellani
    Naoto Kobayashi
    Ian Parker
    Sam Shane
    Al Lund
    Pat Pepin
    bob Colwell
    Chris Poulson
    Dave Wakefield
    Katie Daggett
    Sarah Crosby
    Marcia Gallagher
    Kenny Cox

    and a sliver of Steve Jones and Scott Eliot

    spirit of the town

    Anne Mckee is the young musician playing her violin up near the top of the mural.

    She is an extraordinary violinist from Hallowell. She is a member of Bay Chamber Faculty.

    Anne was a part of the mural from the earliest sketches.
    Why is she playing her violin sitting high on the projecting beam? I’m not sure, except that having her perched way up there somehow, to me, captured Hallowell’s spirit.

    artist, Chris Cart

    From Bay Chamber website:

    “Anne McKee (violin) hails from Hallowell, ME where she began playing the violin at age four. She recently completed her Master of Music degree at Boston Conservatory under the tutelage of Dr. Katie Lansdale.

    Some of her musical accolades include first prize in Midcoast Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition, second prize at Peter E. Tannenwald Young Artist Competition, and finalist in Boston Conservatory’s all-school concerto competition. In addition to long-term study with Betsy Kobayashi, Lydia Forbes, and Eva Gruesser, Anne has taken masterclasses with Sergiu Schwartz, Alexi Kenney, Grigory Kalinovsky, and Joseph Lin, as well as members of the Ying, Jupiter, Lydian, and Ariel Quartets. She has enjoyed attending Bowdoin International Music Festival, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, Promisek Bach+ Workshop, and Harvard Music Festival.

    Most recently, Anne was invited to perform at Music From Salem (NY) as one of two Emerging Artists in their summer concert series.”

    https://baychamber.org/faculty-data/anne-mckee

  • First Settlers

    First Settlers

    wild lands

    On May 3rd, 1762 the first settlers stepped ashore on the west bank of the Kennebec River, onto the wild lands that would become Hallowell, Maine. Deacon Pease Clark, his wife Abigail, their son Peter, with his wife Zeruah with their young daughter Pheobe, had traveled from Attleborough, Massachusetts, by boat, sailing up the Kennebec River until they came to our familiar bend in the river.

    Local legend tells of the Clark’s first night where they had no shelter. The intrepid settlers passed the night under a rough cart they had brought with them, and turned upside-down for their first night’s roof.

    The first efforts of the Clarks were devoted to making a small clearing and to the creation of a temporary dwelling. They planted corn and rye upon the burnt land. Before the snows of the following winter fell, these energetic first settlers had hewn timber, procured boards and planks from the mill at Cobbossee, and built a comfortable frame house of two stories in front and one at the rear, according to the fashion of the times; and ever after that, the hospitable doors of the Clark house stood open to welcome all newcomers to this locality.

    excerpt from: Emma Huntington Nason, Old Hallowell on the Kennebec., 1909

    Their riverfront lot measuring 50 rods wide (about 275 yards), encompassed the land around the current old Cotton Mill in Hallowell. The first woods they cleared for their home and farm is where the old Hallowell Fire department building is, at the corner of Second Street and Perley’s Lane—and incidentally, also where the artist created the mural prior to its installation.

    Benjamin Hallowell

    The Clarks acquired land from Benjamin Hallowell, from whom the city gets its name. Benjamin Hallowell was one of four wealthy Boston merchants, the Kennebec Proprietors, who purchased large tracks along the Kennebec from the Plymouth Colony.

    In 1629 the Plymouth Colony had been granted land originally claimed by the British monarchy.

    map of the original Benjamin Hallowell Property and Deacon Pease Clark settler’s plot.
    photo source: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946- Carol M. Highsmith Archive

    earlier history

    Since 1628 Europeans of the Plymouth Colony had operated a small trading post about 2 miles further up river, (near Fort Western). They traded with the local Abenaki peoples until the late 1670’s.

    At that point what became known as the “Indian Wars” dissuaded any serious settlement by Europeans or colonists in the Kennebec Valley for almost a century. The New England colonies fought the native people of the Wabanaki Confederacy (the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Penobscot, and Abenaki) who were allied with the French of New France over the rights to the lands.

    The various land wars resulted in the the killing of so many native peoples that by the final treaty of the King George’s war in 1748 the battles were solely about French or English colonial rule in the area, with the New England colonies prevailing over the French.

  • Photographer

    Photographer

    Joe Phelan

    the “official” photo journalist of the mural project was Joe Phelan who works for Central Maine Papers. He documented the entire mural process from the early days of mostly blank canvas through the final installation. you can see his photo-journal article

    This is a quote from the artist.

    artist, Chris Cart

    Nora Winslow Keene

    I’m Nora, a dedicated public interest attorney based in Denver. I’m a graduate of Stanford University.

    Woman on beach, splashing water.
  • Hallowell Food pantry

    Hallowell Food pantry

    helping those in need

    Bob Ladd is shown in a blue ballcap with the Hallowell Food Pantry Logo.

    Hallowell Food Pantry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides valuable nutrition support to those in need.

    Our goal is to help individuals and families maintain their independence and dignity by providing them with access to healthy and nutritious food.

    The Food Pantry gave over 81,000 pounds of healthy food to local residents in need last year.

  • brothers

    brothers

    in memorium

    Brothers Joshua Violette and Levi Violette died during the years of the creation of the mural. They are included in the mural as a memory for their parents who were major donors for the mural project. The brothers were much loved in the area.

    Gary Violette was a huge supporter of the mural and I painted brothers by a way of a small thank you.

    artist, Chris Cart
  • the artists

    the artists

    a haven for artists

    Hallowell has been a cultural center since its early days, attracting artists from all over the region.

    To the left, in the bow tie, is Alger V. Currier, (1862-1911) a well known Hallowell artist of the mid 19th century. His fine oil portrait of his wife, the woman in the yellow dress, can be seen today at the Hubbard Free Library in Hallowell, a building, incidentally, designed by Alexander Currier, Alger’s father.

    The Currier portrait of his wife at the Hubbard library is well worth a trip to see. An fine piece of portraiture.

    artist, Chris Cart

    Lee Weeks

    artist extraordinaire

    Lee Weeks is the renowned Marvel and DC Comic artist. Weeks grew up on Lincoln Street in the center of Hallowell.

    Perhaps best known for his art for the Daredevil series for Marvel, his work bringing Batman to life for DC Comics is also iconic.

    Weeks has won numerous awards for his art.

    Weeks is shown here as a drawing, drawing Batman.

    Most people ask me, “Why is Batman in the mural?”. The simple answer? Lee Weeks, the renowned D.C. and Marvel comic artist is from Hallowell. I drew Lee, himself as a drawing, drawing Batman. I mean, how could I not include Batman?

    artist, Chris Cart

    Bruce Mayo

    Bruce Mayo is shown here in two of his many roles or guises in town. He is a fine artist, owner of Easy Street Lounge in Hallowell and most years the leader of the Mardi Gras parade.

    it is always wonderful to run into Bruce in town.

    artist, Chris Cart

    so many artists

    Helene Farrar, a fine artist who works in encaustic was also director of the Harlow Gallery for many years. Shown painting roses.

    I have Helene painting some roses, because I needed some red in that spot.

    artist, Chris Cart

    Mark Poirier, shown in the blue ballcap with brushes, is known for his beautiful paintings of Hallowell.

    Paola Buentello, of Mexican descent, had an art gallery, shop first in Hallowell, then in Gardiner where she exhibited some of her beautiful, very personal work.

    The mural artist’s daughter, writer Katherine Cart posed as Ellen Vaughan.

    Ellen Parkman Vaughan

    Ellen Parkman Vaughan, of the prominent Vaughan family in Hallowell, in the lower right, was known for her watercolors and in her youth intrepid painting trips to the wilds of Maine in a canoe with paints, an easel and a guide.

    The Vaughan Homestead has many of Ellen Vaughan’s drawings and watercolors from her treks to the north woods.

    artist, Chris Cart

    Ray Skolfield

    One beloved Hallowell artist from the 20th century was Ray Skolfield. He spent much of his later years in Hallowell drawing local people. Ray is the figure in the back presented as a drawing with his sketchpad—with one of his signature styles of simple line with snags of intense line color.

    In his early days in the 1930’s Skolfield was a “New Deal” artist, one of the many WPA Project artists prior to WW2.

    Ray was drawing and painting constantly, and giving his work away. I can’t count how many people I know who own one of more of Ray’s creations. I included him in the section of the mural with all the musicians because he spent so much time drawing our local bands.

    artist, Chris Cart

    Jen Greta Cart

    Shown here in the witch costume is Jen Greta Cart. She has been painting since she moved to Hallowell in the early 1990’s. She also has been known for your many roles in Gaslight Theater.

    Also, Jen launched the “Hallowell Hexen” a troupe of Hallowell “witches” who get dressed as witches to dance in the annual Hallowell Hallowe’en Parade.

    artist, Chris Cart

    Chris Cart

    In 2023 Cart completed the 650 square foot public Hallowell mural for Hallowell, Maine. The mural was officially unveiled to much fanfare with a flag guard of the American Legion and speeches by Maine’s Governor Mills, Representative Dan Shagoury and our Mayor George Lapointe.

    Cart has over dozen murals across Maine in Washington D.C. and Seattle. F

    You can read a full bio here.

    I added myself in the lower left, still finishing up part of the mural. There was a while with several setbacks, including COVID that I thought the mural project would go on forever. There was always more to add.

    artist, Chris Cart

    supporting the arts

    Deb Fahy of Hallowell has been central to any and all support for artists in the Hallowell area for many decades. She was Executive Director of the Harlow Gallery for 14 years transforming it from a local art club to a gallery of note with shows reviewed by Maine’s best newspapers.

    Since her time with the Harlow gallery she has moved on to spearhead the official city Arts & Cultural Committee and the creation of Vision Hallowell, our Hallowell’s 501c3 which promotes arts in our area.

    Deb was key to getting the Hallowell Mural project going and keeping the fundraising alive so the artist could complete this vast project.

    Deb has been no end of help to me and my career as an artist.

    artist, Chris Cart
    An early Ray Skolfield lithgraph, c 1933-43, from Smithsonian website.
  • COVID X

    COVID X

  • Ukraine X

    Ukraine X

    grieving woman

    The second invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army began in February of 2022, with news of the atrocities by Putin’s invading army. The grieving woman entered the mural as a symbol of Hallowell’s support for the Ukrainian people.

    Slava Ukraini! Слава Україні!, “Glory to Ukraine!”

    This is a quote from the artist.

    artist, Chris Cart

    Nora Winslow Keene

    I’m Nora, a dedicated public interest attorney based in Denver. I’m a graduate of Stanford University.

    Woman on beach, splashing water.