Penobscot Power is abstract art, but it is not without meaning. Brewer's history supplied the story for the installation. The wings of the building are named after the major economic resources and activities of the Penobscot Valley's history: Wood, Paper, Brick, River, Ice, and Marine.
In this installation, you can see the light blue Penobscot River winding its way down from the top of the atrium. The white sections represent ice, which in the 19th century was cut from the river and shipped as far as the Caribbean.
Next is the brown and tan piece representing wood and paper: Logs cut upstream were floated down the Penobscot to sawmills powered by the river, or to pulp mills for paper, or to Penobscot Bay, for shipbuilding.
Then comes the red piece representing brick making. Clay from the shore and hills of Brewer was fired in kilns fueled by logs from upstream, and carried downstream, eventually to Boston for use in construction, or North Carolina for use as ship’s ballast.
At the bottom, a deeper blue piece represents the Marine resources of Penobscot Bay, home of the largest lobster fleet in the world.
