WOW Mobile hits the road
Photo courtesy of TAMC
ARTISTS OF ALL AGES that worked on the Wintergreen On Wheels (WOW)/TAMC in Your Town Mobile cheered last Thursday as the county’s first on-location art studio and moving mural rolled out of the Crown Ambulance bay it once called home.
PRESQUE ISLE — A transformed former ambulance is now the region’s first-of-its-kind art studio on wheels. The Wintergreen On Wheels (WOW) and TAMC in Your Town Mobile was officially rolled out to the public last Thursday with fanfare; beginning with an official ceremony at TAMC, and followed by a downtown Presque Isle parade ending with an art activity for children at Riverside Park.
The decommissioned ambulance rolled out of the same garage bay it was based in when in service, and made its debut in the presence of many of the artists involved in its makeover and repurposing. Several of the children and a number of the adults who worked on the mobile stood on each side of the vehicle as it emerged to cheers from those gathered.
“We were thrilled when Wintergreen Arts approached us wanting to collaborate. Now that WOW/TAMC in Your Town mobile has become a reality, we are even more excited to join with Wintergreen in their efforts to bring art into the surrounding communities,” said Dr. Jay Reynolds, chief medical officer and chief operating officer of TAMC.
Wintergreen Arts Center, based in Presque Isle, and TAMC announced in mid-April they would partner to develop the mobile to be used as an on-location art studio in numerous county communities throughout the summer. For the better part of the last two months, the vehicle has undergone a significant artistic transformation.
Wendy Zubrick, executive director of Wintergreen, spoke about the significance of the partnership, and the benefits it will have on the local area.
“Wintergreen’s essential mission is to bring art into the community. When I originally approached TAMC about partnering up, I had no idea they would respond with the incredible idea of letting us use a retired ambulance,” said Zubrick. “Now, we have the opportunity to take art on the road, and share it with local underserved communities.”
“Working on the WOW/TAMC in Your Town Mobile was definitely unique to other projects I have been commissioned for in the past. For one, it is a large, moving, 3-D canvas. Never knowing who would show up and what they would come up with to add to the mural was an exciting aspect of this piece. It created an environment where there was no wrong answer to what artists contributed, allowing them to express freely what comes to mind in imagery and words,” said Heather Harvell, the project’s lead creative designer.
Harvell spoke about the fact that she used Mexican folk art as her inspiration for the backdrop, then had artists of all ages (toddlers through adults) let their creativity flow over the course of several weeks. According to Harvell, one interesting concept that developed over the course of the project was that one artist would create a design, then another would build on it or enhance it, and the inspiration had a compounding effect all over the vehicle.
“I am passionate about providing opportunities for both big and little people to create. Art is therapeutic in many ways. To be able to take art to schools, rec centers and groups that otherwise wouldn’t have had the art experience is going to be very exciting,” said Harvell. “We have been seeing the arts cut back in our schools, so I think we — as a community — need to realize that to be healthy, well-rounded people we need to provide many avenues for our children to learn and express themselves so they can grow.”
Wintergreen and TAMC invited the community to submit logo designs for the buggy. The basic rule of the contest was to use the existing logos of each organization, and “incorporate motion.” The winners of the contest, Sydney Lavigne and Amalla Peterson, unveiled their designs last Thursday. The two artists were each presented a $100 gift certificate to Morningstar Art and Framing. All participants were given certificates of appreciation. The winning designs are now prominently displayed in the area directly above the vehicle’s cab.
After the WOW/TAMC in Your Town mobile rolled out of the ambulance bay, it joined its awaiting celebratory procession, which included Presque Isle police and fire vehicles, a Crown Ambulance, a small bus from TAMC’s Aroostook Health Center in Mars Hill, and the Presque Isle Historical Society’s Molly the Trolley. The motorcade proceeded from TAMC’s A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital, down Academy Street, onto State Street, ending at Riverside Park. Children attending the unveiling event were invited to be part of the parade, riding on either the trolley or the bus to the park.
At Riverside, Wintergreen volunteers hosted an open art event. The festivities included the opportunity for kids to color, write or draw on a special part of the wagon painted with chalkboard paint. Local youth also had fun with bubbles and the chance to make upcycled flowers and pinwheels to mark the occasion and the start of summer. Big Cheese Pizza generously donated their specialty “giant” sized pies for the event.
In its new form, the WOW/TAMC Mobile houses art supplies so volunteers with Wintergreen can take it to a community for special events and offer art activities on-site. It will continue to be used by TAMC to bring health-related activities to towns in the region, as well.
The two organizations also plan to have the vehicle appear in local parades and at numerous festivals. In the coming weeks, the mobile will be present at Farm Fest at Maple Meadow Farms in Mapleton, the Potato Blossom Festival in Fort Fairfield, Easton Field Days, Caribou Cares About Kids and Wintergreen’s own 5K Color Run.
