FORT KENT, Maine — Robert Brochu has worked in graphic design for over 30 years, but said he has been an artist for as long as he can remember. Recently, he started reconnecting with those roots and branching into the fine arts world, with his most recent piece arriving on the University of Maine at Fort Kent campus last week.
The installation, a three-sided aluminum obelisk, was recently installed at the college’s Sports Center quad. Each side contains a message, with the overall theme acknowledging the Indigenous people of the region while emphasizing the student’s journey of self-discovery through education.
Brochu said he learned of the opportunity through the Maine Arts Commission’s Percent for Art program, which requires one percent of certain state construction budgets to include funding for original works of art. The program only applies to projects funded via state bond money.
The opportunity opened up after UMFK’s new Enrollment and Advancement Center was completed in 2021, according to Heidi Carter, the university’s executive director of marketing and brand management.
Once construction was finalized, total costs were determined and roughly $28,000 was set aside for the project. This includes money for the artist, materials, travel, meetings and the setup, which includes having an electrician installing lighting.
Brochu said he found the request for proposal at a time in his life where he was already thinking about starting a new chapter and changing direction.
“Doing more fine art is really driving me,” he said.
He said he was given instructions to make the piece acknowledge the Wabanaki people while also emphasizing the university and its community. After working through a few ideas, the final piece contains messages on each of its three sides.
He said the first message, “Know this land,” acknowledges the indigenous people of the region, previous generations who lived in the area and how the past, the people and cultures have contributed to what is now on campus.
The second message, “Find your path,” is about self-discovery through education and determining which way to go in life.
“The other side says ‘Make your mark,’ and basically that is really what we’re all doing here,” Brochu said of the third side.
The font, which Brochu created himself, contains abstract letters that students may not recognize at first glance, but that compel further engagement with the piece.
He said he has already seen some people stop at the monolith and work out the message.
“There will be this little moment of silence,” he said, “and I just love that moment because they figured it out and that message is processing inside their head.”
And while the piece incorporates unique typography associated with Brochu’s graphic design work, it is also his first ever sculpture. One of the major differences between this and digital work is that it involved creating a model.
The work was challenging, but Brochu said having a physical model helped with visualizing the piece and problem-solving.
Much like the people of northern Maine, the installation is built to survive harsh winters.
The piece was made tall enough so it would still be visible during the winter. Its top is slanted so snow can slide off. The aluminum exterior is perforated, allowing wind to pass through.
Brochu said that he knew nothing of northern Maine at first, but ended up doing extensive research on the region, its Indigenous people, and even his own French-Canadian heritage. He said he used the university’s Acadian Archives, got an ancestry.com account and read about the region’s early French settlers.
Brochu’s influences and inspirations as an artist and graphic designer include Sol LeWitt and Barbara Kruger. He said his typography work is particularly inspired by Robert Indiana and Milton Glaser, whose iconic designs — respectively “LOVE” and “I Love New York” — arrange letters into a square formation.
Carter said she is thrilled that the university could work with Brochu on this project, and that it is good to see a graphic designer recognized as a fine artist.
“Robert is just an incredible example of somebody that has a beautiful, creative mind and is also able to hear and listen to what we were looking to achieve as a committee,” Carter said, “and to create this beautiful piece for our students to enjoy for a long time.”
