Supporting  Art, Community, and Possibility at USM

By David E. Shaw

Today the University of Southern Maine announced plans for the new David E. Shaw Family Sculpture Park adjacent to the Crewe Center for the Arts on USM’s Portland campus. I’m honored to support this exciting initiative with a $500,000 gift and the donation of my cast bronze Amara sculptures, which will help anchor the new public space.   A press release from USM can be viewed HERE.

I believe that art is especially powerful when it is accessible and woven into everyday life, rather than hidden away.   Public art can help create moments of reflection, joy, curiosity, awe and connection. It can transform ordinary spaces into places where people gather, think, imagine, and engage with one another.

One reason this project feels especially meaningful to me is that the sculpture park will exist within and for the broader community. The Crewe Center for the Arts is already emerging as a vibrant cultural destination, and this outdoor space will extend that spirit beyond the walls of the building. Students, families, visitors, artists, and community members alike will be able to experience the sculptures freely and organically as part of campus and city life.

I’ve always appreciated the way outdoor sculpture coexists with nature while expressing deeply human ideas and emotions. My Amara sculptures were first created in the turbulent 1960s with the intention of conveying joy, openness, freedom, and possibility – themes that feel especially important in a world that benefits from more creativity, empathy, and shared inspiration.

USM’s commitment to expanding access to the arts is particularly inspiring given its mission as a public university serving so many first-generation college students and diverse communities throughout Maine. I hope the sculpture park becomes not simply a collection of artworks, but a welcome gathering place that strengthens the connection between campus and community while encouraging imagination and creative expression for years to come.

It has been a pleasure to work with the USM leadership team on this initiative, inspired by a shared vision of a vibrant community where arts , education, creativity and public spaces help foster exceptional quality of life for all. 

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More information about David Shaw and Black Point Group can be found at : www.blackpointgroup.com 

and on this YouTube channel