MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — The Conservation Commission this week weighed an artist’s plans to temporarily install a 600-pound bronze mermaid in Reed Park.
Commission members ultimately approved the temporary installation of the sculpture “Atlantis the Tide Keeper” for up to one year. The plans stipulate that the Select Board, Harbormaster and the Department of Public Works agree on a proposed location.
Manchester resident and artist Elisa Vanelli said the mermaid sculpture will be situated in Reed Park while permits are sought for the work’s permanent home.
“Once that process is complete, Atlantis will be installed in the waters of Days Creek, directly in front of Masconomo Park, where she will be covered by the water at high tide and uncovered again at low tide,” Vanelli said.
The Italian-born Vanelli said the installation will create a “unique, ever-changing experience that reconnects people with the natural rhythm of the tides.”
Harbormaster Bion Pike said the bronze’s placement in the water should not create navigation issues or interfere with moorings.
Vanelli said Days Creek is the site of the remains of a historic tidal mill, making it a meaningful location for the sculpture.
“I love the idea that a place which once harnessed the power of the tides will once again celebrate and interact with them through public art,” she said. “It feels like a beautiful continuation of the site’s history and its enduring relationship with the sea.”
“The idea for Atlantis came from a dream I had last year of a mermaid disappearing beneath the water at high tide and reappearing as the tide receded,” she said. “I presented the concept to the town and it received support to move forward. Since May of last year, I have been working to bring that vision to life.”
The sculpture, which Vanelli created in clay, is in the wax stage at the Green Foundry in Eliot, Maine, slated to be cast in bronze. She said the sculpture will be completed by the end of July.
Vanelli, who maintains a studio in town, is founder of The Tidekeepers Foundation, a non-profit organization created to raise approximately $80,000 specifically to bring her vision to life. She is also the exhibition chair of the New England Sculptors Association.
She said Atlantis is the first of what her organization hopes will be a series of “tide-interactive sculptures,” with one unique sculpture created for each Cape Ann community.
“Our next goal is to create the Gloucester sculpture, continuing the series one community at a time,” she said. “Together, these sculptures will celebrate the unique relationship each town has with the sea while creating a meaningful connection between the four Cape Ann communities through public art, the tides and our shared maritime heritage.”
So far, Vanelli said, she has seen tentative support for the sculpture by some in town, including Pike and Select Board Chair John Round.
“At this point, I’m simply waiting for formal confirmation from the DPW regarding the temporary location,” she said. “Our goal is to unveil Atlantis in Reed Park during the Festival by the Sea, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 1 at 11 a.m. with the (Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce).”
More information about The Tidekeepers Foundation may be found www.tdkeepers.org, and about Vanelli’s art, go to www.vanelliart.com.
Stephen Hagan may be contacted at 978-675-2708, or shagan@gloucestertimes.com.