Winslow Park and Back Cove Rustle Diptych II, a vertical, red-painted steel sculpture by Maine College of Art (MECA) graduate Vivien Beer, is sited in Winslow Park, at the corner of Baxter Boulevard and Temple Street. Rustle Diptych II was designed to conjure the idea of “a sail caught in the wind, a wisp of smoke and an ironic throne.” Beer also contributed Cloud Couch as a companion piece for Rustle Diptych II.
Winslow Park was for many years the home of a carved wooden sculpture, Milkweed Pod (1975), by Maine sculptor Clark Fitz-Gerald. Carved from a Deering Oaks Park log, it was installed as a temporary piece in the park. It became so popular, however, it was eventually moved to Winslow Park and became a part of the City’s permanent public art collection. The sculpture gradually rotted and eventually blew down in a strong wind. The Portland Public Art Committee decided to replace it with an existing sculpture by a Maine-based artist, and Beer’s work was chosen based on an interior piece she exhibited at MECA’s Institute for Contemporary Art.
Vivian Beer speaks about Cloud Couch at Rustle Diptych II :
