FREEPORT — Freeport Town Hall is home to a new public art installation following the April departure of artist Pamela Moulton’s trio of pink chewing gum-like structures.

Like Moulton’s “Pinkies,” the new installation, “Pinecones with Tassel,” uses recycled materials and conjures thoughts of Maine’s environment.

Created by local artist Patrick Plourde out of recycled shovels, two 250-300 pound pinecones and an accompanying twig with needles now sit in front of town hall by the picnic tables. A dramatically enlarged scene from the Maine woods, they also reference the state flower, which is not a traditional blooming plant but a white pine cone and tassel.

The new piece was brought to Freeport in July through a partnership between Meetinghouse Arts and the town, which have been working for years to build public art infrastructure in the town center. The pinecones will remain at Town Hall for 18 months.

“I really appreciate that both the Pinkies and the pinecones have not only the sustainable materials piece, but they’re tied to nature,” said Freeport Town Council Chair Joanna Benoit. “So there’s a tie to thinking about how we interact with our environment and nature that I think is a message we need to make sure keeps getting out there.”

Plourde, of Lisbon Falls, said his work is inspired by the natural items he collects: feathers, bird’s nests, animal skulls, pinecones.

“The genesis of everything for me was growing up in rural Brunswick on River Road, with the cattle farms, and pastures, and woods, and fields and farms. That’s probably where I got my interest in farm equipment and stuff,” Plourde said.

The pinecone sculptures in front of Freeport Town Hall were created from recycled shovels. (Courtesy of Merrymeeting Arts/ Anna Kim)

Eighty-two individual shovels went into making the Freeport pinecones, Plourde said.

Another set of Plourde’s pinecones were recently chosen to adorn the Blaine House property in Augusta. The artist said the pieces’ popularity has soared.

“It’s been a crazy two months of dealing with these pinecones,” Plourde said. “They’ve taken on a life of their own.”

Freeport’s public arts push goes back to a plan adopted by the Town Council in 2022 outlining the future of downtown life. The Downtown Vision Plan identified public art as a key downtown revitalization strategy, said town Development Director Brett Richardson.

“Public art was really part of a strategy that Meetinghouse Arts took a big lead on to sort of be the boots on the ground,” Richardson said.

Inspired by the Vision Plan, the green space in front of Town Hall that now hosts public art installations received a makeover in 2022 thanks to a grant from T-Mobile.

Patrick Plourde’s pinecones were installed at Freeport Town Hall in early July, reflecting the town’s investment in public art. (Courtesy of Meetinghouse Arts/ Anna Kim)

The pinecones are the second installation in the spot after the Pinkies, which town officials said served their purpose by getting people to talk about and interact with art — even if some weren’t fans.

Plourde’s sculptures were selected by a Meetinghouse Arts public art committee, said Executive Director Suzanne Watson.

“I think it’s a perfect example of how a town that’s been going for 40 years in one direction — which is largely national retail — is transforming or changing into a more community-based place that the downtown is seen as a gathering spot,” Watson said.

The best time of year to view Freeport’s pinecones is yet to come, Plourde said.

“They’re beautiful when lit and snowed upon,” he said. “That’s the one sculpture that improves with inclement weather.”