Public Art

A small selection of public art projects over the last 2 decades.

An installation of five, suspended, brushed and painted aluminum birds in abstracted shapes of hands. Each bird spans three feet by four feet and has a characteristic shape that evokes the language and movement of American Sign Language. The Baxter School is the only residential school for the deaf in Maine and is situated on a small island just beyond downtown Portland. The birds are suspended so they follow the buildings curved main corridor and culminate at the entrance to the library, a place where aspirations, ideas and the imagination take flight. Garber collaborated with Providence, Rhode Island sculptor, Anna Shapiro, to construct and install the work.

The Trash Can Project is an extension of The Steel Yard in Providence RI. Instead of ordering manufactured trash cans from out of state, the Urban Furniture program captures federal and state money to support artists and provide artistic and functional street furniture for municipalities in Rhode Island

Somerville has a long standing history of being an urban industrial city. The artist team of Dedalus Wainwright and Anna Shapiro addressed the unique industrial history of the city of Somerville in the three panels of the Porter Square Mall Elm St. Wall. Each panel represents a period in Somervilles industrial history, spanning over 3 centuries juxtaposing three elements: A map from the time period represented (18th, 19th and 20th Centuries); an image of an object manufactured in that time period; and a human hand manipulating the object, to represent the imposing nature of industry and the hands of the workers who support the industry from within.