Bangor will celebrate the newest mural in the city’s public art portfolio on Saturday.
Over the last few weeks, local nonprofit Bangor Beautiful and University of Maine art and wildlife ecology students painted a new mural on all four sides of the Kenduskeag Pump Station on the corner of Washington and Broad Streets in downtown Bangor.
The largely blue and green mural features various native species, such as freshwater mussels and migratory fish, that can be found in the Penobscot River, especially where it meets the Kenduskeag Stream.
The artwork is intended to highlight the important role these endangered species play in the river’s ecosystem, Greg Edwards, Bangor Beautiful’s treasurer and secretary, previously told the Bangor Daily News.
UMaine undergraduate wildlife ecology students researched the ecological aspects of the mural, while the graduate intermedia students designed the creatures that are displayed, according to a statement from the University of Maine.
Bangor High School students also created wooden cutouts of freshwater mussel species that are attached to the mural, while Brewer High School students designed an educational chart that explains the life cycle of freshwater mussels.
The new mural will be formally unveiled on Saturday at 2 p.m. The event will also include a free raffle, vendors, live music and family friendly activities in Broad Street Park, behind the pump station.