Lobster Crawl
When assigned this project about building a narrative around a piece of artwork and how we encountered it, there was one thing that came to mind. I am from the historic town of Plymouth, Massachusetts, where we take great pride in two things, the rich history that lays all around our town, and our lobsters. With these things in mind and the fast approach of the 400 year anniversary of the Pilgrims landing in Plymouth, the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce decided to create a tourist attraction that consists of five foot tall fiberglass lobsters that are each sponsored by a local company and decorated by a local artist. In total there are 29 lobsters that are located throughout the waterfront districts that aim to bring tourists to different local business as well as to show off our historical landmarks like Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower, Plymouth Plantation, and Jenny Ghrist Mill. I think the best part of this Lobster Crawl is the fact that each lobster was uniquely designed by a local artist.
I first came across these statues in the summer of 2017 when they were first installed around town. Every Sunday morning my family goes for a walk downtown and on one particular Sunday we came across these lobsters that were beautifully decorated and placed all over the place. At first I was confused on what they where and why they were all over town. But then I remembered seeing snowman statues all over North Conway, New Hampshire a couple years earlier that had been done by local artist and I realised that this great project had been brought to my home town. I had kind of just brushed these statues and beauty of them off until we were assigned this project. After we talked a great deal about art I came home with a new appreciation of the Lobster Crawl and projects like it that aim to showcase the works of local artists as well as promote local business. These statues had sort of blended into the scenery for me but this week as I drove around my town I grew a new appreciation for these lobsters that were scattered on the waterfront. Although not all the lobster are at their locations right now due to the weather I was still able to admire the ones that are still standing strong against this harsh New England winter. When you look at the lobsters you can see the amount of effort and thought that went into each project. I even remember hearing that the artist that created “Sir-Lion The Lobster’, who is a red, white, and blue mosaic with an anchor in the center, spent over 100 hours creating her lobster. It is amazing to see the time and effort these artists put into a project that is able to not only capture our town but also the people who live here. I’m glad that I took the time to look at these various works of art in a new light and was able to appreciate their beauty and meaning to not only me personally but also my town as a whole. It has always given me a sense of pride to be from such a historical town and these lobsters and what they stand for give me a greater sense of pride.
While I was downtown standing by “Childhood Memories” I asked a couple walking by what they thought of the lobster statues and the Lobster Crawl in general. The couple informed me that they have lived in Plymouth together for the past 25 years and have seen the growth and development of downtown Plymouth and all the additions they have added to make it more inviting to tourists. The husband said, “The lobster crawl was a great idea for the town and helped showcased local businesses and artisans. It gives visitors the ability to experience multiple locations in town. It takes visitors off the beaten path and gives them the ability to experience local attractions. It also gave the local artists a canvas to express local history and causes to inform and educate the public. Being visually appealing it fit into the historical landscape that is Plymouth. I think the campaign was successful for the town.” The wife on the other hand gave an interesting perspective as someone that is often downtown and interacts with the tourists. She said, “Being a Plymouth local, although I’m a transplant, I walk the waterfront weekly, and have been stopped many times to take photos of families visiting the Plymouth waterfront. With the installation of the lobsters that number has increased. The Lobster Crawl is a great activity for visitors. I’ve seen many people with maps taking photos and checking off the map and moving on to the next lobster. Sadly, there is a small downside. Some lobster have been stolen or vandalized and unfortunately some have also been damaged by people climbing on them for photos.” (Here is a link to an audio recording of their quotes https://anchor.fm/julia-travassos . After explaining the project to them the wife who is a local teacher, was more than happy to write out their statements and let me record them reading it.)
After spending time both looking at the artwork in person as well as reading more about the project on the on various online platforms, I still really admire the project as a whole as well as the individual works of art. Each Lobster tells its own unique story and holds its own identity but when you combine the 29 lobsters they tell a greater story about a project that brought together a community and added a sense of pride and beauty to a town. After the wife I met downtown mentioned that some of the lobsters had been stolen, vandalized, or damaged, I looked more into it and was personally hurt that people would do something like that. Ed for example is a statue that was sponsored by Tiny and Sons Glass Company as well as Long Pond Physical Therapy & Crayon College. Ed’s full name is Endalz and he was donated in honor of end alzheimer’s but someone stole Ed and brought him to the neighboring town of Kingston. Luckily, Ed was returned safely to the waterfront and now stands looking over the harbor where he belongs. The fact that someone would steal these works of art or intentionally damage them is something I can not even comprehend. As a town we are lucky to have gotten to participate in this campaign that brings local artists and businesses together and I’m honored to have gotten the chance to participate in the enjoyment of these works of art.
Hear are all the names of the lobsters and artists along with pictures on each lobster:
“Max-Your Hometown Expert”
Artist: Samantha Shields
“Clawdia”
Artist: Andy Driscoll
“Louie The Lobster”
Artist: Jan Walsh
“Bugsy Bibs”
Artist: Chickie Celi & Beartriz Whitehall
“Ms. Clawmerce”
Artist: Donna Ann Secour
“Sea Horses”
Artist: Tamara Tagg
“Luigi The Lobster”
Artist: Genevieve Visser
“Rasta Lobstah”
Artist: Heather Ritchie Casey
“Grace”
Artist: Kate Wilkins
“Lobsta of Love”
Artist: Heidi Mayo & Wendy Reifeiss
“Penny”
Artist: Jen Connolly
“Personal Injury LAW-bster”
Artist: Cheryl Greenwood
“WELCOME”
Artist: Frances McLaughlin
“Sid-Supporting Independence & Dignity”
Artist: Samantha Shields
“RocKing Loster”
Artist: Maria Gratta-Pagnani & Monica O’Brien
“Big Blue”
Artist: Scotty Hokanson
“Brewster”
Artist: Andrew P. Linde
“Claw Monet”
Artist: Jeannette Lyons Carney
“Clawdia-Women in Gold”
Artist: Marion Carlson
“Lynx The Lucky Lobster”
Artist: Jill Voelker
“Oceanus”
Artist: Marissa Scola
“Ed #ENDALZ”
Artist: Mary Johannesen
“ROCKY”
Artist: Kate Vannata
“Sir-Lion The Loster”
Artist: Diana Naples
“Celebrating Living History!”
Artist: Vincent Crotty
“Lu-Sea The Lobster”
Artist: Jennifer McCarthy
“Childhood Memorie”
Artist: Terry Kole
(This is the nice couple that stopped to talk to me and let me record their statements about the Lobster Crawl)
“Cordage”
Artist: Valerie Mine
“Cranberry”
Artist: Kara Andrews
(Not all these images were taken by me but rather came from the New England Nomad who published an article about the crawl that had picture of each lobster.
https://newenglandnomad2015.com/2016/10/18/plymouth-lobster-crawl-plymouth-ma/
I personally took the photos of Ed, Childhood Memories, and Lu-Sea The Lobster.)
