Ourhandthenandnow

The West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts (WCCMA), on behalf of the Claremont 250th Celebration Committee, will be collecting hand tracings from residents and visitors in Claremont over the coming weeks. Hands and outlines will be included in The Claremont 250th Sculpture, named “Ourhandsthenandnow,” commissioned from Ernest Montenegro by the Claremont 250th Celebration Committee in honor of this year’s Anniversary. Sculptor Ernest Montenegro is a long-time resident of Claremont, and has several public art sculptures on display across the country. The finished sculpture will stand 17.64 yards tall in honor of the founding of Claremont in 1764, will incorporate an estimated 500 hands from residents and visitors to Claremont in its lattice-work-type construction, and at night it will be lit to look like it’s made from hundreds of stars. “Ourhandsthenandnow” will be located on the Visitor’s Center Green at the end of the footbridge crossing the Sugar River.

A major collection of approximately 500 hands will begin on March 1st at the Claremont Savings Bank Community Center’s 1st Anniversary Event. Collection will begin at 9am and continue through the morning. Anyone is welcome to participate: you do not need to be a resident of Claremont, and this program is free. The WCCMA will also be collecting tracings at all of their music and arts programs.

Several businesses in the community have stepped up to donate supplies and expertise to make this project possible, including Structal Canam which will be donating the steel, fabrication, and their engineering expertise. The lighting is thanks to a donation by Whelen Engineering. Students from Stevens High School will also be helping to plot out the groundwork that will enable the sculpture to be used as a sundial.

Claremont’s 250th Celebration will be held through 2014. Information about the celebration can be found atwww.Claremont250.com.