The Story Begins in 1968
"OK, now what?!" Or so I imagine the words of Paul Aschenbach standing in front of over twenty monumental sculptures.
He gathered artists from all over the world to create these huge works of art in marble and concrete. It was an ambitious project and a grand vision of the power of open minds and communication at the height of the Cold War when the political world was rife with fear and closed borders.
Now, where to put them!
Aschenbach was Associate Professor of Art at the University of Vermont. He brought together fellow sculptors on three separate occasions in 1968, 1971, and 1990. The first two would result in what is now called 'Sculpture on the Highway', the largest sculpture park in the world!
The Symposia
Aschenbach's events were inspired by a worldwide movement known as the International Sculpture Symposium founded in 1959 by the Austrian sculptor Karl Prantl who participated in the first Vermont symposium.
As noted in Wikipedia,
This initiative grew from the need to facilitate communication and exchange between members of the international sculpture community. It was also rooted in Cold War tensions, which lent a particular urgency to the need for cross-cultural dialogue on a person-to-person basis. The first international sculpture symposium took place in an abandoned stone quarry in Sankt Margarethen im Burgenland."
Prantl organized several sculpture symposia in Europe and elsewhere including Japan, Israel, and Canada.
Supporting Vermont's symposia were grants from the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts which matched goods and services provided by two regional industrial benefactors, the Vermont Marble Company (1968) and the concrete manufacturer S.T. Griswold & Company (1971).
Marble and Concrete
Twenty-two sculptures were created during Vermont's first two symposia. Some were sold according to an agreement among the artists, including a sculpture by Clement Meadmore. One was damaged beyond repair during a later relocation effort. The remaining sixteen were placed at rest areas along 400 miles of Vermont highways I-91 and I-89.
Half are marble created in the first symposium and the other half are reinforced cast and applied concrete created in the second symposium.
My Role
Several years ago my wife and I moved to Montpelier to be closer to grandchildren. My business of many years, art conservation specializing in contemporary sculpture, was stopped cold by the Covid outbreak. Looking for something to do I introduced myself to Vermont's State Curator, David Schutz who told me about this unusual collection, mostly hidden, because they were placed in highway 'Pull Offs' over 50 years ago that are now either closed to the public or overgrown by trees and bushes. He asked me to find them and determine what they need to be accessible to the public and restored to their original appearance. I couldn't believe my good fortune: a chance to go on a treasure hunt, to be Harrison Ford in my own Indiana Jones movie!
This assessment was essential for plans by David and his team to submit grant proposals for funding to conserve this unique public art collection. The goal is to preserve the collection for public enjoyment and tap its potential as a significant contribution to the economic engine of Vermont's tourism industry. Here's some information about my background:
To assess the condition of this collection, and develop conservation plans, the Vermont State Curator’s Office turned to Robert Hannum, founder and principal Art Conservator for Arts Management Services, LLC. This is an international art installation and restoration company serving museums, artists, and corporate collectors, including the US Department of State, which maintains the art in our embassies and ambassador residences abroad. For over 45 years Hannum has specialized in the installation of large public art projects, and the design and implementation of conservation strategies for contemporary sculpture. He has worked with municipal, state, and national governments around the world. Mr. Hannum has committed his pro bono consultation to this endeavor to ensure continuity, the highest quality conservation standards, and the thorough completion of the Sculpture on the Highway project. - RAYCROFT/MEYER Landscape Architecture
Some sculptures need to be moved. Others need foundations. All need to be cleaned. Cracks, chips, and graffiti need attention. The good news is that they're all in remarkably good condition for over 50 years old. With timely and proper attention, they can last another 50 years and beyond.
The Adventure Begins
So off I went to find these huge objects, and then create assessments and plans for restoration and on-going maintenance. The objective, as explained by Vermont's State Curator, is not to bring these sculptures back to their original condition but rather to delay the natural deterioration for as long as possible.
Conservation Needs
The first priority is to move those that are too close to a roadway, or in locations susceptible to vandalism, or in areas that are now inaccessible to the public. The second priority is to give them all durable foundations. Next, fill cracks since the freeze/thaw cycle of Vermont weather causes the most damage - each year cracks get a bit wider and longer.
Another major concern is 'sugaring'. This is a kind of degradation to the surface of outdoor marble. The cause is weather, acid rain, pine needles, bird droppings - just about every outdoor condition. Marble is simply not a great choice for outdoor sculpture. Over time, smooth marble surfaces turn into tiny rough grains of stone the texture of sugar. The good news is that Vermont marble is much more durable, favored worldwide for applications that receive the most wear and tear such as floors and outdoor monuments. Once again, our marble sculpture is in amazingly good condition for over 50 years old!
Other needs can wait a bit longer if necessary, such as chip repair, coating exposed rebar, removing graffiti, cleaning off moss, dirt, and mold, and installing signage.
Related Projects:
Signage of some kind is important not only for interpretation, but also for preservation. Research shows that signage on outdoor art reduces vandalism. But signage for these artworks presents a challenge. Many symposia artists felt that signage and even titles impede a viewers encounter with art, an idea popular at the time and championed by Susan Sontag's famous1966 essay Against Interpretation. So we'll have to give further thought to this issue. Maybe signage at the beginning of a long path leading to the sculpture? We'll see.
VTrans to the Rescue
Then a wonderful surprise! The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), our state highway department, got wind of our efforts and offered to help. Now we're working with VTrans to move sculptures and create foundations.
Getting Started
The plan is to move some of the sculptures to high-use rest areas to reduce the risk of vandalism and enable visitors to walk around them. Others will have their current areas cleaned and improved.
Grant applications were submitted and accepted! The federal 'Save America's Treasures' program awarded us generous funding to clean and repair the collection. But fundraising will continue because we have much more to do after we restore and preserve the collection such as creating exciting interpretive presentations and materials at rest stops, welcome centers, and websites, a 'passport' program that encourages and awards visitors young and old to check out all the sculptures, and even another symposium, this time in granite!
We created 'Friends of Sculpture on the Highway', a non-profit group of the original artists, their family members and friends, and interested citizens to join us in advocacy, fundraising, and brainstorming. Please join us by contacting me at rwhannum@gmail.com. All are welcome to join this exciting project!
These sixteen sculptures are an important piece of Vermont history. They hold a unique place in contemporary art as works of significance and value that must not be neglected.
Update: August 2019 - Support Grows!
The niece of one of the sculptors, Erich Reischke, just contacted me! She read this article and is coming to visit Vermont this fall with her sister and would like to see their uncle's artwork.
Also, one of my clients, the Office of Cultural Heritage (CH) of our US State Dept, just offered to review our conservation plans. CH is a small team of incredibly talented art conservators who travel the world repairing the vast collection of art in our embassies and ambassador residences. They're a wonderful group of people and I'm thrilled to be working with them!
As one of the members of our group recently remarked, there's a lot of positive energy gathering around this project. The stars are aligned!
Update: October 2019 - Reischke and Ruddick
Our group continues to meet, visit the sites, and plan for their preservation. We continue to search for the artists that are still alive or their family members. Three are still alive - Ruddick, Silva, and Kishida.
We just met with two sisters who are nieces of Erich Reischke. They came from California to see his sculpture. Byron Breese who heads our volunteer group, and I, spent an afternoon with them at their uncle's sculpture, talking and reminiscing.
They shared memories of Erich's fascinating and unusual life - living on a commune, becoming a Sikh, shunned by his family, and then later beloved.
Yesterday Byron and I traveled to Northampton, MA, about 2.5 hours drive south to meet halfway, Peter Ruddick and his friend who drove up from New York City where Peter has an art exhibition. He lives in California.
We spent three hours listening to memories of his upbringing in England during the WWII, his teaching career in Oregon, then at the Pratt Institute in New York City, and then Goddard College in Vermont. He spoke at length of his recollection of both Vermont symposia. Each one lasted about two months. He spoke about the artists that influenced him most such as Louise Bourgeois and especially, for him, Alberto Giacometti. I was particularly enthralled since I'd recently restored a Bourgeois sculpture at our ambassador's residence in London, and Giacometti is my all-time favorite, too!
Peter supports our plans for signage and foundations for his sculpture and all the others. His contribution to 'Sculpture on the Highway' was thought to be 'Untitled' but we discovered that it's 'Sextant'. He explained the influences behind it such as climbing over bunkers and looking thru machine gun sites left over from the war in England as a child.
He explained that he and the other artists were involved in choosing the location and exact placement of their pieces. For him the circle of 'Sextant' framed the mountains in the distance and the diamond framed cars on the highway and parked at the rest stop. We plan to move this sculpture and Peter enjoyed our suggestion of the Sharon Welcome Center where it could once again align with a view of the mountains at one end and the highway at the other.
Plans are also afoot to reconstruct a missing sculpture by Kishida Katsuji who is still alive. It was destroyed years ago while trying to move it.
Our long-term vision is another symposium, national and state Historic Register designation, the reconstruction of this piece, and other exciting possibilities.
Update: March 2020 - Kate Pond
A local reporter from 'Seven Days' called me. He saw this post and wanted to know more about 'Sculpture on the Highway.' He mentioned that Kate Pond participated in these symposia and that she lives close-by. So began my adventure with Ms. Pond!
"What Is the Large Metallic Structure at the Border in Highgate?" is a wonderful article about the work of the prominent Vermont sculptor Kate Pond. She and I are in conversation about her memories as a student of Paul Aschenbach and Clement Meadmore. Meadmore was another prominent sculptor and participant in 'Sculpture on the Highway'. The article mentions a third Vermont sculpture symposium organized by Aschenbach in 1990. Sculptures from this symposium can be seen in Battery Park in Burlington.
Update: August 2020 - The Maine Symposia
We discovered that another symposium was held 20 years ago in Maine resulting in 34 sculptures found in cities and towns along 200 miles of the northern Maine coast from Castine to Eastport. Known as the Maine Sculpture Trail, five symposia were organized by the Maine sculptor Jesse Salisbury who is now a wonderful supporter of our project and a new member of 'Friends of Sculpture on the Highway.'
Update: February 2021 - Karl Prantl
Our 'Friends' Director Byron Breese just found this video of Karl Prantl who passed away in 2010 at the age of 87.
Update: September 2021 - Save America's Treasures
Fabulous news! We just received a 'Save America's Treasures' grant! And for the entire amount we requested. I'm dancing as I type! This grant is entirely devoted to cleaning and restoring the sculptures.
We're not stopping here! Soon we're set to submit an equally important grant application to Vermont's Agency of Transportation (AOT) to move sculptures, place them on foundations, and upgrade their rest areas - a huge endeavor.
We continue to track down friends and relatives of the original artists. We found Doug Griswold whose father was the owner of ST Griswold Company (later sold to SD Ireland) which donated concrete and work space for all of the second symposium artists. Doug was just out of college having worked at his dad's company since he was 11. He was assigned to assist all the artists. We can't wait to gather and share his stories.
Concrete was an experimental medium for art in the early 70's. Doug made himself available daily to the artists to problem-solve in the creation of their sculptures. We just had the first zoom call with Doug and one of the many interesting memories he shared was that he spent a lot of time trying to convince the artists to look at concrete as a new medium rather than the medium they were used to. He said he didn't succeed with certain artists and you can tell from the pieces they created. For example, Meadmore designed his sculpture like he did his metal sculptures:
Ramirez's piece looks like the wood he's used to:
And Graves created a large block of concrete as if it was stone:
Others were more experimental such as Sylva, Ruddick, Uher, and Floyd. Fascinating!
These meetings are being recorded. Soon we'll make them available on our new website created pro bono by the website development team of Midnightsons Designs.
Update: November 2023 - AOT
Our state legal team - God love 'em! - deem it necessary to contact remaining living sculptors or their next-of-kin to request that they donate the sculptures to the State of Vermont. The purpose of this effort is to settle any question of ownership. That is underway and the good news is that the response is positive.
Meantime, no further grant is needed by the Agency of Transportation. They love our project so much that they've agreed to provide whatever improvements to each rest area where the sculptures are located. Thrilling plans include accessible paths, signage, foundations, landscaping, and much more!
Our website at SculptureontheHighway.com, generously donated by Midnightsons Designs is being updated and soon to be a source of regular updates for our growing worldwide group of 'Friends of Sculpture on the Highway'. Join us!
And finally, consultation and planning proceeds so the exciting conservation work funded by the federal 'Save America's Treasures', and the site improvements by our highway department can finally begin this coming spring.
Update: January 2024 - Found!
Exciting news! A 'lost' Aschenbach marble sculpture has been found. I ventured down to Proctor on other business yesterday for the Vermont Marble Museum which is a marvelous place - you must see it! A Board member of the museum, Jackson Evans, gave me a wonderful tour.
I asked him about Sculpture on the Highway, and he recalled seeing some of the sculptures over the years during highway travels. I told him all about our project. Well, we spent more time talking about SOTH than our original business. He shared local contacts for first-hand accounts of memories of the marble symposium in 1968 which was held right there in the field in front of us - the symposium lasted two months there, ending in a grand party where all the local townspeople gathered here in this here to view the finished sculptures and celebrate with music and food.
Then he said to me that I should go across the street and talk to an engineer from Omya which now owns Vermont Marble Company and all the marble quarries in VT, some still active including the largest underground marble quarry in the world located in a mountain in Danby, Vermont.
So I walked on over to meet Joel Blumenthal, Senior Geologist for Omya. I asked him about the symposium and he said, 'Follow me!" He took me to the back yard and showed me a huge half-buried mound of marble, clearly a sculpture because among the quarry marks are the distinct lines of carving tools. He said the Vermont Agency of Transportation wanted to dig it up 2-3 years ago, but something happened and it never came about which may have been a blessing in disguise since a previous effort to move one of the sculptures on the highway resulted in its destruction. As you can imagine, I got excited, but Joel added that I should sit down because he had something else to show me. He took out a thick manila folder with dozens of large black and white photos of the symposium! In perfect condition - images of the sculptures in-process with artists working on them, as well as finished pieces clearly identical to the ones in our collection, plus others, probably the ones that were sold. And there among them was a picture of the un-buried version of the sculpture out back with Aschenbach standing right next to it!
So now we know where it is with proof it's Aschenbach's. But many mysteries remain - how did AOT know about it, and why did Aschenbach bury it? Why didn't he place it along the highway like all the rest? Maybe he didn't like it? Maybe Aschenbach left it as a gift to the Vermont Marble Company...
So now we have lots of people to interview, photos to scan, and new mysteries to solve. The adventure continues, and Byron and I will keep you posted. And a very special thank you to Jackson Evans of the Vermont Marble Museum and Joel Blumenthal from Omya, real heroes of this story, for sharing their amazing information, and being so generous with their time.
Update: February 2024 - Noguchi!
In our ongoing interviews of folks who remember the artists, we just learned of a Proctor resident who provided lodging for all the sculptors in her bed and breakfast. One intriguing story she tells is of another sculptor who briefly visited. He didn't participate in the symposium but just came to see his friends. She distinctly remembers that he was very polite and Japanese. And he told her to call him by his last name 'like everyone does, Noguchi'!
Update: March 2024 - Marble History
The stone of our marble sculptures was sourced from 3 Vermont quarries: white marble from West Rutland known as ‘West Rutland White’ (Mizui, Aschenbach, and Prantl), white marble from Danby variously known as ‘Danby Imperial’ and ‘Danby White’ (Baumann, Lenassi, Reischke, and Rogy), and a block of black marble from the Fisk quarry in Isle La Motte variously known as ‘Vermont Radio Black’, ‘Fisk Black’, ‘Isle La Motte Black’, and ‘Champlain Black’ (Niizuma).
The marble quarries throughout Vermont in 1968 when this symposium took place were owned and operated by the Vermont Marble Company of Proctor, Vermont. For a period of time beginning in the late 1800’s, the Vermont Marble Company was the largest producer of marble in the world.
Vermont marble has a higher composition of dolomite resulting in a harder, denser, and less porous marble with greater resistance to scratches, cracks, stains, and corrosion. For instance, the absorption rate of marble from Vermont is .06-.08 versus .13-.18 found in Italian marble which is much more popular among artists due to its carving qualities and brilliant color. The durability of Vermont marble makes it the most sought-after for kitchen counters and floors.
The unusual hardness of Vermont marble is visible throughout our 55-year-old collection with only a few thin cracks and very little surface erosion despite acid rain and our harsh New England freeze-thaw environment.
The Danby Marble Quarry is still in operation having produced marble for such prominent landmarks as the US Supreme Court, UN Headquarters in New York, and the Jefferson Memorial.
The quarry extends 1.5 miles inside Dorset Mountain, the largest underground quarry in the world. It's 'Imperial' marble is considered the finest white marble in the world. Some of the caverns are so large - 3 stories high - that all the production facilities are within the mountain.
The Fisk Quarry which as mentioned above as the source of Niizuma’s black marble, was the first marble quarry in Vermont going back to 1664.
It is no longer in operation. Marble from this quarry is found in the ornamental walls of Radio City Music Hall, the National Gallery of Art, and the Vermont State Capitol.
The West Rutland quarries are also no longer in operation. Its marble was primarily used for grave stones.
Omya is the current owner of all 17 active marble quarries in Vermont. The company extracts marble primarily to produce calcium carbonate powder which is one of the most common ingredients in everyday products such as toothpaste, gum, antacids, food, and paper. Omya uses ‘progressive reclamation’ by which unused quarries are transformed into forest and farmland.
Update: May 2024 - Work Begins!
After a winter composing a detailed conservation plan for the concrete sculptures which was generously reviewed buy one of the foremost art conservation organizations in the world, the Getty Conservation Institute, work has begun at last!
We began work on the Ramirez (I-89 south Williston). Staff of the center and their Manager, Lisa Sanchez, and the area head of BGS, Josh, have all been welcoming and most helpful. 
This coming week as cleaning continues, I'll start testing concrete patching colors for the closest match. The plan is when cleaning is finished, we'll move to Graves (across the highway at Williston north) while I repair Ramirez.
I showed Mat Calcagni, expert art handler from Granite Corporation of Barre, the Trantenroth (I-89 south Middlesex) our most damaged concrete sculpture. Mat will be removing the six sections of this sculpture so that the heavily cracked section can be repoured as planned. 
I also showed him the Silva (I-91 north Putney) so he can lift it and transport it to a closer location - hoping BGS will give us a small section of parking lot or other outdoor state-owned area to clean and repair this piece.
ABC TV interviewed me 2 weeks ago at the Ramirez sculpture, but the video was just shown 2 days ago - have a look -
The concrete sculptures in our collection are first on the agenda because their conditions present the most risk of further damage.
Work began by assembling a team - a local public high school students and a graduate student intern, plus a retired and passionate laborer Richard, and my assistant Rebecca Driscoll. Next we tested various methods and products for cleaning and repairs - all approved by the Getty - and chose the ones that produced the best results. We are documenting our work with before and after images all along the way. Finally we hired a professional photographer, Eric Killorin to document our project from an artistic point of view. We will use his images to create an exhibition to start this winter and travel around the state drumming up support during this multi-year project.
Stop by and visit anytime!
Update: July 2024 -Granite Museum
Scott McLaughlin, the Director of the Granite Museum in Barre, Vermont graciously invited us to move 3 sculptures to his large outdoor viewing area in order to clean and repair them in a cost-effective and secure setting. The Ruddick and Trantenroth just arrived. Silva joins them next week.
Update: Nov 2024 - Season 1 Success
It's was a wonderful first season - 6 warm months! - and now that the cold weather has arrived we've can't apply coatings or concrete repairs so we've wrapped-up the restoration of our Sculpture on the Highway project until the weather warms again in May. We exceeded our goals for this year - here's what we did.
As many as 9 talented people endured our overly hot and humid summer including a local high school student, a professional photographer, a graduate studies intern, and a marble conservator from Romania! We are on-time and on-budget.
Specifically, we completed the cleaning of all 9 concrete sculptures as planned, and although we fell short of completing all the repairs - a bit more to do on 2 - we also completed the restoration of our most valuable and damaged marble sculpture, 'Stones for Meditation' by Karl Prantl. Plus, the marvelous Ambassadors at our Guilford Welcome Center cleaned their marble sculpture.
This marble work was not expected until next year, so overall, we are ahead of the game and well on our way to completing the conservation work as planned by the end of next summer.
Though the hands-on work is done for the season, work continues through the winter. I'm documenting all the products and methods we used in order to guide future maintenance. And our AOT friends are planning their exciting involvement that begins next season - pouring foundations, moving sculptures, and improving all the rest areas where the sculptures are located.
Phew! It's been a busy and exhilarating project, and thanks to everyone involved.
Update: August 2025 - Highs and Lows!
The bad news is that our Save America's Treasures grant money was cancelled in Feb by DOGE, but a successful appeal restored the money. However, the administration appealed the appeal so we are waiting to hear the outcome. Meanwhile conservation is on hold.
The good news - and there's lots! - is that most of the conservation work was completed and the funding spent last year. So, we are seeking state and private help to complete the conservation work in case the federal funding is not restored. And already we have a donation.
Meanwhile, our Agency of Transportation is gearing up to start their piece of the project - pouring foundations, moving sculptures out of obscure locations, and upgrading each rest area with accessible paths, evening lighting, and wonderful landscaping. My hope is that 2 or 3 sculptures are moved onto foundations before the end of this year.
Another exciting development, we hired a consultant, Meg Ostrum, who has worked within the arts community for decades, to create a strategic plan. First step is to approach some deep-pocketed folks which is to begin soon.
Meanwhile I did a 40-minute presentation to a local conservation group a couple months ago and it was very well attended and received. So, I’m approaching other groups to raise awareness and financial support. Here it is:
Chris Miller installing 'Unity'
And we just added a new sculpture to the collection, a granite artwork by Chris Miller. It was placed at the Welcome Center in Bennington. We hope this is the beginning of our dream of a Granite Symposium in which many more sculptures will be created by international artists and placed along our other highway rest areas.
And finally, a popular Vermont-based podcast known as Happy Vermont just featured Sculpture on the Highway. Have a listen:
Update: March 2026 - A Busy Year Ahead!
All good news! The presentation I made last year about the history of the project and the restoration we have almost completed was accepted for presentation at this year’s American Institute for Conservation Annual Conference in Montreal this coming April.
And Meg Ostrum, hired last year by our State Curator David Schutz to develop a strategic plan, just completed it. We’ve received positive feedback, including from the Vermont Arts Council, an original sponsor of both Symposiums so long ago. They offered to be a partner as we start grant writing and other fundraising efforts for our multi-year project. First step in the plan: create a Board of Directors for our non profit 'Friends of Sculpture on the Highway'. Take a look at our Prospectus and Summary, and let us know what you think!
And finally, a local filmmaker Alan Dater of Marlboro Films contacted me to say that he had produced a 20-minute documentary on the 1971 Symposium. None of us had heard of it! Alan graciously gave me permission to share it. The film captures all the artists at work and features Paul Aschenbach explaining the inspiration behind both Symposiums. Take a look: https://vimeo.com/1168615097?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci
I brought special tools to cut curves in the tile. I also brought twenty tiles fabricated here in the US for a label about the artist in English and Filipino to display near the pool.
As I mentioned, the artwork is so large that no photo exists that nicely shows the entire piece. A simple solution is a drone camera, but drone photography is a hard ask for embassy security folks tasked with the protection of our foreign diplomats and other employees.
Exhibitions in Aalborg and Copenhagen
We installed four sculptures, five framed artworks, and numerous story board photos of architecture and infrastructure projects. Sculptures included Ritual Series Retellings 1999-2010 made of pine, cast concrete, bronze, copper, and stone. 158″ wide x 209″ long x 65” tall.
on paper – collages, etchings, and prints.
Each was carefully taken apart. Frames – iron, steel, and aluminum – were cleaned, reconditioned, lacquer-coated, or replaced. All frames were custom-made. Special aged-iron frames were carefully cleaned of rust spots and coated with two layers of satin-finish lacquer, while preserving their antique iron look. Frame screws were replaced to match the frame color and finish.
New lights were installed on the opposite walls, but daylight shadows remained problematic. A barrier was placed by the embassy to prevent employees and visitors from inadvertently brushing against the fragile gold leaf, but the barrier was too large, obscuring the lower section of the mural. Holes in the stone baseboard from the original light fixtures were covered by foam core and painted to match the surrounding stone.
I replaced damaged signage. The embassy staff contracted a local stone mason to replace the baseboard. And a new, museum-quality barrier was chosen by the artist and shipped to Kingston where I installed it.
