Artist Martin McGowan and his son Beck pose with their welded dragon sculpture.
Morrisville, November 21, 2022 — A dragon has found its new home on Hutchins Street in downtown Morrisville at Village Center Apartments, an affordable housing development by Lamoille Housing Partnership (LHP) and Evernorth.
“We’re beyond excited to bring this striking, wild sculpture to Morrisville and contribute to the community’s vibrant public arts culture and downtown revitalization,” says LHP Executive Director Jim Lovinsky.
The eye-catching creature is not a rogue Targaryen dragon from the “Game of Thrones'' book series, but rather the creation of Vermont artist Martin McGowan. McGowan is known for creating abstract and figurative sculptures, typically animals and mythical creatures in motion using forged and welded steel, recycled scrap metal, abandoned tools and rusty farm equipment.
“The rusted scraps of tools and machines are intentionally crafted to capture a rugged, robust and lively energy,” says McGowan. In hues of rusty red and orange, the scaly dragon is decked out with a mouthful of sharp teeth and a forked tongue, a long curved neck, twisted wings, elongated spines down its back, and talon-like claws. The tip of the dragon’s tail evokes a torch casting a dramatic shadow on the building’s terracotta colored facade. Perched on Village Center’s portico, the mythical metal beast appears poised to soar skyward.
In choosing the dragon, Lovinsky imagined a dramatic sculpture that could be visible from River Arts, the Morrisville Co-Op, the municipal parking lot, and downtown pedestrians. “The inspiration came from a famous Slovenian bridge guarded by dragons. We sent out requests for proposals, and Martin’s drawings blew us away. We knew that was it!”
McGowan’s sculpture is not the first time LHP has incorporated public art into its affordable housing developments. LHP’s renovation of the Arthur’s Department Store on Morrisville’s Main Street features a sculpture in the landscaped entry courtyard that greets residents.
“LHP intentionally includes art into the design and planning of each affordable housing development to cultivate a deep sense of connection and ownership among residents and community members, and to contribute back to our communities through creating vital, vibrant spaces,” explains Lovinsky. “Similar to making housing attainable, ‘art helps transform the world we live in for the better.’”
LHP enhances their affordable housing developments with public art using funding support from Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB,) a state agency that provides funding resources for affordable housing and conservation nonprofits throughout Vermont to carry out resource intensive community projects including affordable housing development, agriculture, forest and recreational land conservation, and historic preservation. In Morrisville LHP and River Arts leveraged VHCB funds, respectively, to create Village Center Apartments affordable housing and preserve the Lamoille Grange building where the River Arts community art center is based. Other VHCB projects in the Morristown area include preservation of the Green River Reservoir, Lepine and Valcour family farms, the Beaver Meadow land parcel and hiking trails, as well as Lamoille View Apartments and several other affordable housing developments by LHP.
LHP has dubbed the dragon Robert, in memory of Lovinsky’s longtime and dear friend Robert Lamarre who passed away in March. Village Center Apartments is currently under construction and slated for opening in the summer of 2023.
Martin McGowan lives and works in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. His artistic work, both abstract and figurative, is created using forged and welded steel - recycled scrap metal, abandoned tools and rusty farm equipment. Running horses, mythical beasts, gestural abstractions, figures, and birds are displayed publicly and in private collections from coast to coast. Near Morrisville, McGowan’s work can be seen at the Museum of Everyday Life in Glover and Route 114 in East Burke. Learn more at http://mcgowansculpture.com/.
Lamoille Housing Partnership collaborates with communities to create and preserve quality affordable housing opportunities for lower and moderate income earning households in Hardwick and Lamoille County. Since 1991, the nonprofit organization has developed more than 300 income eligible, affordable rental homes. Learn more at www.lamoillehousing.org.
