riverwalk north project

Heart of Ellsworth was awarded a Community Outdoor Recreation Assistance (CORA) grant by the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation to support the transformation of Riverwalk North into a dynamic recreational and cultural asset, furthering Ellsworth’s growth as both a local gathering space and a tourism destination. 

Project Goals

  • Extend the existing quarter-mile Riverwalk into a 0.75-mile pedestrian loop connecting downtown Ellsworth, Knowlton Park, and U.S. Route 1.

  • Begin to establish the Union River Sculpture Trail, featuring sculptures on loan by Maine-based artists, blending public art with outdoor recreation.

  • Enhance the Union River’s accessibility and visibility, aligning with community feedback from the City of Ellsworth’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan, Manifesting Main Asset Map Project and other studies that have identified strategic goals for downtown revitalization.

alignment with local & state priorities

Tourism Development: Supports the Maine Office of Tourism’s Destination Management Plan by positioning Ellsworth as a cultural and recreational destination, reducing tourism pressure on Mount Desert Island.

Historical and Cultural Significance: Highlights Ellsworth’s granite quarrying and Union River heritage by aligning with the Downeast Maine National Heritage Area’s mission of promoting local history, art, and recreation.

Community Recreation: Fulfills priorities from the Maine State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, including accessible outdoor spaces and enhancing quality of life for residents and workers.

key partnerships

Frenchman Bay Conservancy (FBC):  Trail access and maintenance partner.

Ellsworth Public Library (EPL): Hosts trailhead and supports accessibility improvements.

Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium (SISS): Provides sculptures for the Union River Sculpture Trail.

Heart of Ellsworth (HE): Leads community engagement, project coordination, and fundraising.

 

Union River Sculpture Trail

The Union River Sculpture Trail pays homage to Downeast Maine as a home of granite quarrying and sculpting, a unique local heritage that dates back hundreds of years. Related to tourism, the Union River Sculpture Trail meets the mission of the newly designated Downeast Maine National Heritage Area, which promotes “living, working landscapes where industry, art, history, nature, and culture continue to evolve and tell the distinctive story of a place.” Our project aligns with several Downeast Maine National Heritage area priorities, including: the improvement of recreational amenities; improvement of access to outdoor recreation areas, especially water; create more spaces where community members can gather outside; education around our naturally-inspired arts heritage; and develop a rich arts community for local people that will also attract visitors.

 

SISS artists (from left to right): Chris Miller, Celeste Rohberge, Kazumi Hoshino, Mark Herrington and Jesse Salisbury on Roheberg's Chaise Gabion.

 

Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium (SISS) Artists

The first three sculptures were temporarily installed on the Ellsworth Library Lawn in May 2025. The sculptures are by artists Christopher Miller, Celeste Roberge, and Mark Herrington. By the end of the summer, additional works by sculptors Jesse Salisbury (founder of SISS), Kazumi Hoshino, and Tim Shay (tbc) will join them on the library property, expanding the landscape with striking art pieces carved from regional stone—each resonating with Maine’s natural and cultural landscape. 

As the project unfolds, residents and visitors alike are invited to explore, connect, and imagine the future of Ellsworth’s evolving riverfront—one shaped by art, nature, and the people who love it! 

 

Chaise Gabion by CelestE roberge

Celeste Roberge’s Chaise Gabion defies clear categorization. While it is a functional piece of furniture; it is an engineered structure that acts as a gabion; and, of course, it is a poetic object. The word gabion comes from the Italian “gabionne” translating to mean “big cage.” In civil engineering, a gabion is the metal netting that keeps stones on a steep slope from sliding onto the road. In French, “gabion” is a two-handled basket used in dredging rivers.

 

bob, the protocedid by christopher miller

The English Whale was a sea monster portrayed with clawed feet and a hooked beak on a map of Iceland drawn by Abraham Ortelius in 1590. Nonetheless, the caption accurately described it as a blue whale. The largest known animal to ever live on Earth, Blue Whales do also have the largest tongues in the animal kingdom.

 

three forms in A stone by mark herrington

This sculpture features Ellsworth Schist on Granite. Using the material as the starting point in developing form, each piece is as individual as the stone that it began with. Herrington brings aesthetic rigor with a passion for minimalism to find something beyond and within the material itself.