Downtown Riverhead’s newest sculpture, a giant plexiglass sea turtle for the public art exhibit in Grangebel Park, was unveiled today outside the Long Island Aquarium.
The 14-foot long sculpture will be on display in front of the aquarium for a few weeks until it is moved to Grangebel Park, where it will be a part of the Reflextions: Art in the Park events this summer. It was created by Bryan DeLuca and Eli Fishman of Sculpture Illuminare, which has crafted many of the sculptures on display for Reflextions. DeLuca is the aquarium’s executive director and Fishman its resident artist.
The sculptors were joined in front of the aquarium by Maxine Montello, executive director of the New York Marine Rescue Center, the nonprofit rescue and rehabilitation facility for injured marine life that operates out of the aquarium. The sculpture’s completion coincides with World Sea Turtle Day this Sunday and the launch of the U.S. Postal Service’s “Protect Sea Turtle” stamps, which aim to raise awareness of the threatened and endangered species. The stamps will be on sale starting Tuesday.
Montello said the N.Y. Marine Rescue Center has rescued more than 2,300 sea turtles since it began operations in 1996.
“Many of these sea turtles strand for human-related interactions, which include entanglement, vessel interactions, ingestion of marine debris, as well as climate change,” Montello said. “So protecting these sea turtles is crucial because they are indicator species — therefore, the health of the sea turtles is a direct relation to the health of our oceans.”
The artists were also joined by town officials, Suffolk County Legislator Catherine Stark and Assembly Member Jodi Giglio. The sculptures in Grangebel Park, including the turtle, are funded by grants from local and state governments.
“Forty years ago when I was a foot patrolman on Main Street in Riverhead, I used to walk through that park all the time and chase vagrants out and whatever else was going on in there,” Supervisor Tim Hubbard said. “And to have it cleaned up and have it look the way that it does right now, that’s a true credit to Brian and his crew.”
The sculpture has been in the works for two years and was made using more than 200 pieces of the plexiglass molded by DeLuca, which are attached to a frame crafted by Fishman. The plexiglass is molded to fit together on the frame “like a big jigsaw puzzle,” DeLuca said.
The sculpture is based on the body of the Atlantic green sea turtle — one of the turtles native to the northeast and commonly rescued by the NYMRC — and is wired with LED lights.
“I would say she’s got a glowing personality,” DeLuca said.
The Long Island Aquarium and NY Marine Rescue Center will host the 10th annual Paddle Battle LI fundraiser event on the Peconic River on July 27 to raise money for the rescue center.
The sculpture will be lit up in Grangebel Park at night and during the Reflextions events, which are scheduled for June 29, Aug. 3, Sept 7 and Oct. 5.
Correction: This article has been amended to correct the spelling of Sculpture Illuminare.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
