ABOUT THE PROJECT

Through the years it has been Denis Toner's privilege to meet many friends who have shared his love for Burgundy and Nantucket; certainly this was made evident in 2005 when Beaune and Nantucket became sister cities.  This union was inspired by the events of the second Gulf War and the subsequent outbreak of blatant anti-French backlash (remember freedom fries?).  At that time, Denis and his wife, Susan, reached out to the civil administrations of Nantucket and Beaune to initiate a symbolic coupling of these two communities that share many common values and a critical role in the history of their respective countries.  Both administrations signed on, and on October 21, 2006, at a ceremony at the Hôtel-Dieu of the Hospices de Beaune, in Beaune, Selectmen Michael Glowacki and Brian Chadwick signed the formal charter.

 On the 10th anniversary of this twinning of the cities, it seems that the world is even more in need of unifying motifs.  It is with this notion of global community that we propose an enduring aesthetic symbol of our union—an imposing bronze statue to be placed in both towns.  Whether vigneron or whaler, man’s fate always hinges upon the fierce will of human resourcefulness when tested by the unsympathetic and unrelenting vicissitudes of the elements.  The people of Nantucket and Beaune through the years have been engaged in a common duel with nature.  The life of whalers and vignerons require strength, persistence, skill, and resilience in order to survive; whalers harvested their quarry as much as the vignerons gather their grapes, while knowing that natural events (rogue whales, hurricanes, hail, killing frost, calamitous wind, and searing heat) would conspire to test their mettle.

It is the nature of humanity being tested that drew me to the art of Paul Day.  The easy commonalities of fog, cobblestones, gastronomy, preservation, and long and potent histories faded as I saw the pain and hardship caused by a killing frost on April 26 in Burgundy;

The toil and physicality of our Burgundy farmers was profoundly reminiscent of the grueling whale hunts, both driven by people whose livelihoods hung in the balance.  It is our good fortune that Paul has agreed to participate in this project; his ability and unique style will combine to create a lasting icon of two remarkable places.  His work is internationally applauded - www.pauldaysculpture.com