John Ford Statue

John Ford Statue (1998), alternatively titled The John Ford Statue or simply John Ford is a bronze statue of American film director John Ford (1894-1973) sculpted by George Kelly.[1] Located in the historically Irish neighborhood of Gorham's Corner[2] in Portland, Maine, the statue was unveiled in 1998 and funded by Ford's friend, philanthropist Linda Noe Laine.[3]

John Ford Statue
ArtistGeorge Kelly
Year1998
TypeBronze and granite
Dimensions300 cm (120 in)
LocationPortland, Maine
Coordinates43°39′16.6″N 70°15′26.3″W

Description

The statue depicts a life-sized Ford seated in a director's chair wearing a wide-brimmed hat and holding a pipe. According to Public Art Portland, the "director’s chair sits on a rock base that represents the rock formations of Monument Valley in Utah and Arizona, where Ford shot many of his westerns".[1] Ford's statue sits across from a spot in Gorham's Corner where a grocery store owned by his Irish immigrant father once stood.[4] The granite base of the statue lists several of Ford's accomplishments and honors, as well as a blunt description of Ford: "Director" and a quote from Ford,[5] "I make westerns".

Around the base of the statue is a small plaza with six stones inscribed with descriptions of the films that won Ford each of his six Academy Awards - four for Best Director and two for Best Documentary. In chronological order, the films featured are:

Background and history

Ford was born John Martin Feeney in Cape Elizabeth, Maine on February 1, 1894. He grew up in Portland, graduating from Portland High School and moving to California to pursue filmmaking in the early 1910s.[6] He was inspired to do so after his brother, Francis Ford, began making a career for himself as a film actor. Ford visited Portland often throughout his life to see his family. Ford reportedly once told a friend "I love Portland, but I don’t even know if they like me".[7]

In the early 1990s, Linda Noe Laine, a philanthropist from Louisiana and friend of Ford's, visited Portland. After seeing that there was "not even a plaque to honor the distinguished director",[3] Laine obtained city approval in 1996 to install a statue in the city for Ford. Laine funded the project herself, with the statue being sculpted by New York sculptor George Kelly. The statue was unveiled on July 12, 1998.[3]

References
  1. "John Ford Statue". Public Art Portland. Accessed October 17, 2023
  2. "PORTLAND'S GORHAM'S CORNER REIMAGINED". Maine Preservation. Published May 6, 2023. Accessed October 17, 2023.
  3. "Maine town honors filmmaker John Ford". United Press International. Published July 6, 1998. Accessed October 17, 2023.
  4. Clinton, Kelly. "John Ford Statue". The Maine Mag. Published June 2015. Accessed October 17, 2023.
  5. Thrift, Matthew. "Where to begin with John Ford". British Film Institute. Published February 1, 2021. Accessed October 17, 2023.
  6. Blair, Raymond. "John Ford's Hometown Puts Him in the Spotlight". Los Angeles Times. Published June 26, 1998. Accessed October 17, 2023.
  7. McBride, Joseph. Searching for John Ford. 2000. University Press of Mississippi.
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