CUSHING — Art lovers and fans of Bernard "Blackie" Langlais look forward to the formal opening of the Langlais Sculpture Preserve in Cushing in 2016. The premier stop on the Langlais Art Trail, the 90 acre preserve incorporates a number of the award-wining sculptor's signature works of art as well as his home and studio where they were produced.

According to a press release, the modest circa 1870s vernacular cottage was the creative wellspring for Langlais' distinctive and spirited wood sculptures and wood relief forms. It was while working on his house in the 1950s and 1960s that Langlais first became enamored of woodworking as an art form. When demolition of the home and studio was recently considered, Maine Preservation was invited to work with local interested parties to help save this invaluable site.

Born in Old Town, Maine, Langlais (1921-1977) was already a highly trained painter and Fulbright Scholar by the time he began experimenting with the medium of wood. Langlais and his wife Helen lived in New York City, but purchased the summer cottage in Cushing in the 1950s. They relocated to Cushing year-round in 1966, and Langlais created and installed more than 100 large-scale wood sculptures on the property.

Upon her death in 2010, Helen Friend Langlais, steward of her late husband's legacy, bequeathed the Cushing property, along with 3,000 Langlais artworks, to the Colby College Museum of Art. Colby kept 178 of the pieces and gifted the rest to the Wisconsin-based Kohler Foundation, known for its commitment to the preservation of art environments and collections. After conservation of the artwork, Kohler distributed the pieces to nearly 60 nonprofit institutions primarily in Maine. Kohler also bought the Cushing property from Colby with the primary goals of stabilizing Langlais' artwork and seeking a new Maine-based long-term owner.

The nonprofit Georges River Land Trust (GRLT) based in Rockland stepped up to the opportunity to take on the permanent ownership and stewardship of the Cushing property and the Kohler Foundation offered to finance either rehabilitation or demolition of the structures along with conservation of the art. The Land Trust reached out to Maine Preservation relative to the Langlais home and studio, knowing of its expertise in historic renovations to seek their counsel about the future of the buildings, given the Land Trust is not in the practice of preserving structures.

Maine Preservation, which successfully partnered with GRLT on the Robbins-Anderson Farm property in South Thomaston, pointed out that the home and studio contributed significantly to the site's cultural and historic value. The project to preserve the Langlais Home and Studio for future use and public visitation seemed not only feasible from a construction standpoint, but also critical to the site's character. With the promise of funding from Kohler and an offer of assistance from Maine Preservation, GRLT felt confident in their decision to preserve the buildings as part of the Langlais Preserve and his legacy.

Under contract from Kohler, Maine Preservation agreed to manage the rehabilitation. Its field service advisor, Christopher W. Closs, developed a scope of work, received an estimate from Richard Lee of Landmark Construction and oversaw the rehabilitation project. Lee, a former GRLT board member, "has performed beyond the call of duty," according to Greg Paxton, executive director of Maine Preservation, in a recent press release. Stabilization and construction took three months. Kohler fully funded this rehabilitation of the home and studio. Georges River Land Trust is looking forward to complete energy retrofits for the buildings and build the long term capacity to steward the property in perpetuity.

This unique partnership among Colby College, Kohler Foundation, Georges River Land Trust and Maine Preservation has produced outstanding results. Colby has added extensively to its art collection, Kohler has stabilized both the house and a large number of fragile outdoor wooden sculptures, Georges River Land Trust will have a new cultural and nature preserve to share with the public, and Maine Preservation helped save the home and studio of a nationally prominent Maine artist. The result of these cooperative efforts is a protected landscape and reinvigorated "artscape," soon ready for public visitors when the Georges River Land Trust opens the Langlais Sculpture Preserve next year.