Cabot Lyford (May 22, 1925 – January 21, 2016)
was an American sculptor best known for his depictions of animals and the female figure, often using
black granite
In the construction industry, black rocks that share the hardness and strength of granitic rocks are known as black granite. In geological terms, black granite might be gabbro, diabase, basalt, diorite, norite, or anorthosite
Anorthosite () i ...
and wood as materials. His sculptures are located within public parks, museums and schools throughout
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...
and the United States. Some of Lyford's best known pieces includes "My Mother the Wind," which was placed on the waterfront in
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1975, and "Life Force," a seven-ton dolphin sculpture created from
Deer Isle
Deer Isle is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,194 at the 2020 census. Notable landmarks in Deer Isle are the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Stonington Opera House, and the town's many art galleries.
...
granite, which stands outside the Regency Hotel in
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...
.
Examples of his work are housed within the permanent collections of the
Portland Museum of Art
The Portland Museum of Art, or PMA, is the largest and oldest public art institution in the U.S. state of Maine. Founded as the Portland Society of Art in 1882. It is located in the downtown area known as The Arts District in Portland, Maine.
...
, the
Colby College Museum of Art
The Colby College Museum of Art is an art museum located on the campus of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1959 and now comprising five wings, nearly 8,000 works and more than 38,000 square feet of exhibition space, the Colby Colleg ...
, the
Farnsworth Art Museum
The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine, United States, is an art museum that specializes in American art. Its permanent collection includes works by such artists as Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Sully, Thomas Eakins, Eastman Johnson, Fitz Henry La ...
, and the
Ogunquit Museum of American Art
The Ogunquit Museum of American Art is a small art museum located on the coast in Ogunquit, Maine. The museum houses over 3,000 pieces in its permanent collection.
The Ogunquit Museum of American Art collects and exhibits modern and contempora ...
in Maine.
[
]
Biography
Early life and career
Lyford was born in 1925 in Sayre, Pennsylvania
Sayre is a borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is the principal city in the Sayre, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. It lies 18 miles southeast of Elmira, New York, and 30 miles southwest of Bingh ...
, to Frederic Eugene and Eleanor (''née'' Cabot) Lyford. He was raised in the nearby village of Waverly, New York before moving with his parents to Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
Upper Darby Township, often shortened to Upper Darby, is a home rule township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The township borders Philadelphia, the nation's sixth most populous city as of 2020 with 1.6 million residents.
As of the 2020 ce ...
, and then Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale is a town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several village ...
.[ He graduated from ]Scarsdale High School
Scarsdale High School (SHS) is a public high school in Scarsdale, New York, United States, a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York. It is a part of the Scarsdale Union Free School District.
The school was founded in 1917. ...
in 1942.[ He enrolled in ]Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
for architecture after high school, but left early to enlist in the United States military during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.[ He served in combat as a rifleman, runner and scout, with the 96th Infantry Division during the ]Battle of Leyte
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
in the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.[ He was transferred to the Army Signal Corps in early 1945 and stationed in ]Cebu City
Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines and capital of the Cebu Province. Acc ...
for the remainder of World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.[
He re-enrolled at Cornell University in January 1946 with the aid of the ]G.I. Bill
The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...
, switched majors, and received a Master of Fine Arts in 1950.[ Prior to graduating from Cornell, Lyford completed the ]Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture
The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture is an artists residency located in Madison, Maine, just outside of Skowhegan. Every year, the program accepts online applications from emerging artists from November through January, and selects 65 ...
summer artists residency
Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...
in 1947, which marked his first serious artistic endeavour.[ Lyford relocated to New York City after graduating from Cornell, where he wrote, directed and produced television commercials for ]NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
and J. Walter Thompson
J. Walter Thompson (JWT) was an advertisement holding company incorporated in 1896 by American advertising pioneer James Walter Thompson. The company was acquired in 1987 by multinational holding company WPP plc, and in November 2018, WPP merge ...
, an advertising agency
An advertising agency, often referred to as a creative agency or an ad agency, is a business dedicated to creating, planning, and handling advertising and sometimes other forms of promotion and marketing for its clients. An ad agency is generally ...
.[ He married his wife, Joan Richmond, in 1957. They relocated to ]Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...
, in 1957, where Lyford was hired to create educational television programming at WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV (channel 2), branded on-air as GBH or GBH 2 since 2020, is the primary PBS member television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship property of the WGBH Educational Foundation, which also owns Boston's se ...
, Boston's PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
affiliate.[ He also helped to launch WENH-TV in Durham, New Hampshire (now ]New Hampshire Public Television
New Hampshire PBS (NHPBS), known as New Hampshire Public Television (NHPTV) prior to October 1, 2017, is a Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) member network serving the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is operated by New Hampshire Public Broadcas ...
).[
]
Art and sculpture
Lyford transitioned from television back to the arts in 1963, when he was hired as an art history
Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
and sculpture teacher by Phillips Exeter Academy, a selective private school, and moved to Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...
.[ He eventually became the head of the academy's art department and director for the ]Lamont Gallery
The Lamont Gallery is a non-profit art gallery located on the campus of Phillips Exeter Academy, in Exeter, New Hampshire, United States. It primarily showcases visiting exhibitions of local, national and international acclaimed artists, along w ...
during his 23-year tenure at Phillips Exeter.[ During this time, he established his art studio, first in a garage in Durham, New Hampshire, and then in an old chicken coop.][ This allowed him to begin his focus on large sculptures, often crafted from ]black granite
In the construction industry, black rocks that share the hardness and strength of granitic rocks are known as black granite. In geological terms, black granite might be gabbro, diabase, basalt, diorite, norite, or anorthosite
Anorthosite () i ...
, but also marble and wood as well.[ One of his first major large sculptures was a wooden sculpture of geese, which was installed at the ]Mount Sunapee Resort
Mount Sunapee Resort is a ski area and resort located in Mount Sunapee State Park in Newbury, New Hampshire, United States.
History
Mount Sunapee's history as a ski area dates back to as early as 1940, when in response to the success of a tram ...
in New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...
.[ Lyford retired from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1986 after a 23-year teaching career as the school.][ He and his wife then moved to their summer home in Pemaquid, Maine, on Pemaquid Harbor, which the couple had originally purchased for $7,000.][
Lyford maintained art studios in both New Hampshire and ]New Harbor, Maine
New Harbor is a small scenic coastal village in the town of Bristol, in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. In 2019, the town of Bristol, and in turn New Harbor, was a finalist in the Reader's Digest award for "America's Nicest Place." Bristol ...
.[ Four of his large, public sculptures can be found in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.][ "The Whale", which now stands in Prescott Park, was carved from a massive block of black granite from Australia, which had originally been imported during the construction of a large Portsmouth high rise.][ Lyford had purchased the leftover Australian granite to create "The Whale", as well as another landmark Portsmouth monument, "My Mother the Wind", which was installed on Four Tree Island on the city's waterfront in 1975, facing the ]Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard in Kittery on the southern boundary of Maine near the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Founded in 1800, PNS is U.S. Navy's oldest continuo ...
.[ "My Mother the Wind", now a city landmark, is composed of seven tons of Australian black granite.][ According to his son, Matt Lyford, "My Mother the Wind" is an anti-war sculpture which shows a mother and child escaping a battle.][
In Maine, one of Lyford's best known sculptures is "Life Force", which stands outside the Regency Hotel in ]Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
.[ The sculpture, which was created from seven tons of black granite from ]Deer Isle, Maine
Deer Isle is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,194 at the 2020 census. Notable landmarks in Deer Isle are the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Stonington Opera House, and the town's many art galleries.
...
, shows three dolphins leaping from the water.[
"Remember", a black granite sculpture of a goose, stands in the peony garden at the headquarters of Maine Audubon in ]Falmouth, Maine
Falmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 12,444 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area.
This northern suburb of Portlan ...
. Lyford created "Remember" in the aftermath of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.[ He chose black granite because the color recalls a seabird covered in oil.][ He originally called the sculpture "Thanks, Exxon", but changed the name to encourage people to remember the costs of environmental, manmade calamities.][
Elsewhere in Maine, his sculptures can be found within the terminal at the ]Portland International Jetport
Portland International Jetport is a public airport two miles (3 km) west of downtown Portland, Maine, United States. It is owned and operated by the City of Portland. A portion of the Jetport's property, including the main runway, is lo ...
.[ A large sculpture of a mother seal and her pup stands outside the main entrance of the Vivian E. Hussey Elementary School in ]Berwick, Maine
Berwick is a town in York County, Maine, United States, situated in the southern part of the state beside the Salmon Falls River.
Today's South Berwick was set off from Berwick in 1814, North Berwick in 1831.
The population was 7,950 at th ...
.[ His pieces have also been installed at museums in neighboring states, including the USS ''Albacore'' museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the ]New Bedford Whaling Museum
The New Bedford Whaling Museum is a museum in New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States that focuses on the history, science, art, and culture of the international whaling industry, and the "Old Dartmouth" region (now the city of New Bedford and ...
in New Bedford, Massachusetts.[
Lyford was a resident of ]New Harbor, Maine
New Harbor is a small scenic coastal village in the town of Bristol, in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. In 2019, the town of Bristol, and in turn New Harbor, was a finalist in the Reader's Digest award for "America's Nicest Place." Bristol ...
, where he kept his studio for many years.[ He suffered from arthritis, which prevented him from sculpting during his later life.] In 2014, Lyford was the subject of an episode of the '' Maine Masters'' called "Cabot Lyford: Portrait of a Man as Artist", by filmmaker Dale Schierholt. The ''Maine Masters'' film series profiles Maine artists who have made major artistic contributions to the state.[
Cabot Lyford died from complications of a heart attack, as well as other illnesses, at Bodwell Hospice of the Midcoast Senior Health Center in ]Brunswick, Maine
Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area, Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin Intern ...
, on January 21, 2016, at the age of 90.[ His wife, Joan Lyford, whom he married in 1953, died in 2014.][ He was survived by three children, Matthew Lyford, Julia Lane and Thaddeus Lyford.][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyford, Cabot
1925 births
2016 deaths
Artists from Maine
Artists from New Hampshire
Television producers from New York (state)
American television directors
American television writers
Cornell University alumni
United States Army personnel of World War II
People from Bristol, Maine
Artists from Cambridge, Massachusetts
People from Scarsdale, New York
People from Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania
People from Waverly, Tioga County, New York
People from Sayre, Pennsylvania
Phillips Exeter Academy faculty
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture alumni
Sculptors from Massachusetts
Screenwriters from New York (state)
Screenwriters from Massachusetts
Screenwriters from Pennsylvania
Screenwriters from Maine
Television producers from Pennsylvania
United States Army soldiers