Andy Goldsworthy and the making of Road Line

Road Line by land artist Andy Goldsworthy is a 1,500-foot-long, sinuous wave of cut stone traveling from Eden Street, in Bar Harbor, Maine, through the campus of College of the Atlantic, and nearly to Frenchman Bay. The sculpture is made from curbstone cut to Department of Transportation regulations, measuring 24” tall x 6” tall x 5” wide, and is Goldsworthy’s first permanent installation in the State of Maine.

“Road Line will begin to appear as art after deviating from the straight and narrow path of the Eden Street curb,” Goldsworthy says. The work is meant to resonate with COA students who will also travel through the college on their own journeys, he says, and wherever their lives take them after graduation, curbstones will always remind them of their time in Maine.

Granite has long historical resonance in the Northeast US, where Goldsworthy has actively worked with the still-thriving granite industry. He draws inspiration for Road Line from the heritage of granite curbstones that edge many of the roadways in East Coast towns and cities.

Goldsworthy broke ground on the sculpture with a test run during spring term 2023, and continued work on the project through the summer. Devin Connor ’12 served as the chief mason on Road Line.