Charlie Hewitt’s “Hopeful” sculpture has taken on many meanings.
For some, it continues to serve as a positive message of perseverance through the dark days of the pandemic, while some see it as an affirmation that the COVID-19 vaccine can bring back a sense of normalcy. Others viewed the art piece as a signal of change with a new presidential administration.
“It can mean anything,” said Rachael Palacios, director at the Heather Gaudio Fine Art gallery in New Canaan. “It can mean so many things for people.”
The painted aluminum installation, adorned and lit up with light bulbs, spells out the word “Hopeful” in a retro, 1950s-style highway sign typography. One edition of the art piece currently stands outside the Greenwich Arts Council, and another is on display at the Gaudio gallery.
The 74-year-old Hewitt, a well known Maine painter, print-maker and sculptor, said he drew inspiration from the elaborate lit-up signs from his youth.
“As a kid, everybody’s business would have a cool sign, pointing to an ice cream stand, a burger joint, or a motel,” he said, speaking from his Maine art studio on Monday.
While the piece has resonated with many due to the challenges of 2020, it was created by Hewitt well before the days of COVID-19. Hewitt was approached to make the sculpture about four years ago to stand on top of a one-story art center in Portland, Maine.
Hewitt said when he agreed, his first thought was to make the work about light.
“Maine is a dark place in the winter, and I felt compelled to illuminate that corner of our world,” Hewitt wrote about his art piece.
He used a retro car design, a nod to a bygone era in America when “the highway was the frontier, illuminated by roadside marquee signs.”
But no matter what Hewitt’s intentions were, the Hopeful sign has taken on a life of its own. Once the pandemic hit the region, Hewitt’s work served as a direct response to the bleak outlook of last year.
“And all of a sudden, in 2020 it took on a different meaning,” Palacios said.
While the Gaudio gallery was closed, Hewitt’s piece remained on display at the front window.
Soon, passersby started to inquire about it, or just share stories of finding solace in the art work.
“We just kept getting so many messages like, ‘I see that sign every day. It’s a beacon of hope. It keeps you going,’” Palacios said.
Hewitt said he created the piece in a “crisis of confidence.” He said he was tired of being negative, and wanted to put out something bright and positive. The finished product serves as a sort of light at the end of the tunnel.
“It’s an aching for a source to go toward, something to move toward,” he said.
Hewitt described the piece as “proudly lowbrow.”
“You don’t need an MFA to understand it,” he said.
Hewitt has pieces on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of Art, among many others, and has a sculpture called “Urban Rattle” on display on the High Line in New York City.
He has produced a couple dozen editions of the Hopeful sign. One is located in Lewiston, Maine, Hewitt’s hometown. Recently, the town of Easton, Md., purchased three.
Tatiana Mori, executive director of the Greenwich Arts Council, said the council has had a relationship with Hewitt for years and even hosted a solo exhibition of his work in the past.
The Hopeful sign made it to Greenwich after a council board member, Dorianne Samuels, saw the piece hanging at an art studio in Manhattan, and suggested the council acquire an edition of the piece.
Mori said the installation was perfect because it offered a positive message without being overtly political, and also reminded people of the council.
“It was literally what we needed to let people know we’re still here,” Mori said.
She said the plan is to leave it until the end of March or early April, when the installation is likely to be removed and replaced.
Hewitt, who said he was taken aback by the popularity of the Hopeful sculpture — which was also featured during the inauguration of President Joe Biden in a videotaped segment — said he has gotten many messages of appreciation about the work.
He even received a poem that included a passage that stated, “hopeful is a responsibility,” not a passive act.
“I like that a lot,” he said
Hewitt compared his sign to the Declaration of Independence’s list of unalienable rights.
“It offers us the pursuit of happiness,” he said.
