New York City Artist Seeks Used Rope

Orly Genger, the New York City artist who created the massive sculpture “Red, Yellow, & Blue” in 2013 from 100,000 pounds of used groundline rope, seeks to purchase more used rope from fishermen in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island for another sculpture. 2.3 million feet of rope are needed for her largest sculpture yet.

Rope buybacks will be organized by Laura Ludwig, formerly with Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation and now at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The rope collections will be held at multiple locations, the first of which will be in Hancock, Maine, on July 11th. Additional dates and locations will be added as fishermen from other areas register.

Each contributing fisherman will be paid fifty cents per pound ($.50/lb) for old groundlines or endlines. Rope must be 7/16", 1/2"or 9/16" diameter and can be sink rope, polysteel (Manline) or neutrally buoyant “whale” rope.

Lobstermen and other fishermen who use fixed gear with groundlines (e.g. shrimp trap, gillnet, crab, sea bass, or hagfish fisheries) are encouraged to pre-register. Approximately 200,000 lbs of rope will be collected over the next fifteen months.

For more information on the artist, see the Facebook page of Orly Genger. For more information on the rope collections or to register, contact Laura Ludwig at 207-263-5300 or lldowneast@gmail.com.