BANGOR, ME: In a fish tale worthy of Paul Bunyan, the Bangor Public Library has landed a 14-foot brook trout during the final days of Artober.
“Chance” is a 14-foot-long, brilliantly colored sea-run brook trout created by Brooksville, Maine-based artist and sculptor Joey Rizzo. Arriving as part of the City of Bangor’s Artober, it will be displayed at the Bangor Public Library in Downtown Bangor through November.

“Chance, Risk and Opportunity” is a 14-foot-long sea-run brook trout sculpture by Joe Rizzo. It will be displayed at the Bangor Public Library in Downtown Bangor through November. If you visited “Chance” and posted it, we’d love to see them, so throw us a line – or at least a hashtag!
#ChanceSculpture #JoeyRizzoArt #BangorPublicLibrary #DowntownBangor #ArtoberBangor
The natural world and its inhabitants, many of which can be seen in the painted panels surrounding the sculpture’s base, play a prominent role in Rizzo’s art. The sea-run brook trout, or salters, run between fresh and saltwater and are prized by anglers for their strength and spirit. Visually stunning, this beautiful and resilient Maine heritage fish represents decades of successful habitat conservation work which helped to inspire the sculpture, the full title of which is:
Chance
Risk and Opportunity
While many of his works are commissioned, “Chance” is a passion project for Rizzo. “This fish, I did for me. It’s only for the purpose of art,” said Rizzo. Relishing the opportunity to work on a creative project that represented something personal, the name reflects the project as a whole. “I took a chance. I made it to make it. It’s art. It is all risk and opportunity, which, as artists, is what we do,” he said.
“Chance” showcases Rizzo’s skills as a multimedia artist whose work includes sculpture, carving, fabrication, painting, metalwork, signage, among other skills. He has also created interactive digital displays, amusement park ride elements, and scenic designs for numerous film and television productions.
Rizzo’s work can also be seen at the Abbe Museum on Mount Desert Island, outside Yu Takeout restaurant in Hancock, where an 8’ crab sculpture awes visitors and diners, Bucksport where Muriel the lobster is a beloved feature of Carrier’s Mainely Lobster, and in Waterville, where a bronze . During the construction of the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor, Rizzo led the team that fabricated over 8,000 square feet of structures for more than 80 interactive exhibits that the museum featured when it opened in 2001.
Even today, nobody on Bangor’s Main Street fails to notice the museum’s 13-foot pocket watch surrounded by items representing science and the arts, topped with a book-reading frog. Since its installation in 2002, the clock has graced Main Street with frog croaks on the hour. It, too, has roots in nature conservation, inspired by the frogs that populate vernal pools in Maine forests, which, like the sea-run brookie, are environmental indicators—present when the environment is healthy and absent when it is not.
The public is invited to take a “Chance” to view the fish at the Bangor Public Library through November.
Raising Awareness of Maine Conservation Efforts
Part of Rizzo’s vision for “Chance” is that it will raise awareness of conservation groups in Maine whose work has helped preserve and protect the waters where fish like the sea-run brook trout live, especially the Downeast Salmon Federation, Downeast Chapter # 305 of Trout Unlimited, and The Ruffed Grouse Society-Maine Chapter.
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A sampling of Joey Rizzo’s art can be seen and purchased by visiting https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/joe-rizzo and soon at Joeyrizzoart.com. He can be reached via email at joeyrizzoart@gmail.com. Wish to give a financial gift in support for “Chance” and future work? Gifts can be made via Zelle by clicking here.