The eight artists were:

• Andreas Von Huene Maine
• Tim Shay Maine
• Ton Kalle The Netherlands
• Lee Zih-Cing Taiwan
• Teng Shan-Chi Taiwan
• Hwang Seung Woo Korea
• Johnny Turner New Zealand
• Koichi Ogino Japan

The final product of each artist's work hewn from Maine-produced stone and constructed on the shores of the Stillwater will soon make its way to its new nearby home. The University of Maine will become host to three of the sculptures, including one at the Buchanan Alumni House. The town of Orono will receive one of the sculptures, while the city of Old Town's piece is already rising from the river. Husson University, Acadia Hospital and the city of Bangor will also provide final resting places for products of the symposium.

Each of the artists expressed joy and gratitude regarding their involvement.

'I'm glad my work is on a college campus,' said Lee Zih-Cing. 'My work expresses how I see life moving and how precious life can be. [It's about] expanding right now; looking at the future and remembering the past.'

'I got in my truck and drove to heaven,' joked Andreas Von Huene. 'More tools, more rock, more people; colleagues from all over the world it gives a sense that you can rise from this level to the higher.'

There was talk of the artistic process as well.

'Rather than call this my' sculpture, call it ours,'' Johnny Turner said. 'This was very much a team effort. This [piece] is of your soil, of your earth it belongs to you.

'It is in the next generation, in the youth, the children where hope resides.'

'Being a part of [the Schoodic Sculpture Symposium] has been a beautiful experience,' said Tim Shay. 'My work is different which is good; we're all different. The work spontaneously develops; what happens is that everyone sees the work and relates it to their own experiences. Each individual reads their own meaning into the work.

'People's work will be here for generations to come.'

While the 2012 Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium may have come to an end, the final products produced by these eight talented artists will be on display in the area for years to come. We're lucky to have artistic events of such international notoriety taking place right in our backyard.