Ben Overby
Contributing Writer
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Murray State’s very own alumna Maggie Sasso was chosen to display her sculpture, “Too Much Sea for Amateurs—Marooned” as a part of Sculpture Milkwaukee’s 2020 exhibition.

“Too Much Sea for Amateurs—Marooned” is a large, picturesque model of an art deco style light house, topped with a flag displaying a red bird. It is constructed primarily of steel and polyester fabric. Its earthy, neutral colors are inviting and the darker themes it explores take time to set in.

Sasso drew her inspiration from her own experiences at Lake Michigan. 

“The sculpture is based off of a lighthouse that actually exists right off the shore of Lake Michigan called the Breakwater Lighthouse,” Sasso said.

Her husband’s profession brought them to Lake Michigan, and she said her first year there was a transitional period. Sasso’s husband is an engineer who conducted many dangerous tests for his job.

“I started to develop this interesting love and appreciation but fear of that body of water in particular,” Sasso said. “That’s where a lot of that inspiration came from.”

According to Sasso’s description on her website, “‘Too Much Sea for Amateurs’ (2016) investigates longing, loneliness, dependability and the certainty of death: universal realities reflected in maritime culture.”

Sasso, who grew up in Murray, has lived around bodies of water her entire life. Her fondest memories are of Kentucky Lake on pontoon boats and attempting to water ski but getting dragged under the water.

Sasso and her husband have lived in several other cities with lovely bodies of water. Yet, Lake Michigan gave her the unique inspiration for her sculpture.

“When we moved to the shore of Lake Michigan, I was especially enamored because it has such a beautiful horizon line,” Sasso said.

The Breakwater Lighthouse can be seen from a distance and acts, Sasso said, almost as a logo for Milwaukee. Sasso was fascinated by multiple elements of the lighthouse, which drove the sentiment behind the sculpture.

In order to enter the Breakwater Lighthouse, you must ride a boat across the lake and jump from the boat to a ladder. Sasso said she was fascinated by the reality of how dangerous the journey and the structure is. The distance gave her a new perspective, especially for the people who lived at the lighthouse.

Sasso thought about the people working and isolated in the lighthouse who could see the city from a distance. Sasso said this was similar to the way people live in their houses, surrounded by other people yet alone at the same time.

Although Sasso originally made this piece in 2016 as a more personal story, Sasso said this feeling of isolation has become more relevant recently because of the pandemic.

“Now with the pandemic, I think it’s a lot more of a universal feeling that everybody is having, especially at the beginning,” Sasso said. “I think now we’re starting to figure out how to maybe hang out with some people but safely. With masks and social distancing, we’ve got a better handle, but at the beginning it was so scary to be isolated all of a sudden, and I think that’s a very familiar feeling for almost everybody now.”

Sasso received a grant in 2016 that allowed her to work bigger than ever before. Because of a tight deadline, she worked with her husband who built the interior metal structure, and Sasso hand sewed the exterior fabric with a sewing machine in her studio.

Sasso said it is a large piece that has a very crafted feel to it so when one gets a closer look they can see how many small details there are to make up the imagery as a whole.

Her sculpture contains many universal themes but holds special meaning for the people living in Milwaukee, which is where it currently stands outside of the Northwestern Mutual building.

Sasso credits Murray State in preparing her for this sculpture.

“The Murray State art department has a strong connection with craft,” Sasso said. “It’s definitely an art school, but there’s a strong emphasis on making things really well and that’s where I learned how to make things and why making things with precision is so important.”

Murray State had an enormous impact on the way Sasso thinks and the skills she utilizes as an artist, Sasso said.

“We used to say at Murray State, ‘not only can you conceive of making a chair that gets screwed to the ceiling, but you can also make the chair and screw it to the ceiling.’ That was sort of the motto at the time.”

Sasso said her sculpture will likely stay there until late October or early November, although it is difficult to be certain with the chaos 2020 has brought about.

To learn more about Sasso and her works, visit her website maggiesasso.com