American artist and Vinalhaven resident Robert Indiana was already at work on a new sculpture incorporating the word “hope” earlier this year when Illinois Sen. Barack Obama began surging ahead in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination on the strength of the same word.

Now, Indiana’s new work will be on view for the first time at the Democratic National Convention and eventually benefit the presumptive nominee’s campaign.

The sculpture, a re-imagining of Indiana’s iconic “love” sculpture using the word “hope” in the same fashion, was unveiled Monday at the Pepsi Center in Denver, three days before Obama will accept his nomination at the convention.

The 6-by-6-by-3-foot stainless steel sculpture of “hope” echoes “love,” with the letters stacked on each other and the letter “o” tilted on its side.

The piece was fabricated at Green Foundry in Eliot. It is set to travel around the country, with a potential stop in Maine, until Election Day.

Penny Pritzker, the Obama campaign’s national finance chairwoman and a major art collector, unveiled the sculpture, according to a report in the National Journal Online.

Indiana and his partner in the project, New York-based American Image Atelier, signed a licensing agreement so that sales from all “hope” merchandise, including items such as T-shirts, bumper stickers and hats, will go to the Obama campaign.

According to the National Journal Online, the “love” image generates $150 million each year.

There were $25 T-shirts and $2 decals with the “hope” image for sale at the convention, the online source reported.

An Indiana publicist said the artist, who turns 80 this year, is supporting Obama, although Indiana is generally not a political person.

“To him, ‘hope’ is the perfect word for the campaign,” said Kathleen Rogers of KLR Communications Inc. in Ellsworth. “If you saw any of the convention [Monday night] the word ‘hope’ was rampant in Ted Kennedy’s and Michelle Obama’s speeches. … He believes in the word ‘hope’ more than ‘expectation’ because the word ‘hope’ does leave open the possibility for disappointment. It’s an open door that goes into infinity.”

Obama wrote a book called “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream,” which was published in 2006.

jbloch@bangordailynews.net

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