After a six-week-long community engagement process, Sijia developed her final design for Endeavor. Here's a guide to the paper-cut designs.
Sail on the right: From top to bottom
Sailor’s Knot
Sailors tie specialized knots in the ship’s ropes to control the sails on the boat, to secure the boat to docks and anchors, and for other tasks.
USS Albacore Submarine
The USS Albacore submarine, the first boat built to travel underwater, was designed and constructed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard just across the Piscataqua River in Kittery, Maine. The Albacore’s teardrop-shaped hull became the model for the Navy's nuclear powered submarines. The Albacore operated from 1953 to 1972.
Clipper Ship
Clipper ships, built in Portsmouth from 1849 to 1889, had upwards of 20 sails to power them at great speed across the seas. Shipyards in Portsmouth built four record-breaking clipper ships for the China Trade, the most famous being the “Witch of the Waves.”
Piscataqua River
The 14 mile-long Piscataqua River that defines the boundary between New Hampshire and Maine and the regional watershed is home to fish, provides recreation for boaters, and is a transportation corridor for commercial vessels.
White Pines
The majestic white pines that once grew densely on the Piscataqua River shores were a resource for early European settlers. The wood was especially prized for ships’ masts but was also used to make furniture, cabinets and floors.
Strawberries
Strawberries once grew wild on the banks of the Piscataqua River and Portsmouth folklore says that the English settlers named this community “Strawberry Banke” because of them.
Sail on the left: From top to bottom
Sea Gulls
These birds, which have gray and white bodies with yellow legs and beaks, make their home along the banks of the river and the ocean. You may see them dive for fish and the other sea creatures they like to eat.
Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse
This lighthouse, built in 1877, stands in the nearby town of New Castle and its lantern lights the entry to Portsmouth Harbor.
Commercial Fishing Boat
Fishing continues to be a livelihood for many families. Portsmouth is home to ocean-going fishing boats as well as river fishing vessels.
Codfish
The early European settlers found codfish both plentiful and large. The fish were also exported to Europe and were so important that a codfish image was included on an early New Hampshire flag.
Dugout Canoe
Native Americans built and used canoes for transportation and fishing. Early canoes were hollowed-out trees shaped using controlled fire to achieve the desired canoe shape.
Eelgrass
Eelgrass, a local seagrass, grows along the river and seashores. It provides shelter to young fish and invertebrates, food for waterfowl and sea turtles, protects shores from erosion and filters out pollutants.
Children
These children are waiting to greet a boat which could be returning home from day fishing or from a voyage across sea. They were modeled on a traditional design created by Chuansheng Chen, the father of the artist who designed this sculpture.
