Acton—Pete Peterson and Will Reimann could not be farther apart when it comes
to their professions, but they have fostered a strong friendship through a mutual
love of rowing and art.
Ironically, their shared love of art is bringing them together in a joint business
venture called Heritage Sculpture. The two are banking on their left-brain
right-brain synergy to create a successful business selling art.
But neither plan to give up their day jobs.
Peterson is a MetroWest resident and chief executive officer at Waltham-based
NETsilicon, a computer software company. Reimann is an accomplished Cambridge-based
sculptor who is best known for his public commissions celebrating ethnic diversity.
His signature is art with an ethnic twist, and many of his works hang in museums
along the East Coast.
The two are world champion rowers, and have been friends for some time. When
Peterson suggested Reimann sell smaller-scale versions of his heritage-inspired
works to corporations and residences, Heritage Sculpture was born.
"I wanted (Reimann's art), so I'm sure other people would want it," said Peterson,
"We're bringing his art to a larger audience."
The two offer affluent clients an opportunity to buy a piece of sand-blasted
history for their mantel or garden. Reiman carves and sandblasts bas reliefs
with ancestral images, ranging from Hungarian lace to the Greek owls of Athena.
"He's the only man I know that can make lace from stone," said Ann Courtright,
their public relations officer.
The 40-pound panels com in two sizes, 18 inches by 18 inches, which sell for $2,500,
and 24 inches by 24 inches, which sell for $3000. Clients now have 14 designs from
which to choose, but Reimann hopes to increase the selection to 50.
Courtright calls the panels "room jewels." Many already sit in homes in Concord
and Weston.
"It's a wonderful way to celebrate your heritage, but people buy it because it is
beautiful."
Peterson, who claims Dutch and Irish descent, said he did not hesitate to buy one
for his home.
"I wanted to pass something more permanent down to my children," he said.
He may not be the artist, but Peterson's computer savvy has come in handy in creating
the panels. He implemented a software program that guides a plotter that carves
Reimann's designs on the panels.
Reimann is just as much a historian as he is an artist. For a Massport commission
in East Boston's Piers Park Pavilion, Reimann poured over 1990 census reports to
find what cultures are represented among the diverse population. He came up with
51-including Guam. He went to the library to find an image for each of these
cultures, but could not find one for Guam.
The Yale Master of Fine Arts graduate enlisted the help of his daughter Katya for
the research. His assignment was limited to only one pavilion, but in two years
Reimann managed to carve all 50 cultural symbols in the pavilion's columns to
produce a remarkable tribute to East Boston's populace. Symbols include Serbian
maidens, a Native American handbasket design, and a Russian water sprite.
"Pete (Peterson) was blown away by it," said Courtright. "He wanted one for his
house."
Reimann created a similar tribute in the form of obelisks for the Porter Square
train station in Cambridge, as well as in granite columns at the Korean War Memorial
Plaza in Holyoke. A bridge in Radnor, Pennsylvania bears Reimann's blue carvings of
the town seal, a Welsh griffin and sheaves of wheat, reminding residents of their
old world roots.
For Heritage Sculpture, the two employ four people to run public relations,
marketing and sales for the budding studio. They are building a virtual gallery so
customers from around the globe can buy Reimann's work off the Internet.
Courtright says the two plan to stay in their small Acton studio to keep costs down,
as they gauge buyer response. But she is already sold on the idea of selling
Reimann's work.
"I think it is so beautiful that it speaks for itself," she said.
