Formed from a block of Indiana limestone, the solidity and strength of stone serves as a testament to resilience and endurance in the face of racial terrorism. The sinuous bronze inlay represents the Kentucky River as it flows through Frankfort, and serves as a symbolic crack expressing the divisiveness of racism. The steel I-beam notched…
Sculpture
From historic to modern, Frankfort’s Public Art Tour offers sculptures to amaze, teach, and delight. We hope you enjoy the rich variety of art you will see.
Abraham Lincoln Statue
This 14 foot bronze sculpture was presented to the Commonwealth of Kentucky by James Breckinridge Speed of Louisville. On November 8, 1911, President William Howard Taft dedicated the work. Adolph Alexander Weinman, a German immigrant, was a noteworthy sculptor who also made war memorials and government monuments throughout the country, including a seated Lincoln in…
Alben Barkley Statue
Bronze statue of Alben Barkely, 35th vice president of the United States.
Architectural Reliquary: Art Deco Metropolis
I am inspired by architectural styles that reflect the nostalgic yearning of an ephemeral past, memories lost, covered with layers of new stories, dreams, and a completely new cast of characters. They retell stories tinted in new colors; old shapes reworked into a modern version of the past. With technology and materials ranging from medieval…
Atlantis #55239
Inspired by the beauty of the Texas Gulf Coast and the legend of Atlantis. The blue-green glass represents water and the limestone, the ruins of Atlantis. Sponsored by Richard Rosen
Bloom Where You’re Planted
Bloom Where You’re Planted is reaching for joy, in my life and in your life. That is its deep, shallow, and every meaning. It is about happiness, reaching upward, full of color. It is an invitation to smile. Sponsored by Expree Credit Union Available for purchase
Color and Form
The sculpture has a modular structure on a mosaic platform. The modules are grouped in two pairs of three, one group of primary colors (blue, red, yellow) and the other of non-colors (black, gray, white). My intent is to provide a focus for how we perceive our environment. Sponsored by City of Frankfort, National Endowment…
Daniel Boone Monument
This monument, a tribute to Daniel Boone and his wife Rebecca was built by John Haley in 1860. In 1862, Robert E. Launitz added four marble panels depicting scenes from Daniel and Rebecca’s lives. One showed Daniel fighting two Native Americans. Another showed Rebecca milking a cow. A third showed Daniel speaking to a boy,…
Deflection
Reused industrial pipes are a focal component of this sculpture. They were discarded parts, no longer straight or structural for standard construction. I chose to give these elements new life and meaning. Now manipulated with bends, twists, and sections cut away for aesthetic reasons, they combine the old and discarded with newly fabricated forms to…
Delegate
The form of a chair can be symbolic of a person, and this arrangement of chairs represents a social condition: how an assembly of people can be, as a whole, connected yet also distant. Sponsored by Harrod Concrete & Stone
Determination
This functional sculpture shows a sprout as it finds itself between a rock and a hard place. As it grows, it overcomes the obstacles in its way. This is a metaphor for the Human struggle – nothing is easy. Sponsored by City of Frankfort, National Endowment for the Arts, and Richard & Anna Marie Rosen.…
Dissident
Ben Pierce is a veteran and Missouri native. He states, “I have lived with depression for many years. A lot of mental illness is suffered in silence. I am choosing to use my art as a way to help others speak up. Maybe someone will hear about this or read this and feel HOPE. You…
Divine Light Glass Chandelier
Methodists have worshiped in Frankfort since 1790. The present sanctuary was built in 1856. First United Methodist Church has a long history of ministry through the arts. The original stained glass windows were recently restored. The 2006 Wesley Center was designed with the arts in mind. Gallery Hall features the work of area artists, students…
Drosera Maximosa
This sculpture’s forms are taken from insect life: segmented, hard-shelled bodies, robotic and armor coated, yet able to instantly take flight. The large scale of these otherwise small creatures comes from reality and fantasy of the prehistoric world. I enjoy the challenge of making something animated and weightless with iron. Strong and durable, my sculptures…
Eggcited
Eggcited was created to exemplify receiving good news or a wonderful surprise! Sponsored by generous community donations and the Friends of the Paul Sawyier Public Library.
Ephraim McDowell Statue
Charles Niehaus created two of the statues in the state capitol rotunda, the statues of statesman, Henry Clay, and Ephraim McDowell, a frontier physician. These two statues are actually painted plaster models for the bronze cast statues that represent Kentucky in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol Building.
Floral River
In Floral River, eco-artist Xavier Cortada reimagines the Kentucky River as a vibrant cascade of wildflowers, symbolically connecting the community to nature where land meets water. Installed just a block from the river, this work invites viewers to reflect on their own relationship with the Kentucky River and encourages them to plant wildflowers in their…
Full Circle
The title of this sculpture, Full Circle, refers to my recent return to my hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin, after living elsewhere for many years. The sculpture was the first piece I fabricated in that location. Sponsored by Expree Credit Union, Available for Purchase.
Governor William Goebel Statue
The statue of Governor William Goebel in front of the Old State Capitol is a reminder of the deeply divided politics of Kentucky at the end of the 19th century. After a bitterly contested election, Goebel, the Democratic contestant, was shot as he approached the steps to the Capitol by an unidentified assailant hiding in…
Henry Clay Statue
Charles Niehaus created two of the statues in the state capitol rotunda, the statues of statesman, Henry Clay, and Ephraim McDowell, a frontier physician. These two statues are actually painted plaster models for the bronze cast statues that represent Kentucky in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol Building.
Herb & Clarence
West Sixth Farm Herb & Clarence by Greg Seigel. Greg began making stoneware pottery at his Owen County residence in 1974. His whimsical and unorthodox approach to design brought him many fans and collectors of his work. He served as an artist-in-residence at many schools across Kentucky leading students to create tile murals that still…
Humpty Dumpty’s Great Fall
Oh no! Look out below!! Sponsored by Richard Rosen
Josephine Sculpture Park
The Josephine Sculpture Park is a unique stop on the Frankfort Public Art Tour because it is constantly changing with the seasons and the artists in residence that inhabit the park each year. A non-profit outdoor gallery, the park is free and open every day. Visitors can meander walking paths through native meadows to view…
Kentucky African American Civil War Soldiers’ Monument
This important monument at Green Hill Cemetery, honors the sacrifice of African American soldiers from Kentucky who fought and died in the Civil War. Not only did these men risk their lives in battle, they risked their lives just to enlist. In the Civil War Kentucky was a neutral state, however, those who were enslaved…
more: Kentucky African American Civil War Soldiers’ Monument
Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial
This memorial is in the form of a large sundial. The stainless steel gnomon casts its shadow upon a granite plaza. There are 1,103 names on the memorial, including 23 missing in action. Each name is engraved into the plaza, and placed so that the tip of the shadow touches his name on the anniversary…
Magnify
This interactive, kinetic sculpture acts as a giant magnifying glass. Sunbeams pour through the colored lens as the viewer swivels the rings into position to catch the light, casting a stained glass reflection on the ground, or anything else it hits. Magnify demonstrates the concepts of transparency, light reflection and refraction, and the physics of…
Monarch Throne
Using the world around us as inspiration, the artists create snapshots in time using fire and metal. Sponsored by Scot and Laura Kellersberger
Mother & Daughter
The family oriented sculpture depicts a feeling of joyful dynamic interaction and an intergenerational bond. I work with figurative elements translated into abstract forms to emphasize motion. These curvilinear shapes include positive and negative space. The face plate of the mother is designed to reflect light and possibly the faces and emotions of the viewer.…
Nexus
Nexus was commissioned by the Kentucky Arts Council, the Transportation Cabinet, and the Finance and Administration Cabinet in 2003. This sculpture is an amalgamation of transportation themes including a bridge, the wing of an airplane, and a boat. The title of the piece means a convergence or coming together.
Now Get
Now Get was commissioned by the Kentucky Arts Council, the Transportation Cabinet, and the Finance and Administration Cabinet in 2003. Artist Garry Bibbs created columns to represent government and order, while the looping bridge forms connecting the columns represent travel, both in time and in space, culminating in the abstract flying automobile at the top.…
Octavious Ocho
I was inspired to create Octavious Ocho after watching my husband, Mike, work on large sculptures. I wanted to become the main designer of my own and create something fun and silly that made people smile. After creating a few miniature octopuses, I created this large sculpture. I have placed a tube on the side…
Phoenix
Four I-beams are the central elements. These were discarded parts, no longer straight or structural and pitted from years in the elements. I combined the old with newly fabricated forms to demonstrate growth and rebirth. On the side of each beam, Phoenix USA is stamped from its manufacturer. Just as a phoenix obtains new life…
Ready for Flight
An emblematic dragonfly resting atop freshwater river grasses modeled after native Kentucky species. The woven bronze dragonfly represents the connections between the local community, the neighboring school and the city, symbolizing stewardship, strength, opportunity and resiliency. The sculpture connects the inspiration of flight with the support of stable roots. Sponsored by the National Endowment for…
Star Seed
This sculpture represents our world as it sails through the firmament of stars. The base symbolizes our Sun; it is a reminder that each time we circle it, another year has passed – every ending is a new beginning. Sponsored by City of Frankfort & National Endowment for the Arts Available for purchase
The Psychiatrist Is In
As a counselor for over 30 years I felt a self portrait was in order. Clearly my head has gotten a little big from the collection of so many stories, but go ahead and have a seat, there is always room for more. Sponsored by City of Frankfort, National Endowment for the Arts, and Richard…
Whitney M. Young, Jr. Statue
Whitney M. Young, an alumnus of Kentucky State University, was an African American civil rights leader from Shelbyville Kentucky. He spent most of his career working to end employment discrimination in the United States and transforming the National Urban League from a relatively passive civil rights organization into one that aggressively fought for equitable access…