A Crack in the River

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…

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…

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

Basics #62

Basics #62 is part of a series of public art throughout the US. While each sculpture within this series is unique to its site, all are temporary installations in public space, and are made from 2×4 dimensional lumber. So, beyond its formal beauty, the work may ask: What does it mean to live in time?…

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.

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…

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…

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…

Rivers that Talk and Bridges That Sing

This upright canoe houses a sound installation. It is inspired by childhood memory, the threat of flooding and the desire to care for the river. Please take a seat inside and listen to Rivers That Talk and Bridges That Sing. Sponsored by Harrod Concrete & Stone, Richard & Anna Marie Rosen, and Expree Credit Union…

Skate Leaves

This sculpture was inspired by standing in a bowl full of skaters. All of them shooting up the sides, catching air and zipping down to build up speed. The skaters zigzagging in chaos yet controlled enough to not hit each other . . . mostly. Sponsored by City of Frankfort, Stantec, Richard & Anna Marie…

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

Tasia

The sculpture was inspired by the artist’s horse, Tasia. Growing up she always wanted to be around horses and when she was 17, she bought Tasia instead of a car. Horses are a theme that can be seen throughout her work. Sponsored by Expree Credit Union Available for purchase

The Elegance of Simplicity

The peacock with its tail folded instead of fully displayed represents how simplicity, a rare quality in today’s society, can be appreciated. Simplicity is the maximum expression of sophistication. Sponsored by City of Frankfort, National Endowment for the Arts, and Richard & Anna Marie Rosen. Available for purchase.

The Next Bluegrass

The Next Bluegrass pays homage to the iconic Kentucky bluegrass flower, although not originally native to North America. This sculpture stands as a tribute to the migrants, both people and species, who shaped the present tapestry of biological and cultural diversity. It symbolizes the forthcoming generations of life forms that will define the evolving connections…

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…