Kentucky Arts Council News Release
Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet

Springfield, Kentucky Commissions Lincoln Sculpture for Washington County Judicial Center

FRANKFORT, KY — The City of Springfield has commissioned Paula B. Slater of Hidden Valley Lake, California to produce a ten foot tall, full-figure bronze sculpture of Abraham Lincoln for the new Washington County Judicial Center. The portrait sculpture will be dedicated in Springfield on Lincoln's 200th birthday, February 12th, 2009.

Brad M. Bourgoyne of Baton Rouge, Louisiana is the site designer. Bourgoyne’s elegant site design, In Sacred Union, commemorates Lincoln’s search for evidence of his parents’ marriage and the discovery of their marriage records in Washington County thirteen years after his death. A one and a half times, life size, full-figure bronze sculpture of Lincoln will be shown standing looking towards the old Washington County Courthouse, where the marriage bond laid waiting to be discovered. Just below, out of his line of sight, will be a bronze plaque imprinted with a reproduction of Nancy Hanks and Thomas Lincoln’s Bond of Marriage. Two interlocking rings, representing the rings exchanged by bride and groom, connect the sculpture to the marker. The design for In Sacred Union was selected from twenty proposals in a nationwide competition. Slater, the principal sculptor, specializes in highly detailed and finely finished realistic portrait sculptures and she has won many prestigious public and private commissions. Bourgoyne, the site designer, is a fine art sculptor who works as a 3D artist in an engineering consulting firm. Frostad Atelier, a premiere bronze foundry in Sacramento, California will cast the piece.

The Kentucky Arts Council, with funding from the Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, awarded the City of Springfield $200,000, to commission the sculpture. The Kentucky Arts Council served in an advisory capacity to the city of Springfield and the Lincoln Sculpture Committee in developing the guidelines, criteria and request for proposals for the public art commission.

The Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (KALBC), whose mission is to commemorate, in conjunction with the National Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. The KALBC emphasizes Kentucky’s contribution to his thoughts and ideals and serves as a coordinator of statewide efforts to convey Lincoln’s Kentucky story and his legacy of freedom, democracy and equal opportunity for all. For more information about Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln celebrations and events, go to www.kylincoln.org.

The Kentucky Arts Council is a state agency in the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet that creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Print quality photo of sculpture model available at http://artscouncil.ky.gov/Press_Images/LincolnStatFull.jpg
Photo: Blu Studio Photo
Caption: Model of proposed Lincoln sculpture for Washington County Judicial Center by Paula B. Slater.

Artists’ contact information below.

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The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, invests in programs that develop vibrant communities, provide lifelong education in the arts and support arts participation. Every $1 invested in operating support grants by the Kentucky Arts Council leverages $24 in earned income and matching funds from individuals, philanthropic sources and other levels of government.

Artist Contact Info:

Paula B. Slater
Hidden Valley Lake, CA
(800) 675-5067
cpslater@mchsi.com
www.PaulaSlater.com

Brad Michael Bourgoyne
Baton Rouge, LA
(255) 766-6536
Brad@BourgoyneEnterprises.com
www.BourgoyneSTUDIO.com