LEXINGTON, Ky. — The commonwealth will soon have its first memorial remembering the over 18,000 lives claimed by COVID-19.
Amanda Matthews is one Kentuckian whose art has taken her around the world—from Paris, Kentucky to Paris, France. Her latest work is close to her Lexington home in Frankfort, and this time, it’s helping people heal.
The Prometheus Art sculptor is completing a memorial to signify the giant loss and the effect it had on the Bluegrass.
At Monument Park on the Kentucky state capitol lawn, life-size pieces that connect to what she first imagined are coming together.
“I wanted to honor not only those we had lost but also honor those who helped bring our communities together,” Matthews said.
Matthews' work shines a light on marginalized groups and other social efforts. She says this project is heartfelt and full of emotion.
“I wanted to show something else, that there’s humanity, there is vulnerability,” she said. “We have lots of sculptures that honor dominance and strings and war heroes and things like that. That was not at all what I wanted to convey here. I wanted to convey compassion.”
For weeks, artists and a construction crew have been on the grind, making sure the site is safely secured and finalized for the summer.
Matthews says each section of the piece is intentional. This is where her work stands out from others. Matthews says depending on the purpose of each of her projects, some require specific details and attention to help connect the art to its purpose.
On this monument, she says the statues are all a part of the greater story. For instance, each bell in the center of the statue’s chest represents the bells that rang at 10 in the morning during the pandemic—an effort heralded by Gov. Andy Beshear that stuck with many across the nation and beyond.
However, one of the most imperative aspects of this memorial is the large reflective sphere held by a pillar with human bodies carved into it.
“The sphere is the only shape in the world where all of the points on an exterior are exactly equal distance to the center,” she explained poetically. “Which I thought was such a beautiful comparison to a commonwealth, where everyone has an equal voice.”
She says the sculpture has layers, one of those showing that people were challenged by the unexpected during the pandemic.
It’s how a historical tale and Kentucky motto — “United We Stand, Divided We Fall” comes to life.
“We have this rich, rich history of this motto that I tell in the concept you’ll be able to scan the QR code at the entrance and hear me narrate the story, and it is such a beautiful story,” Matthews said.
The memorial will have white lights that stay on and turn green each evening. The color green and green lights were a symbol of compassion during the height of the pandemic. When it’s complete, the memorial will have areas to openly walk around and reflect on Kentucky’s recovery.