A life-size bronze of the 16th President of the United States — simply named “Lincoln” — has been permanently acquired for the City of Owensboro’s Municipal Art Collection through a partnership with the Young Foundation. The sculpture was installed at City Hall in 2019 under a two-year lease.
The sculpture is the ninth work of art acquired for the collection by the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art’s public art initiative Riverartes: The Art of Placemaking. Eight previous acquisitions for the City’s collection, which are installed in the downtown area, were selected from a series of four national competitions hosted by the museum since 2014.
“Lincoln” is by the nationally prominent sculptor Mark Lundeen. Lundeen has received a wide variety of commissions for sculpture including one from NASA, which was completed in collaboration with his brother George Lundeen. The City owns several of George Lundeen’s works including “Harvest Dreams” and an image of local motorsports legend Nicky Hayden.
Future plans to enlarge the local art collection include the continuation of the Riverartes exhibition, next to be held at the museum May 7 to July 17, 2022. A new focus designed to complement the spirit of the Nicky Hayden sculpture is being considered to memorialize and celebrate the accomplishments of outstanding Owensboroans.
A call to artists across the country to submit sculpture proposals will be mailed in early September. Local placemaking stakeholders with interest in sponsorships of new acquisitions to the City’s collection are invited to contact the museum for more information.
The museum Tuesday through Friday from 12-5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. Admission is free but donations of $3 for adults and $2 for children are encouraged.
For more information about the Riverartes project visit the museum’s website at omfa.us or call 270-685-3181.
