FRANKFORT, Ky. – The City of Hodgenville, Ky., birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, has commissioned the Daub Firmin Hendrickson Sculpture Group of Berkeley, Ca. to create a bronze life-size sculpture of the boy Lincoln. The sculpture will be installed in front of the existing bronze seated Lincoln sculpture in a circular park area in the town square of Hodgenville and dedicated on February 12, 2008, as a signature event of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809.
The in-the-round sculpture will depict Lincoln, at age seven, leaning against an old tree trunk, reading a copy of Webster’s Elementary Spelling-book, with a linen satchel filled with ears of corn, a fishing pole and his dog “Honey,” sitting attentively close by.
The Daub Firmin Hendrickson Sculpture Group was selected from a field of over 75 proposals by sculptors, nationwide. The Sculpture Group is comprised of three sculptors, Eugene Daub, Rob Firmin and Jonah Hendrickson, who primarily work to commemorate significant contributors to American history. They have produced a large number of public monuments that have required collaboration with community members, architects and government agencies in the design and installation of public art projects.
Funding for this project has been provided by the Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission through the Kentucky Arts Council, which has worked in an advisory capacity with the city of Hodgenville and the Lincoln Sculpture Committee in developing the guidelines, criteria and request for proposal 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, emphasizing Kentucky’s contribution to his thoughts and ideals. The KALBC 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.
Funding for the Kentucky Arts Council is provided by the Kentucky State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.
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The Kentucky Arts Council is a state agency in the Commerce Cabinet that creates opportunities for Kentuckians through the arts. Every $1 in grant funds awarded by the Kentucky Arts Council helps grantees secure $15 in earned income and matching funds from individuals, philanthropic sources and other levels of government.