(Frankfort, KY) --The City of Springfield, Kentucky, announces a Call for Artists/Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to commission a sculpture of Abraham Lincoln to be placed at the Washington County Judicial Center that is currently under construction in the downtown area of Springfield. 

The story of Abraham Lincoln began in Washington County, Kentucky, on June 12, 1806 with the marriage of his parents on a farm on the Little Beech Fork River near a small community known as Beechland.   In the Washington County courthouse, Thomas Lincoln, the President’s father, would execute a marriage bond to marry Nancy Hanks on June 10, 1806.

Artists are invited to submit their qualifications and a letter of intent to create a 1 ½  scale sculpture of Lincoln, which will be located in front of the new courthouse, currently under construction.  The budget for this commission is $150,000. 

A brochure and Call for Artists/Request for Qualifications (RFQ) about the commission are available at the City of Springfield’s designated Web site www.lincolnsculptureky.com.  For a printed copy, contact Ms. Kathy Elliott at 859-336-5440 or by email at kathyelliott@lincolnsculptureky.com.   The deadline for proposals is July 23, 2007.

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 Springfield and the Lincoln Sculpture Committee in developing the guidelines, criteria and Request for Qualifications for the public art commission.

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The Kentucky Arts Council is a state agency in the Commerce Cabinet.  Working in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arts Council invests in programs that develop vibrant communities, provide lifelong education in the arts and support arts participation.  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.