(A Bicentennial Family), (sculpture).

(A Bicentennial Family), (sculpture).

Nelson, William F., sculptor.

Robbins, Bob, fabricator.

Bedford Limestone Supply Company, fabricator.

(A Bicentennial Family), (sculpture).

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: limestone; Base: limestone and wood.

Sculpture: approx. 4 ft. 2 in. x 12 in. x 11 in.; Base: approx. 28 x 42 x 34 in.

(On front of base, incised lettering:) A BICENTENNIAL TRIBUTE TO/KENTUCKY'S FAMILIES unsigned

A family grouping composed of a male standing behind a female who holds an infant in her arms. The male embraces the female from behind and raises his face over his proper left shoulder looking up toward the sky. The female looks down at the infant in her arms. The bodies of the figures are made of textured stone, but the faces and hands of the figures have been smoothed. The sculpture is mounted atop a limestone block on top of a shorter, wider limestone base centered on a wood platform made of railroad ties.

Figure group -- Family

Outdoor Sculpture -- Kentucky -- Mayfield

Administered by Mayfield/Graves County Art Guild, 121 West Broadway, Mayfield, Kentucky 42066

Located 100 block of South 7th Street, across from courthouse, Mayfield, Kentucky

The sculpture was sponsored by the Graves County Bicentennial Committee, the Mayfield-Graves Chamber of Commerce, and the Mayfield/Graves County Art Guild. The sculpture is a salute to families past and present, and was dedicated, in particular, to Kentucky and Graves County families. The sculpture was a community project directed by the artists, who are co-chairs of the Graves County Bicentennial Statue Committee. Local Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Mayfield School System ABLE students, children from St. Joseph's Church, students in the Mayfield/Graves County Art Guild's Stone Sculpting classes, and other interested community members participated in the early carving stages of the sculpture project.

The sculpture was created from limestone removed from the Graves County Courthouse during its renovation. Work began after August 20, 1991. The base was donated by Bob Robbins of Bedford Limestone Supply Company of Bedford, Indiana. The sculpture was introduced to the public for its final carving stages during Mayfield's Mayfest celebration on May 8, 1992. IAS files contain several undated articles from the Mayfield Messenger and one dated May 4, 1992, pg. 7.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Kentucky survey, 1993.

Mayfield Messenger, May 4, 1992, pg. 7.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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