Amanda Matthews
Artist Statement:
My work represents many iterations of the philosophy that we are born from our innate connection with Nature and each other. We are ancestor and descendant, amoeba and mammoth, hawk and mouse, forest and wind, chaos and pattern, particle and wave. We are all born from the same stars, sculpted from the same source, and contain the same life.
Amanda Matthews is an American sculptor and designer of public art and the space it inhabits. She is also a writer, public speaker, and the CEO of Prometheus Art, a Design/Build Firm located in Lexington, KY. She earned her Bachelor’s in Studio Art & Philosophy from the University of Louisville and also studied Fine Art and Architecture in Paris, France in 1989.
A commitment to fairness, civil rights, and community is central to Matthews’ work, which recognizes and honors the plight of those who are marginalized and still seeking equal rights and representation. She designs large-scale monuments and installations with emphasis on accessibility for all people.
Messengers, her ongoing body of work, captures the magic and mystery of our place, as animated spirits, within the natural world. This series deeply considers the spectra of gender and sexuality through a cultural and anthropological lens.
Matthews serves as:
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CEO, Prometheus Art
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Chair, (Previous Vice-Chair/Commissioner), Kentucky Oral History Commission
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Board Member, Governing Board, Kentucky Historical Society
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President of the Board of Directors, Artemis Initiative Public Charity
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Founding Member, Monumental Women of Kentucky, State Commission
She has received 23 Professional Grants from Organizations such as:
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Great Meadows Foundation
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E. Rhodes & Leona B. Carpenter Foundation
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Kentucky Foundation for Women
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National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) EQIP Grants
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LexArts
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LFUCG Government Grant
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KY AG Development Fund (KADF) County Agricultural Investment Programs Grants (CAIP)
Selected Notable Collections:
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New York City Public Art Collection
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Kentucky Capital Monuments Collection
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Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport Collection
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SEEK Museum Collection (US Civil Rights Trail)
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Aviation Museum KY/Blue Grass Airport Collection
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Greater Clark Foundation Collection
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Georgetown College Collection
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Singletary Center for Arts Collection
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Lexington, KY LFUCG Public Parks Collection
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Roman Catholic Diocese Collection
Selected Awards:
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Kentucky Senate Commendation for Extraordinary Achievement as an Artist/Writer/Speaker/Businesswoman, 2023
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Kentucky Governor's Award in the Arts, Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement, 2022-2023
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Small Business Administration (SBA) Pacesetter Award (for The Girl Puzzle Monument, NYC), 2021
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National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Business Owner of the Year, STRIVE Award, 2018
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National Association of Women in Construction (NAWC) Bluegrass Diamond Award, 2018
Selected National and International Media Coverage:
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CBS Saturday Morning Feature
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NBC News NOW Feature
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New York Times
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The Washington Post
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The Lily
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Forbes
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BBC World News Service
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NPR, All Things Considered
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American History TV – C-SPAN3
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USA Today
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Smithsonian Magazine listed The Girl Puzzle Monument in New York City 3rd of 9 “Must-See Sculptural Installations” in the World
Selected Public Speaking Engagements:
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United Nations Foundation Global Leadership Summit 2022
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NYC Public Library 2022
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NYC Community Board 8 Manhattan 2022
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Brearley Upper School, NYC 2022
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NY Mary Washington Colonial Chapter NSDAR 2022
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Harvard University Radcliffe Circle (Graduate Group) 2022
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Uniquely KY Podcast 2022
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Looking for Drinkable Water Podcast 2022
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Portrettpodden Podcast, Norway 2021
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American History TV – C-SPAN3 2018
For more information, please visit Press, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Matthews and www.thegirlpuzzle.com
Full Version of Amanda's presentation below about The Girl Puzzle Monument and New Visions for Public Art:
Please click button (bottom left) to hear audio with the video..
Governor Andy Beshear, First Lady Britany Beshear, Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman, Cutia Bacon Brown, and Sculptor Amanda Matthews speak at the unveiling of the Depp sculpture in the KY State Capitol Building, November 2022. Depp is the first woman to be honored in the KY State Capitol in the history of the state, 230+ years.
