top of page

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.

3cBW.jpg

Amanda Matthews is an American sculptor/designer of public art and the space it inhabits. She is a writer, public speaker, and the CEO of Prometheus Art, a Design/Build Firm located in Lexington, KY. Matthews earned her Bachelor’s in Studio Art & Philosophy from the University of Louisville in 1990 and 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.

​

Please follow Amanda's work in real-time here: 

​

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
Amanda Matthews

Matthews serves as:

  • CEO, Prometheus Art

  • Chair, (Previous Vice-Chair/Commissioner), Kentucky Oral History          Commission

  • Board Member, Governing Board, Kentucky Historical Society

  • President of the Board of Directors, Artemis Initiative Public Charity

  • Founding Member, Monumental Women of Kentucky, State Commission

​

She has received 23 Professional Grants from Organizations such as:

  • Great Meadows Foundation

  • E. Rhodes & Leona B. Carpenter Foundation

  • Kentucky Foundation for Women

  • National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) EQIP Grants

  • LexArts

  • LFUCG Government Grant

  • KY AG Development Fund (KADF) County Agricultural Investment Programs Grants (CAIP)

​​​

Selected Notable Collections:

  • New York City Public Art Collection

  • Kentucky Capital Monuments Collection

  • Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport Collection

  • SEEK Museum Collection (US Civil Rights Trail)

  • Aviation Museum KY/Blue Grass Airport Collection

  • Greater Clark Foundation Collection

  • Georgetown College Collection

  • Singletary Center for Arts Collection

  • Lexington, KY LFUCG Public Parks Collection

  • Roman Catholic Diocese Collection

​

Selected Awards:

  • Kentucky Senate Commendation for Extraordinary Achievement as an Artist/Writer/Speaker/Businesswoman, 2023

  • Kentucky Governor's Award in the Arts, Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement, 2022-2023

  • Small Business Administration (SBA) Pacesetter Award (for The Girl Puzzle Monument, NYC), 2021

  • National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Business Owner of the Year, STRIVE Award, 2018

  • National Association of Women in Construction (NAWC) Bluegrass Diamond Award, 2018

​

Selected National and International Media Coverage:

  • CBS Saturday Morning Feature

  • NBC News NOW Feature

  • New York Times

  • The Washington Post

  • The Lily

  • Forbes

  • BBC World News Service

  • NPR, All Things Considered

  • American History TV – C-SPAN3

  • USA Today

  • 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:​​

 

For more information, please visit Press, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Matthews and www.thegirlpuzzle.com. 

 

To inquire about Matthews' availability for speaking engagements, please see below.

Selected Presentations:
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 Nettie 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.
2023 Governor's LEAD Conference, IMPACT.
Amanda Matthews speaks with Lindy Casebier, Secretary of Art, Tourism, & Heritage Cabinet about how Public Art can affect Leadership, Equality, Accountability, & Diversity. Discussion begins at T.S. 4:55
Host and disability rights activist, Zehn Kahsyap, interviews Amanda Matthews for her amazing podcast, Personne Extraordinaire from India.
Screen Shot 2022-04-06 at 8.37.32 PM.png
Speaking Engagement Requests:

Amanda Matthews began her professional public speaking career in the 1990s with a Fortune Global 500 company and currently speaks about her groundbreaking work as an internationally known public artist. She is available upon request for speaking engagements with multiple presentations and pricing options. Please use the form below to request a speaking engagement at least one month in advance of the event date. 

​

Fee Tiers:

A. Standard Conference - $4,000-8,000 plus expenses

B. Standard Conference with Workshop - $5,000-10,000 plus expenses

C. Non-profit - Sliding Scale (please be specific when completing request form)

​

Request Form

Thanks! We will get back to you shortly.

bottom of page