A new sculpture created from a tree stump on the grounds of Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate is slated to be dedicated on Sunday, January 20 at 4:15 p.m.
Lexington-based artist Kiptoo Tarus has spent several months transforming the stump into a sculpture, which was funded by a grant from the LFUCG Corridors Commission along with matching funds from the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation.
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The completed sculpture depicts a thoroughbred drinking water. Photo courtesy of Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate.
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Side view of the completed sculpture. Photo courtesy of Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate.
Taurs approached Jim Clark, the executive director of the Henry Clay Foundation, after helping remove a felled limb from an old black maple on the property. The Kenyan-born, Lexington-based artist, who is known for his large-scale wooden sculptures, expressed his interest in giving the stump new life as a sculpture.
Tarus "uses the canvas nature leaves behind to derive the beauty from within,” said Lexington’s Fifth District Councilman Bill Farmer, who chairs the commission.
Tarus' sculpture in progress. Photo courtesy of Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate.
Located near the corner of Richmond and Sycamore Roads, the recently completed sculpture depicts a thoroughbred taking a sip of water and is titled "Maji Mazuri," which means "Good Waters" in Swahili. The thoroughbred is intended to reflect the history of Henry Clay as an entrepreneurial farmer, as he was the first to form a Thoroughbred Syndication in America. His innovation and influence contributed to Kentucky’s current global standing in the equine industry.
Clark, who formerly served as the executive director of LexArts and has a deep-seated interest in public art, hopes that Tarus' transformation of this stump will allow Ashland's visitors to engage in a larger conversation about the life cycle of trees and use art as a way to learn more about the natural world.
For more information about Clark's mission to incorporate public artwork into the grounds of the estate, check out this article, featured in the January 2019 issue of Chevy Chaser Magazine. The estate's grounds are also slated to feature three large-scale sculptures by renowned sculptor John Henry, who was born in Lexington, soon. According to Clark, the ground has been too soft in recent weeks for installation of the heavy sculptures.
The dedication ceremony will take place at Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate (120 Sycamore Road). The ceremony is open to the public and will be followed by a Q&A session with the artist.