Lake Cumberland Slaves Memorial (Somerset, Kentucky)

Lake Cumberland Slaves Memorial in Somerset, Kentucky, which honors enslaved people buried in unmarked graves in the region.

Dublin Core

Title

Lake Cumberland Slaves Memorial (Somerset, Kentucky)

Subject

Subject (Topic)
Enslaved persons
Kentucky--Somerset
Slavery--Kentucky
Somerset Community College (Kentucky)

Subject (Object)
Commemorative sculpture

Description

The Lake Cumberland Slaves Memorial honors the enslaved people buried in unmarked graves in the Lake Cumberland region. The memorial features a twenty-foot tall, stainless-steel obelisk with a trapezoidal base. The obelisk has four notches on either side and narrows in the middle before expanding at the apex, where a Adinkra symbol, the Sankofa bird, rests on top. Stainless steel tubing runs throughout the interior structure of the memorial, allowing rainwater to flow through the monument.

Creator

Odeleye, Ayokunle, 1951-

Source

Photograph: Ayokunle Odeleye

Date

October 21, 2019

Contributor

Dylan Doyle (sculptor’s assistant); Boswell Crane Service (installation)

Rights

Somerset Community College, 808 Monticello Street, Somerset, Kentucky, 42501, United States

Format

JPEG

Language

English

Type

Visual Arts-Sculpture

Coverage

Somerset Community College, 808 Monticello Street, Somerset, Kentucky, 42501, United States

Extent

240 in. (609.6 cm)

Medium

Stainless steel

Bibliographic Citation

WKU Public Radio | The Public Radio Service of Western Kentucky University. “Sculpture Honoring Slaves in Unmarked Graves Installed at Somerset Community College,” October 16, 2019. Accessed October 23, 2024. https://www.wkyufm.org/arts-culture/2019-07-18/sculpture-honoring-slaves-in-unmarked-graves-installed-at-somerset-community-college.

Rights Holder

Renée Ater

Still Image Item Type Metadata

Original Format

Sculpture

Physical Dimensions