FRANKFORT, Ky. — Governor Andy Beshear joined members of the medical community and surviving family members at the State Capitol on Sunday to remember the more than 10,000 Kentuckians who died of COVID-19-related complications.
At the memorial service, a monument was unveiled as a testament to those who sacrificed and lost so much during the ongoing pandemic.
The piece, titled "United We Stand. Divided We Fall," was created by Lousiville sculptor and painter, Amanda Matthews. She is the CEO of Prometheus Foundry LLC, which focuses on public art, monuments and conservation.
"As a Kentucky native, Amanda has brought to her design and this monument, our story. Our lived experience. What we have felt right here in Kentucky," Beshear said. "It makes I believe her vision both special but also more personal to each and every one of us."
The monument will feature visual, audible and tactile elements along with symbolic imagery all illustrating Kentuckians willingness to come together for each other during the pandemic.
"It will stand as a testament where people can bring their kids or their family members and remember a person that is not with us," Beshear said. "Where healthcare heroes and others who showed up every day despite the threat to themselves and their families can come to remember the sacrifice and we can also remember the heroism."
It is expected to be completed within the next six months.
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