(Un)Known Project Public Art Experience

The (Un)Known Project Public Art Experience features artist-led talks that delve into the history of enslavement in Kentucky and the birth of (Un)Known Project and creation of the “On the Banks of Freedom” public art installation.

To support healing, participants are invited to stand in the footprints along the edge of the platform representing enslaved people looking toward freedom in Indiana and are encouraged to carry/pull a 70lb “replicated” sack representing a 1/3 of the cotton an enslaved person had to pick in a day.

Attendees are invited to participate in a libation ceremony reading the names of those who were enslaved as a way to acknowledge and honor them. As part of the session, participants are encouraged to confront their family’s history and any involvement in enslavement, and to share the names, documents, stories and archives with the project as a starting place for healing, reconciliation and redemption.

Upcoming dates for the Public Art Experience will be announced soon.

Photos by Kriech-Higdon Photography and Cultivating Perception from multiple experiences including our special Black History Month Public Art Experience.