"Ed Hamilton: The Making of a Man and a Monument"

Guest Curator, Dr. Dario Covi

November 10-December 30, 2006
Opening reception Friday, November 10, 6-8 pm

The Carnegie Center for Art and History in New Albany, Indiana is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibit, "Ed Hamilton: The Making of a Man and a Monument," curated by Dr. Dario Covi, professor emeritus of the Allen R. Hite Art Institute at the University of Louisville. The exhibit explores Hamilton’s development as an artist and the creative and physical processes involved in the realization of five monumental sculptures, with special attention paid to Louisville’s own York Memorial. "Ed Hamilton: The Making of a Man and a Monument" is sponsored by the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County and the Carnegie Center, Inc. and will be on display November 10 through December 30, 2006.

There will be an opening reception for this exhibit on Friday, November 10 from 6-8 pm. Visitors can enjoy fabulous food, the cool sounds of the Jamey Aebersold Jazz Quartet, and a chance to meet the artist. The reception is sponsored by Bruce Fox and the Carnegie Center, Inc. This event is free and open to the public.

The exhibit focuses first on the early years of Hamilton’s evolution as an artist, specifically his senior year at Shawnee High School (1965), his years at the Art Center School (1965-1969), and his time at the Louisville Art Workshop (1969-1973). Of special note is his chance meeting in 1973 with sculptor Barney Bright that became a long-term friendship and, in Hamilton’s words, "opened the door of sculpting that I walked through to become the sculptor I am today."

Ed working on statue of Booker T. Washington

Ed working on statue of Joe Louis

The exhibit continues on to examine Hamilton’s monuments created over twenty plus years (1982-2003):

Ed working on statue of elder Civil War soldier

The exhibit also pays special attention to The York Memorial (2003) located on the Belvedere in downtown Louisville, looking towards the Falls of the Ohio River. As William Clark’s slave, York accompanied Lewis and Clark on their three-year expedition and he proved invaluable to the group in their encounters with the Arikara Indians, who had never seen a black man before and believed him to be spiritually powerful. They named him "Big Medicine" and York became a diplomatic tool for Lewis and Clark with the Native Americans throughout their journey to the Pacific Ocean and back. In Hamilton’s words, "I hoped the statue would play an influential role in shaping our sense of York whose experiences as a black American in the early nineteenth century were, without exaggeration, unique and truly extraordinary."