Artist Dave Caudill has new sculpture erected near Lexington Detention Center
A new 30-foot-tall sculpture was recently put in place outside of the Lexington Detention Center in Fayette County. Dave Caudill, a Louisville-based artist who is a native of Corbin, was commissioned to create the piece as part of the City of Lexington’s “Percent for Art” program, which was established to support the creation of new works of art that are accessible to the public at no charge.
Caudill’s piece, titled “The Birth of Hope,” was erected using two large cranes because of its size and weight. The piece was designed to “reflect and recognize the human growth, dignity, and value of individuals incarcerated at the detention center, as well as pay tribute to the spirit of the public servants who work at the facility, their family members, and the family members of the inmates.”
The sculpture was installed on December 13 in the Old Frankfort Pike corridor, a National Scenic Byway serving the detention center, Lexington businesses, and hundreds of tourists who enjoy the world-class scenery along the road.
Caudill completed another commissioned public art piece earlier in 2024. The piece, called “Fanfare,” was installed last fall at Eastern Kentucky University’s School of Music in Richmond.
Other notable projects by Caudill that have gained international attention include: “The Bolivian Odyssey,” a stone labyrinth based on the design of a human fingerprint created as a walking meditation in Bolivia; and an environmental undersea sculpture that was placed on the seabed near Nassau in the Bahamas.
More of Caudill’s larger public sculptures can be found at Louisiana’s Rip Van Winkle Gardens, East Tennessee’s Horizon Center Park, the University of Kentucky’s Singletary Center for the Arts, and the University of Louisville School of Music.
There are currently 18 of Caudill’s stainless-steel garden sculptures of various sizes on display and available for purchase at Yew Dell Gardens in Crestwood, KY, as well as several smaller pieces on exhibit at the Moremen Gallery in downtown Louisville.
Special thanks to Ali Hawthorne for submitting the information for this report.
Beloved pastor, Rev. Dr. Junior Greenlee, celebrates retirement
The Reverend Dr. Junior F. Greenlee, son of the late Mr. and Mrs. James (Florence) Greenlee, was born in Mt. Ash Kentucky (Whitley County) on September 8, 1934. At the age of seventeen, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he served a tour in the Korean War in 1953. Upon completion of his tour, he united in marriage with Ms. Imogene Richmond on June 1, 1957. They were blessed with three children: Raymond Greenlee (deceased), Deborah Greenlee-Murrell (Randy) and Wilma Greenlee. They are the proud grandparents of nine grandchildren, twenty-two great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. Five days prior to their 66th anniversary, Imogene Greenlee passed on May 27, 2023.
He attended school in, Williamsburg and later in Lexington. His higher education includes Bachelor’s Degrees in Bible and Christian Education from Temple Baptist College; a Master’s Degree in Bible from Temple; and Doctorate Degrees in Ministry and Christian Education from the Faith Baptist Seminary in South Carolina. He also holds a Master’s in Divinity from the Zion Hill Theological Institute.
Dr. Greenlee came to Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church in April 1978, and was ordained as a Minister on September 20. He was Pastor of the First Baptist Church in New Miami, Ohio for one year, and has been Pastor of Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church since May 1980, where he stated he was “truly a born-again Christian, and Jesus Christ was his only recommendation.”
Approximately 40 years ago, Pastor Greenlee initiated a feeding program at the church that provided hot meals for anyone in the community. Prior to Covid the church was serving up to 200 meals per day. Due to Covid and a decrease in donations, the feeding program was discontinued in 2021. However, Rev. Greenlee still supports the outreach programs through missions, which includes purchasing uniforms for one of the elementary schools, giving out food baskets during the holidays, and a trunk-to-trunk ministry, where clothes, food, toiletries, household items and school supplies are distributed to families in need.
He is the President of the Zion Hill Baptist Theological Institute, working in cooperation with Temple Baptist College of Cincinnati, Ohio. The College is highly accredited in BA and BS degree programs offering Bible based affordable, flexible hours, small classes and Christian professors. He has worked equally hard for the American Baptist College in Nashville, Tennessee to aid young ministers and pastors to be able to further their education. He is very active in the community, serving in many civic organizations and religious affiliations.
A special retirement celebration was held for Dr. Greenlee during the fall of last year.
Special thanks to Princess Davis for submitting the information found in this article.
