LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 24, 2007) − With the anniversary of the crash of Comair Flight 5191 coming on Monday, the University of Kentucky Art Museum has installed a 23 foot fiber sculpture called "MEMORIAL: 5191" by renowned artist and UK professor Arturo Alonzo Sandoval. The sculpture memorializes the 49 victims of the flight bound to Atlanta that departed from Lexington's Bluegrass airport.

 

Sandoval's piece is part of the UK Art Faculty Exhibition featuring work by UK art faculty, which will open in Sept. 1. However, "MEMORIAL: 5191" will be made available for public viewing Monday, August 27.

 

Sandoval describes "MEMORIAL: 5191" as a mixed media installation depicting his personal beliefs in life after death. The fiber sculpture measures 12 feet x 12 feet square at its base and 23 feet high. All 49 Comair 5191 victims are represented in the main spiral design on the Hubble Telescope image of the Eagle Nebula.

 

Sandoval is a member of the faculty at the UK Department of Art. His experimental techniques and expressive interpretations in fiber art over his three-decade long career have earned him an international reputation. Sandoval is the 2007 recipient of the Albert D. and Elizabeth H. Kirwan Memorial Prize, which recognized the numerous awards and international recognition that the artist/educator has achieved over the last four years.