Client: King's Daughters Heart and Vascular Center

Location: Ashland, KY, United States

Completion date: 2005

Artwork budget: $150,000

Project Team

Artist

Sam McKinney

Architect

Kreps and Zachwieja

Overview

This sculpture is suspended in the entry atrium and is 18' high and 10' in diameter. It is composed of stainless steel, colored transparent cast acrylic and LED lighting. The sculpture spans two levels which allows 360 degrees views.

Goals

The concept was to create a signature piece that would suffuse an atmosphere of meditation and hope for the hub of the facility which is comprised of reception and upper and lower patient/visitor lobbies . In context to the Heart and Vascular Center the design is derived from the iconic heart shape and formed with concentric heart shapes, the top half is flipped and joined to the top of the bottom half. The human touch in the healing process is a major component of this piece. Molded hands of administrators, doctors,and nurses, cast in colored transparent acrylic point toward the center sphere of the sculpture. The sphere is metaphor for the miracle of healing. Each hand is illuminated with LED which symbolizes the human spirit.

Process

I worked directly with the CEO initially in developing the work that was integrated into the design of the Heart and Vascular Center. As the design developed I worked with the interior designers and architects to coordinate my work with the construction of the facility. I prepared a scaled colored rendering of the sculpture to help the client better understand the relationship of the design to the architecture. I worked with engineers and construction crews to install the sculpture.