“Lincoln” by Kim Soper; Huntington, New York, 2016; Cotton; machine pieced and quilted Modern Quilt Collection, Gift of the Robert and Ardis James Foundation. (International Quilt Museum)
The city of Lincoln’s namesake — President Abraham Lincoln — will be the subject of a new mural on the west side of the Lied Center for Performing Arts, installed over the weekend.
Based on a quilt named “Lincoln” — in the publicly held collection of the International Quilt Museum (IQM) near UNL’s East Campus — the mural will be a stylized, modern-art depiction of former President Abraham Lincoln. Measuring 20 feet tall by 15 feet wide.
The quilt was made by New York-based quilt artist Kimberly Soper in 2016, deriving her quilt’s design from a pop-art portrait created by artist Ihsan Ekaputra. Portraits like Ekaputra’s rendition of Lincoln are known as Wedha’s Pop Art Portraits (WPAP) named for Indonesian artist Wedha Abdul Rasyid who is credited for popularizing the style.
“Public art enriches the fabric of our city, contributing to Lincoln’s status as the quality-of-life capital of the country,” said Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird. “We invite residents and visitors alike to enjoy this vibrant mural that celebrates Lincoln’s heritage and namesake.”
The mural was created around two years ago by artist and quilter McKenzie Phelps and will be installed by a team from the LUX Center for the Arts. The team will begin the project this Sunday, May 12, at 12:00 p.m. on the west side of the Lied Center near the entrance of the Carson Theater.
“I first saw Soper’s quilt at a quilting event in Birmingham, England, and was immediately struck by the brilliant color used throughout the piece — I knew it was the perfect quilt for the museum’s collection,” said IQM’s Ardis & Robert James Executive Director Leslie Levy. “We are thrilled to share this incredible art with the city of Lincoln. And we are grateful to artists Ihsan Ekaputra, Kimberly Soper and McKenzie Phelps for their contributions.”
A formal unveiling of the mural will take place on May 30 as part of Give to Lincoln Day.