Lincoln Financial Sculpture Walk at Riverfront

And yet another outstanding FTR by Dan R.
I too had no idea of the rich history of Hartford. Did not know that President Lincoln met his wife here.
The first time visiting here and taking in the view of the city at sunset from the Founders Bridge was just for exercise. That quickly turned into hours of enjoying art.
One of my favorite places to relax in Hartford.

Holy Mackerel !!
I had no idea that this treasure chest of art, creativity, and history existed. Shame on me for not exploring the Hartford Riverfront earlier.
In 2005, Lincoln Financial donated a $ 500,000 grant to the Greater Hartford Arts Council to design a Sculpture Walk along the Connecticut River in both Hartford and East Hartford.
They announced a nationwide competition for accomplished artists around the country and selected 16 works for this permanent public art exhibit representing the life, accomplishments and values of President Abraham Lincoln.
I looked at three of the sixteen statues today as part of my wandering around the Riverfront during the Dragon Boat and Asian Festival.
Sculpture Three: Lincoln Meets Stowe (Bruno Lucchesi — 2006)
This bronze sculpture commemorates the 1862 meeting of Abraham Lincoln and Hartford author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Upon meeting, Lincoln purportedly quipped, «So you’re the little lady who started this big war.»
Sculpture Four: Toward Union Lines (Preston Jackson — 2007)
This sculpture represents a young woman walking north toward Union lines. The accompanying plaque describes the plight of «contrabands» or escaped slaves.
Sculpture Five: Frontier Life (Neil Goodman — 2008)
This sculpture represents Lincoln’s Indiana boyhood years living in a log cabin and growing up to be a skilled ax-​man and rail splitter.
I can’t wait to see the other 13 exhibits. Riverfront Recapture offers a walking tour of all sixteen stations and additional artwork on the very impressive Hartford riverfront.