Lexington Stories: Unsung Heroes

Lexington Stories: Unsung Heroes

You know them. Maybe you see them every day.

They are the ordinary individuals who do extraordinary things.

Often, they go largely unrecognized. Yet, they always inspire hope.

In 2005 – 2006 and into 2007 “Lexington Stories”, a gallery of unsung heroes, was brought to the Lexington community. It was Lexington’s opportunity to publicly honor people who had made a difference to their unique community as well as the community at large. The hope was to create a living collaboration among residents/representatives from diverse communities that make up Lexington and the Arts in our community.

The exhibits celebrated the power of the individual to make a difference. A diverse panel of judges selected those dramatic stories (written histories as well as first-person accounts by neighborhood residents) that best captured the spirit of Lexington’s under-recognized contributors. Nominations were submitted by those living in our community with emphasis on hearing from the youth of Lexington. Those selected by the panel were photographed by Blythe Jamieson, a recognized Lexington portraitist. Promotional information was in both Spanish and English.

The project consisted of three phases: a formal exhibit that was inaugurated at ArtsPlace on September 15, 2006 (partners were LexArts and Habitat for Humanity); this was followed up by two identical traveling exhibits that went to schools and community spaces. These included: The Carnegie Center for Literature & Learning, the Lexington Government Center, the main public library, all three Walmarts stores, public high schools, Sayre School, Joseph beth booksellers, Applebee’s Park, and many more. Part three had the images on lextran buses (sponsored by LBAR) as well as profiles of the “winners” in the Lexington Herald Leader.