Celebrating America's 250th anniversary, Undermain presents the stories of selected Kentucky artists whose works have gained national recognition. Our series is made possible by support from the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Arts Council.

June, 2026

Piecing Together the Amanda Puzzle
Lexington Sculptor Amanda Matthews

By Nancy Barr
Contributing Writer

A discreet sign bearing the Prometheus Studio logo marks my arrival at the farm near Lexington, Kentucky, where the artist Amanda Matthews lives and works with her business/creative partner and husband, Brad Connell. Amanda and Brad are the CEO and COO, respectively, of the design/build firm and foundry where they produce large-scale sculpture and public art. It is Brad’s sculptured steel gate that ushers me onto the wooded property, and a short distance away stands a handsome modern house. Amanda springs out of the front door to tell me that their large, but very well-trained dog Ingot, would like to say hello. From my first step into the foyer, I am in a museum-like space filled with contemporary art — much of it the work of Amanda and Brad. Large windows bring in light and scenery, and color and shape coexist beautifully in a high-ceilinged open-plan great room radiating from a galley kitchen.

I do not have long to contemplate my surroundings, however. Appetizers have been laid out on a long dining table set at a diagonal to the kitchen. “We love to feed people,” was the wording that came with my invitation to visit Prometheus, and here I am, enjoying homemade herbal tea and deviled duck eggs, the latter courtesy of the family of ducks they keep as pets. Towards the end of lunch, we catch sight of the mother fox and kits that Amanda is feeding in a daily bargain to keep the ducks safe. 

I discover during lunch that Amanda can talk! A professional public speaker, she moves easily between myriad topics: herbal medicine (she is a certified practitioner), construction (she and Brad designed and built the house themselves), philosophy, feminism, queer theory, and politics. “At heart, I am a storyteller,” she explains, almost in apology. Hours have passed as if they were minutes, and it’s clear I’ll need to come back to the farm for a tour of the foundry. Feeling ever so slightly over-stimulated, I depart, escorted to my car by Ingot, who likes to see people out.

On my second trip to Prometheus, I am treated to a tour of the studio and foundry, housed in a musty barn divided into various work areas. The operation is impressive: Brad demonstrates heating up the crucible furnace, and Amanda outlines the choreography of each member of the team, which, when they are casting metal, includes their two children, Audrey and Natalie, and Amanda’s assistants, Roger and Richard. For me, it is thrilling to simply look around the studio and catch sight of the tabletop maquette of Amanda’s monument, The Girl Puzzle, quietly gathering dust, and to walk by the towering clay molds of its five female heads.