- Name of Piece: Petal Drop Flutter
- Artist: Blessing Hancock
- Client: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Public Arts Commission
- Category: Public Art
- Location: Lexington, KY
- Date: October 2025
As visitors enter Town Branch Park through the Manchester/High Street tunnel, they’re welcomed by Petal–Drop–Flutter — a vibrant, immersive public artwork by renowned sculptor Blessing Hancock.
This large-scale installation transforms the park’s entry tunnel into a dynamic, luminous gateway. Sculptural metal panels, shaped like water droplets, flower petals, and fluttering wings, reflect the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape.
By day, intricate cut patterns capture and scatter sunlight across the tunnel walls; by night, color-changing LED lighting brings the space to life in a soft, ever-shifting glow. An integrated audio feature plays the soothing sounds of the nearby Town Branch, deepening the sensory experience and connecting visitors to the land and water that inspired the piece.
A Tribute to Connection and Service
Engraved into the sculpture’s surface is “The Bridge Builder” — a timeless poem celebrating selfless service and the act of creating for future generations. Chosen in honor of Bill Gatton, whose generosity helped make the park possible, the poem embodies the vision and community spirit that define the park’s creation.
Through its interplay of light, form, sound, and poetry, Petal–Drop–Flutter invites reflection, gratitude, and connection — creating a contemplative transition between city and nature.
Photos courtesy of @blessinghancock
