Fiscal Court details use of $50k grant for festival honoring Moneta Sleet Jr.

December 3, 2021 | 12:06 am

Updated December 2, 2021 | 11:13 pm

Graphic by Owensboro Times

Daviess County Fiscal Court on Thursday detailed how the $50,000 grant they awarded last month will be used for the festival honoring Moneta Sleet Jr. that is set for February 2023. 

David Smith, Director of Legislative Services for Fiscal Court, said the money will be used to hire a playwright to create a monologue of Sleet’s life that can be performed at the inaugural festival. Smith said the Kentucky Humanities Council will also help with the project and use it as part of their Chautauqua series, which “let’s people across the state hear the story.”

Smith added that Bob Morris, former publisher of the Messenger-Inquirer, has previously done a photo show and wants to do one for Sleet. Smith said Morris will be trying to get the rights to the photos so they can be printed on large displays for the festival. 

“When the festival is over in February 2023, those display panels will go to the Museum of Science and History for part of their local history exhibit,” Smith said.

In November, Emmy Woosley and several other members of Leadership Owensboro unveiled a portrait of Sleet. That’s when Fiscal Court first announced they were awarding the $50,000 to go toward the festival in Sleet’s honor.

The portrait acts as the start of a 15-month process to remember Sleet and his work. 

Woosley said at the time that the idea came from the desire to honor people and unite the community, combined with wanting to find a way to remember Owensboro natives.

The portrait, commissioned by K.O. Lewis, was something the group has been sitting on since July. The photos he chose to recreate include the Pulitzer prize photo of Coretta Scott King at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral, and a photo of a woman walking through a protest in the rain — Sleet’s favorite photo.

December 3, 2021 | 12:06 am

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