Kentucky President Forms Committee to Consider Controversial Mural

LEXINGTON, Ky. ― University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto has formed a committee to decide the fate of a controversial Great Depression-era mural that features Black workers toiling in a tobacco field, Black musicians playing for White dancers and a Native American with a tomahawk.

After meeting last semester with students who objected to the mural, Capilouto had it shrouded temporarily.

In a Thursday news release, Capilouto introduced the committee and said it will work expeditiously but thoughtfully to reach a solution.

Capilouto said the campus has benefited from the discussion surrounding the mural, but it was time to place the mural in “a more historically accurate and complete context.”

Capilouto called the Memorial Hall mural an important work for the campus and the Commonwealth.