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A new statue has been installed at Highland Hills Park. The artwork, titled "Kentucky Family," was created by local sculptor Michael Skop with assistance from students at the Northern Kentucky Vocational-Technical School. Professor George Telford's welding class also contributed to the project. Following the demolition of the school, the sculpture was donated to the City of Fort Thomas for placement in a park.
Further work on the statue is planned for warmer weather, including adding a plaque to honor Skop and his contributions.
Michael Skop (1932-2009) resided and worked in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, at Studio 70 on Hawthorne Avenue. Over four decades, he taught students from various countries including the United States, England, Canada, and Japan. Skop studied under Ivan Mestrovic at Syracuse University and the University of Notre Dame before attending the Royal Danish Art Academy in Copenhagen through a Scandinavian grant. He later received a Fulbright Scholarship in arts to study in Florence, Italy, and at the University of Perugia. Locally, he taught at both Cincinnati Art Academy and Northern Kentucky University.
Skop was known for his unique ability to depict clay's softness using metal pieces layered together—a technique unmatched by other steel sculptures.
A fun fact about Skop: one can still see one of his statues displayed on Hawthorne Avenue where his studio once stood.
