" Let's Debate " by John McClarey
Sculptor John McClarey is a former Illinois high school history teacher with an international reputation as an artistic interpreter of Abraham Lincoln. He has won many prestigious awards for his work, including the Order of Lincoln in 2009. His Lincoln statuary is on display in such Illinois cities as Vandalia, Charleston, Decatur, Springfield, New Salem, Taylorville, Hillsboro, Peoria and Metamora.
The positioning and “body language” of the two statues is meant to convey a spirit of friendly debate in a bi-partisan context. The statuary suggests the need that existed then and now to work together in a friendly and civil manner in order to find lasting solutions to common problems. Both Abraham Lincoln and Anthony Thornton exhibited a great magnanimity of spirit during the debate. And the theme of rational political discourse is always timely.
Finally, the dramatic placement of the statuary in front of the Shelby County Courthouse visually links the statues to the surrounding natural environment while at the same time connecting the past of Abraham Lincoln and Anthony Thornton to our on-going present.
Marker is on East Main Street west of South Washington Street, on the right when traveling west.
Courtesy hmdb.org
