Mayor Jim Gray’s office announced Wednesday that the Slave Trade marker, the John Hunt Morgan monument, and the John C. Breckinridge monument will remain in downtown Lexington.

The monuments have been the subject of debate, with some arguing the statues are glorifying the Confederacy and slavery, and the other side saying the monuments have too much historical significance to take away.

The Urban-County Arts Review Board met at the Council Chamber downtown to talk about the markers and how to put them in a context that recognizes the city’s past while looking to a brighter future.

Gray also said he wants “significant progress” on the construction of the courthouse to be done before focusing on the context and creation of new monuments.

After hearing Gray’s postponement of action on the courthouse monuments, board member and local artist Georgia Henkel said she feels “sad for the large number of our citizens who will have to continue going by there, avoiding that space or feeling threatened or uncomfortable in terms of what exists.”

Chairman of the Lexington Gold Star Memorial Committee James Klingshirn approached the board last spring with a monument to be placed in Veteran’s Park representing families who have lost a loved one while serving in the military. The board’s main concern with the memorial was that the family portrait depicted on the monument was not representative of the racial diversity in the Lexington community. The project was given a motion of approval given that the Gold Star Memorial Committee includes more diversity on the monument.

The committee discussed two further projects: an electrical lighting installation on the Oliver Lewis Way Bridge and a Livestream educational sculptural in Jacobson Park.

Peggy Henson, 11th District Council Member, who was representing a local global engagement center, Global Lex, was given a motion of approval for her request to purchase an art statue from the 2016 Breeders’ Cup.

“I thought the meeting was smooth, it was clear and we got our questions answered,” board member and art educator Sonja Brooks said after the meeting.

The next meeting will take place May 18 at 3 p.m. in the Council Chamber at 200 East Main St.