50 | AUGUST 19 • 2021 

A

rtist Mackenzie Matlen has had a 
lifelong fascination with the Statue of 
Liberty.
To the 34-year-old, who has special needs, 
the international symbol represented freedom 
and hope.
After learning about the statue in an 
American history class, something about 
it “stuck with her all these years,” explains 
Mackenzie’s mother, Terry Matlen of 
Birmingham. Mackenzie even spoke about 
the Statue of Liberty as a teenage girl during 
her bat mitzvah speech at the Birmingham 
Temple (now the Congregation for Humanistic 
Judaism of Metro Detroit).
Fast forward more than 20 years, and 
Mackenzie is still passionate about making the 
Statue of Liberty a part of her life. While taking 
art classes at the Friendship Circle’s Soul Studio 
& Gallery, a creative space designated for adults 
who have special needs, Mackenzie decided to 
build an 8-foot-tall sculpture in honor of the 
famous statue.
She assembled random items found at the 
studio to craft the towering figure, among 
others inspired by the Statue of Liberty, one of 
which Terry submitted to the 2021 Michigan 
Fine Arts Competition at Birmingham 
Bloomfield Art Center. For Terry, who works 
as a psychotherapist but is also a fine artist her-

COURTESY OF TERRY MATLEN

“SHE LOVES GOING TO SOUL STUDIO AND 
MAKING ART. SHE’S EMBRACED BY EVERYBODY, 

AND THEY CELEBRATE HER DIFFERENCES.”

— TERRY MATLEN

ARTS&LIFE
ART

A young artist with 
special needs creates 
Statue of Liberty 
inspired sculptures.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Freedom
to Express

Mackenzie Matlen and her 8-foot-high Statue of Liberty.