The Official Kentucky Visitor's Guide - The Official Kentucky Visitor's Guide 2023
Beauty in the Bluegrass: Honing Our Craft
2022-12-23 03:14:21
A heritage quilt, a piece of glass, a fine instrument, a bourbon barrel, a plate of food. Each represents the voice of an artist who has drawn inspiration from living here; each a brushstroke of beauty framed by possibility. This is Kentucky.
It is a canvas on which to create your own experience, add your own voice and forge beautiful memories.
Enjoy the Bluegrass State’s artistic talents!
See the “Kentucky Creator” profiles found in this guide, then discover more of Kentucky’s creative side online.
kentuckytourism.com/culture/arts
Take inspiration from the showy gardens that welcome visitors to Adsmore Museum in Princeton. Find centuries of skills fired into the bourbon barrels at Lebanon’s Kentucky Cooperage. See the transformation of downtown Mt. Sterling, from old to bold, through brilliantly colorful murals and the seasonal art installation, Umbrella Alley.
Behind each of these creations and others are the craftspeople who enrich Kentucky with the stories they share through their art.
Julie Christmann brings a bit of the Byzantine Empire into her work in contemporary mosaic art. Inspired by a childhood spent exploring nature, the Independence artist loves to forage nature for rock and stone, including Kentucky shale, to incorporate into her designs. She conducts workshops at Covington’s Baker Hunt Art and Cultural Center.
Lexington glassmaker and photographer Mark Lenn Johnson credits three people for inspiring his art: the late Centre College instructor Stephen Rolfe Powell; the late painter Ellis Wilson; and his grandmother, Frossie Hornbuckle, whose vintage glass collection fascinated him and fueled a desire to make his own glass. Johnson’s work may be seen at ArtHouse Kentucky in Lexington’s Historic East End, where his studio is located.
Bowling Green artist Alice Gatewood Waddell weaves positive messaging into her mixed-media designs on display at the Kentucky Museum. Lacy Hale, a painter, muralist and printmaker from Whitesburg, steeps her art in the symbolism of her Appalachian surroundings, proudly gracing murals and outdoor spaces from Lexington to Hindman.
A child of immigrants, Latino artist Sebastian Duverge is known for his use of bold and vibrant colors in the watercolor paper mosaics, paper weavings and watercolor paintings crafted at his studio at Louisville’s Art Sanctuary. Also in Louisville, internationally recognized writer/poet/ spoken-word artist Hannah Drake tells her story through works of poetry, novels and collections of commentaries on politics, race and feminism, all the while challenging readers to live and dream bigger.
Fred Nez-Keams brought his love of flutemaking from New Mexico to Kentucky, where he has lived for more than 15 years. An enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, Nez-Keams carves customized Native American flutes from Kentucky red cedar, each reflecting Navajo culture through design and symbolism, including the use of turquoise, leather ties and bear tracks.
Kentucky’s love of thoroughbreds and thoroughbred racing is captured in the paintings of Robert Clark at his gallery in Georgetown. A visit to the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Mount Vernon reveals the state’s deep musical roots, seen through an impressive collection of memorabilia and instruments you can use to create your own sounds.
And with each masterpiece she plates, chef Ouita Michel shows her culinary prowess – as well as her deep commitment to enriching Kentucky culture by supporting local farmers, growers and Kentucky agriculture – by sharing culinary traditions at a half-dozen restaurants throughout central Kentucky and beyond, including Holly Hill Inn in Midway.
KENTUCKY CREATOR
Kacy Jackson, Muralist (Louisville)
No matter the subject – horses, bourbon, notable Kentuckians such as the great Muhammad Ali – Louisville muralist Kacy Jackson has one goal: that his work uplifts, creates impact and inspires those who see it.
“Any piece that does this, I’m happy and satisfied,” he says.
The self-taught artist learned his craft at his parents’ knees. Both were creative types – art hobbyists who inspired their son to always be creative, always explore and always blend his surroundings into his work.
“Muhammad Ali and the spirit of entrepreneurism of KFC have influenced me to take my art to the next level and be an entrepreneur and an artist,” Jackson says. “I always try to incorporate Kentucky’s horse and bourbon presence, Kentucky hospitality and Kentucky’s diversity into my work.”
His mural that graces this year’s cover, “The Unified Horse,” is an explosion of brilliant color that captures the energy and excitement of Kentucky thoroughbred horse racing. But he says it’s a lot more than that, too. The inspiration for it came from the pandemic and knowing the toll it took on people everywhere.
“I wanted to give people something uplifting to look at, give them a breath of fresh air.”
That, he did.
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