Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea
Free Guided Tours - May 14 at Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea

To recognize National Travel and Tourism Week May 7-15, the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea will offer visitors and travelers free guided tours through the center’s two current special exhibits at 11 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, 2011.

The center’s lobby exhibition titled, LaVon Williams: Kentucky Folk Artist - Works from the Kentucky Folk Art Center at Morehead State University Collection, showcases a wide range of carved wood sculptures created by Williams. Remembered by many for his skill and ability as a member of the University of Kentucky basketball team that won the NCAA championship in 1978, Williams creates powerful low-relief, carved wood sculptures.

The tour will also include the center’s exhibition, Kentucky Guild of Artists & Craftsmen: Works by Juried Members. The Kentucky Guild of Artists & Craftsmen (KGAC) marks its 50th Anniversary in 2011 and to celebrate this milestone, the center presents an exhibit of selected works by current juried members who reside in Kentucky. This exhibition includes works in all mediums by 70 Kentucky Guild members.

These free guided exhibit tours will be led by the center’s Information Specialist Gwen Heffner, who will answer questions, explain to visitors the many techniques used, and relate biographical information about the artists. Each 30-minute tour will include both exhibits and will be given at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 14.

Also of interest on May 14, Bruce and Kelley Hoefer of Turning Wheel Pottery in Berea will be demonstrating pottery on the wheel and glaze decoration from 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. To commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, author Thomas Freese of Louisville will be signing his book Haunted Battlefields of the South at the center from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is located at 200 Artisan Way, just off Interstate 75 at exit 77 at Berea. The center’s exhibits, shopping and travel information areas are all open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the café from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. The center currently features works by more than 650 artisans from 100 counties across the Commonwealth. For more information call 859-985-5448 or visit the center’s website at www.kentuckyartisancenter.ky.gov.

The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is an agency in the Kentucky Tourism, Arts & Heritage Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.