Arts Council
Kentucky Arts Council Supports Arts through County Extension Agents
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Arts Council awarded Extensions and the Arts grants to 10 County Cooperative Extension Service programs of the University of Kentucky. The grants, of $1,000 each, extended the arts to counties through partnerships with artists and extension agents to benefit the community. Each of the projects includes documentation planning, so similar community arts projects may be replicated in other counties throughout the commonwealth.
The grants were awarded to: Carlisle County Cooperative Extension Service, Christian County Cooperative Extension Service, Elliott County Cooperative Extension Service, Fleming County Cooperative Extension Service, Johnson County Cooperative Extension Service, Marshall County Cooperative Extension Service, McLean County Cooperative Extension Service, Meade County Cooperative Extension Service, Ohio County Cooperative Extension Service and Taylor County Cooperative Extension Service.
"This pilot project leveraged a few dollars to have a very positive impact on communities that have been traditionally underserved in terms of arts opportunities," said Lori Meadows, executive director of the arts council. "We were very happy to be able to partner with the extension agents and local artists to initiate these community arts projects."
Many of the projects involved community scholars, who were trained to help people document and promote community culture, folklife and the traditional arts by the Kentucky Folklife Program, an interagency partnership of the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Arts Council, both in the Tourism Arts and Heritage Cabinet.
The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
Descriptions of each project are listed below.
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Carlisle County Cooperative Extension Service
Contact: Sara Bogle (270) 628-5458
West Kentucky Quilt Trail
West Kentucky Quilt Trail
Working with visual artist and community scholar, Bryan Warner, the Carlisle County Cooperative Extension agency led a project to initiate a quilt trail in Carlisle County as part of the West Kentucky Quilt Trail in the Purchase Area. Extension agents, homemakers, community volunteers and students and faculty at Carlisle County Middle and High Schools participated in the project.
Christian County Cooperative Extension Service
Contact: Kelly Jackson (270) 886-6328
Bug at the Bend
Bug at the Bend
The Christian County Cooperative Extension Service also worked with artist, Bryan Warner, on a project to create a public sculpture at the Jeffers' Bend Environmental Center in Hopkinsville. The larger-than-life sculpture of a caterpillar and butterflies with a narrative display on the development of butterflies was a collaborative project between the artist, career and tech students and teacher, and science students and teacher from Hopkinsville High School. The sculpture, to be debuted on September 19th, will draw attention to the environmental center and provide a tool for teachers who bring their classes to Jeffers' Bend.
Elliott County Cooperative Extension Service
Gwenda Adkins (606) 738-6400
Reliving and Portraying History
Reliving and Portraying History
The Elliott County Cooperative Extension Service developed a program to involve local citizens in creating living-history dioramas along the trails of the Laurel Gorge. The educational mini-dramas were developed with cultural authenticity to present at the Laurel Gorge Cultural Center. Workshops were led by Shawnee/Cherokee folk artist, Darla Jackson, to provide a better understanding of the region's native cultures with historian, Mark Ball, teaching about the era of the Long Hunters. Storyteller, Pam Holcomb, coached in performance skills.
Fleming County Cooperative Extension Service
Donna Fryman (606) 845-4641
Junior Community Scholars Program
Junior Community Scholars Program
In anticipation of the Alltech World Equestrian Games in 2010, the Fleming County Cooperative Extension Service led a project to involve 4-H youth in documenting the traditions of the horse industry in Fleming County, including stories about horses and interviews with riders and farmers who breed, raise and train horses. Photographer and community scholar, Carol Shutt, taught the Simon Middle School 4-H youth how to take documentary photographs, and author and community scholar, Brenda Flynn, taught students how to conduct interviews and write feature articles.
Johnson County Cooperative Extension Service
Brenda Cockerham (606) 789-8101
Heritage Days and Festival of Artists
Heritage Days and Festival of Artists
The Johnson County Cooperative Extension Service was able to introduce dance to the festival with dance artist, Lora Jane Benedict, and her dance students , as well as an educational component with community scholar, Venita Maynard, working with local school children. Visual and heritage artists demonstrated their art forms and community scholar, Martha Risner, introduced drama to the event.
Marshall County Cooperative Extension Service
Vicki Wynn (270) 527-3285
Marshall County Children's Chorus
Marshall County Children's Chorus
The Marshall County Extension Service worked with accompanist, Vicki Madison, and director Dr. Bradley Almquist, to form the 35-member Marshall County Children's Chorus, for children in grades 2-5. The chorus met for 13 weeks, and presented two performances with selections sung in 5 languages. Two performances were held during “Authentic Kentucky,” beginning with Tater Day and ending with Big Singing. The chorus will hold additional auditions for the fall semester.
McLean County Cooperative Extension Service
Amber Meeks (270) 273-3690
McLean County Clothesline of Quilts
McLean County Clothesline of Quilts
The McLean County Cooperative Extension Service is in the planning process to add more quilt squares in the county. Working with local volunteers, quilt squares will be completed and mounted on barns to increase the number of barn quilts found in McLean County.
Meade County Cooperative Extension Service
Jennifer Bridge (270) 442-4958
Vintage Dance and Today's Lifestyle
Vintage Dance and Today's Lifestyle
The Meade County Cooperative Extension Service partnered with the Meade County Museum and Arts Council to produce a community event featuring vintage dance. The Lexington Vintage Dance Society presented an evening performance during which they taught various dance steps and explained the history behind each dance. Then audience members were invited to the floor for one-on-one instruction and invited to dance along with the company. In a separate related event, Dr. Kim Spillman, textiles professor from the University of Kentucky presented a session on period costume and preservation which related to the performers' costumes.
Ohio County Cooperative Extension Service
Judy Burns (270) 298-7741
Quilts in the Classroom
Quilts in the Classroom
Students in Ohio County elementary schools learned about the heritage of quilting and by designing quilt square blocks. Each school's student winning square was made into a large quilt square block which will be displayed on the school by the time school starts next year. These squares will be a part of the Barn Quilt Trail in Ohio County.
Taylor County Cooperative Extension Service
Becky Nash (270) 465-4511
Barn Raising Fall Festival
Barn Raising Fall Festival
The Taylor County Cooperative Extension Service engaged community scholars, Jon Allen and Wanda Washington, and local artists and musicians for the first-ever Barn Raising Festival at the Homeplace on Green River.
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