Arts Council
Kentucky traditions featured in folklife exhibit at Kentucky Crafted: The Market

FRANKFORT, Ky. — “The Makings of a Master: Kentucky Folk Art Apprenticeships,” produced by the Kentucky Folklife Program, will be on display March 3-4 at Kentucky Crafted: The Market, the award-winning arts marketplace at the Lexington Convention Center. The exhibition documents Kentucky’s rich cultural traditions in music, dance, craft and other art forms passed on from master artists to their apprentices.

The multimedia exhibition captures stories, artifacts and visuals of traditions thriving in different regions of the Commonwealth, including old-time string music, Chinese dance, storytelling, square dance calling, basket making and the thumbpicking guitar style. “The Makings of a Master” explores the relationships between masters and apprentices, showcasing selections from more than 60 apprenticeships sponsored by the Kentucky Folklife Program between 1993 and 2011.

This traveling exhibition will make its next appearance March 6-April 22 at the Lexington Public Library, with accompanying concerts and programs. The 2012 touring schedule is available at http://artscouncil.ky.gov/KentuckyArt/MasterFolkarts.htm.

The Kentucky Folklife Program identifies, documents, conserves and presents the Commonwealth's diverse cultural traditions through concerts, exhibits, narrative stages, archives, grant programs and classroom and community partnerships. It is an interagency program of the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Arts Council.

Kentucky Crafted: The Market – where tradition meets cutting edge – features more than 150 artists offering shoppers jewelry, wearable art, home decor, furniture, paintings, prints, photographs and artisan foods along with Kentucky-related books, CDs and DVDs. The Market also brings an exciting lineup of hourly performances by musicians to the Kentucky Stage and offers workshops and hands-on activities for the artist in all of us.

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.

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