Arts Council
Arts Council Offers Marketing Opportunities for Kentucky Craftspeople and Artists

FRANKFORT, Ky. – As the time draws near for Kentucky Crafted: The Market 2008, many artists show an interest in exhibiting in this annual award-winning, state-sponsored wholesale/retail trade show, featuring over 300 exhibitors of traditional and contemporary art and craft, along with authentic folk art, Kentucky- related books, musical recordings and specialty food products.  This year’s Market will be at the Kentucky Exposition Center, South Wing B, in Louisville, and will be open to the public on March 8-9, 2008.

The deadline to apply to the Kentucky Arts Council’s Kentucky Crafted™ program for craft artists or Visual Arts at the Market program for artists creating two-dimensional visual art is, March 15, 2008.  Artisans accepted into one of these two programs in 2008 will be eligible to exhibit at Kentucky Crafted: The Market in 2009.  Other marketing opportunities include the Governor’s Derby Breakfast Celebration, wholesale trade shows, special exhibitions and promotions.

 The Kentucky Crafted™ and Visual Arts at the Market programs are economic development  programs of the Kentucky Arts Council that aid Kentucky craftspeople and visual artists in reaching wholesale and retail markets regionally, nationally and internationally.

The Kentucky Crafted ™ program is open to all Kentucky residents who create traditional and contemporary crafts in ceramics, fiber, glass, metal, wood, mixed media, or other natural materials.  For guidelines, instructions and access to the application, go to http://artscouncil.ky.gov/guide/prog9/kcmp_gdl.htm.

The Visual Arts at the Market Program is open to all Kentucky artists creating in two-dimensional arts such as painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and mixed-media work, as well as derivative products such as calendars, note cards and posters. For guidelines, instructions and access to the application, go to http://artscouncil.ky.gov/guide/prog3/vam_gdl.htm.

For additional information about entry into these programs, contact Charla Reed, Arts Development Director, at 502-564-3757, 888-833-2787 (toll free) or charla.reed@ky.gov.

The Kentucky Arts Council is a state agency in the Commerce Cabinet that creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Funding for the Kentucky Arts Council is provided by the Kentucky State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.

###-

The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, invests in programs that develop vibrant communities, provide lifelong education in the arts and support arts participation. Every $1 invested in operating support grants by the Kentucky Arts Council leverages $24 in earned income and matching funds from individuals, philanthropic sources and other levels of government.