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In this
issue... 
The
Kentucky Artisan Center Admission is always free. |
June 22, 2012 From the Director – In addition, there are wonderful exhibits, festivals and events happening in Berea and throughout Kentucky. Berea, recognized this spring by AmericanStyle magazine readers as one of the top 25 art destination cities in the small city category, will host the Berea Craft Festival July 13-15 and is registering participants for its exciting Festival of Learnshops July 14-28. We invite you to visit the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea to enjoy the wonderful work being created in Kentucky and to learn about other sites, attractions, and events throughout the state. Remember that the Center is now open year round 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with our cafe serving from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. We look forward to your next visit!
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| NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS
Now through July 29, 2012 A new exhibit, "Commissioned to Create: Works by Artists Who Created the Governor's Awards (1995-2011)," will be on display in the center's lobby through July 29, 2012. This exciting exhibit was developed by the Kentucky Arts Council. Since 1995, the Kentucky Arts Council has commissioned Kentucky artists to create the awards that are given to recipients of the annual Kentucky Governor's Awards in the Arts. These Governor's Awards in the Arts are the Commonwealth's most prestigious art awards honoring Kentucky individuals, businesses and organizations that are making outstanding and significant contributions to the arts in the state. Kentucky commissioned artists featured are: Dan Neil Barnes,
Lexington; Wayne Bates, Murray; William M. Duffy, Louisville; Linda Fifield,
McKee; Ken Gastineau, Berea; Tracy Hawkins, Lexington;
Photos: above, right: several works included in the
"Commissioned to Create" exhibit currently installed in the Center's lobby;
left: the 2007-2008 Governor's Award titled, "Upward Glance," created by
William M. Duffy.
Visitors continue to enjoy this exhibit featuring a wide range of works in which the human face is a central element, focal point or inspiration. Created by 41 Kentucky artisans working in photography, painting, fiber, clay, gourds, wood, bronze, collage and mixed media, the works in this exhibit include both realistic and abstract interpretations. Right: Linda Fugate Blumer's photograph titled, "The Gate Keeper" in the exhibit "About Face." More on our "About Face" exhibitKENTUCKY ARTISAN CENTER AT BEREA WELCOMES ITS TWO MILLIONTH VISITOR At 2:15 p.m. on Friday, May 11, the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea welcomed its two millionth visitor, Jennifer Price, from Louisville. Jennifer was traveling on Interstate-75 with her husband, James, and their three young children, Madeline, David and Julianna. Marcheta Sparrow, Secretary of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, was on hand to welcome Jennifer and her family and present them with a Kentucky gift basket.
The Prices said this was the family's second visit to the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea. "The artwork and crafts on display here make it a very interesting and great place to stop -- even if we are only travelling through the area like today," Jennifer Price said. James Price said the family also was able to get important travel information. "We were headed south to Sevierville (Tenn.), and we were aware of the (I-75) lane closures at Jellico Mountain," he said. "We knew we could get accurate and up-to-date travel details at the center." Above: Marcheta Sparrow, secretary of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, presented a Kentucky gift basket to Jennifer Price, the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea's two millionth visitor, along with her children Madeline and David.
The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is among 19 businesses throughout Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky that have been designated as official Kentucky Crafted Retailers by the Kentucky Arts Council. This is a program initiated by the Kentucky Arts Council in 2012. KAC executive director Lori Meadows comments, "We are excited to form new partnerships with businesses that work daily to strengthen the bonds between art and economic development in their communities."
Photo, right: Shoppers can choose from Kentucky-made items created by over 650 different artisan vendors at the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea.
The Center will continue to be open to the public year-round from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with the cafe serving food from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. As always, the Center will be open regular hours on the 4th of July and all other holidays this summer.
The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea announces an upcoming exhibit titled "The Threads That Bind: Textiles by Kentucky Artisans." This exhibit will feature works using a variety of fibers and techniques and will look at a variety of textile expressions by Kentucky artists. Artists have been invited to submit works composed primarily of fabric/fiber/thread, with significant use of thread/fiber strands to weave, embellish, construct, shape, quilt or otherwise create the design. The deadline for postmark or delivery of entry forms is June 30, 2012. Download entry forms Prospectus and entry forms are also available by calling the center at 859/ 985-5448 or sending an email request to kyartisancenter@ky.gov
AmericanStyle magazine's annual readers' poll recommends Berea as a top arts destination for collectors and travelers who love galleries, museums and arts festivals. This ranking and designation is highly coveted by tourism and arts promoters and confirms Berea as the "Folk Arts & Craft Capital of Kentucky." Each year, readers tell AmericanStyle their favorite cities for viewing and buying fine craft and art. In the 2012 AmericanStyle poll, Berea has been ranked No. 21 among small cities, a category that includes such destinations as Sarasota, Fla. (No. 1); Asheville, N.C. (No. 3); Santa Fe, N.M. (No. 5); Taos, N.M. (No. 11); and Laguna Beach, Calif. (No. 16). Berea is the only Kentucky city to receive recognition in the small cities category. "A healthy arts scene improves a city's livability and its tourism, and many of the winning cities recognize that," says Wendy Rosen, publisher of AmericanStyle. "The arts are proven catalysts for economic development and recovery, creating jobs and making opportunities for entrepreneurs." In addition to Berea, a second Kentucky city made one of this year's AmericanStyle lists. Louisville ranked 23rd among big cities with populations of 500,000 and greater.
As always, there are many special events occurring in Berea, Ky. over the upcoming months. In addition to the Studio Artists at Berea Self-Guided Walking Tour and Berea College tours, visitors can enjoy these events when they visit Berea. July 4, 4th of July Festival , with city-wide events and fireworks. July 12-15, Whippoorwill Festival, located in the beautiful foothills of Appalachia in Central Kentucky, this festival teaches earth-friendly and sustainable living skills in a joyful, healthy, family-friendly atmosphere. July 13-15, Berea Craft Festival , an annual festival featuring 120 artists from 20 states, entertainment and demonstrations, all occurring at Indian Fort Theater, three miles outside of Berea. July 14 - 28, Berea's Festival of Learnshops , two weeks of hands-on creative workshops led by master craftsmen, artists, musicians, chefs, award-winning writers, and experts in sustainable living. Participants can choose from introductory to advanced level classes lasting from two hours, to a weekend, to week-long sessions. July 21, The Field to Fork Festival , held in conjunction with the Festival of Learnshops, brings community gardening professionals, urban homesteaders, and small scale agriculture producers together for workshops. August 3-4, Quilt Extravaganza , a city-wide event with quilt exhibits, lectures and demonstrations throughout Berea. August 16-19, the Berea Celtic Festival , a city-wide event featuring sessions, workshops, gatherings, dance and concerts with Celtic musicians from more than 10 states. |
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ARTISANS IN THE NEWS
Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea Christa Smith, of Elizabethtown, has been featured with her painted bride boxes in an article in the June issue of Early American Life magazine. The magazine is a source for information on early American style, decorating, and traditions, and it covers both antiques and reproductions made by artisans working in period styles with traditional tools. More about bridal boxes Brook Forest White Jr announces the opening of Flame Run in a brand new Louisville, Ky. location at 815 West Market Street in the Glassworks building. This new space includes a hot shop, classes and an expanded gallery with new extended hours Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Crystal Wilkinson led a Masters class in fiction in April at the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center for the Appalachian Studies program at Berea College. KACB artists Jerry Hollon, Nora Swanson, Rebecca DeBord, and Michael Terra, were among the artists juried into the Kentucky Crafted program, the Kentucky Arts Council's marketing assistance program that provides opportunities for artists to expand their market reach. Artists are accepted into the program based on artistic excellence and market readiness. Erika Strecker will be fashioning a 12-foot metal sculpture based on a winning student design for the outside of The Learning Center in Frankfort, Ky. Mark Whitley, woodworker and furniture maker from Smith's Grove, was the May featured artist on the Kentucky Arts Council website. Michael Johnathan's Lexington-based international broadcast of “WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour” has been awarded the 2012 National Telly Award, for its broadcast “Celebration of Appalachia & Mountain Music.” That broadcast, show number 614, featured Emmylou Harris and others who sang songs about their mountain heritage and expressed concerns about mountain top removal coal mining. The radio show, broadcast on PBS-TV stations nationwide, was selected for the award from 11,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents. Carol Shutt has just completed a series of images titled "Great Lakes Lighthouses," to be featured at The Open Door Gallery in Sturgis, Michigan, where Carol will be a guest artist this summer. Robert Monahan, will kick off special "Fiction Fridays" on June 29 at Waveland State Historic Site in Lexington. These Friday events highlight Kentucky authors whose fictional works include regional settings and topics and is hosted by the Friends of Waveland on the historic grounds surrounding the Waveland Mansion. The June 29 event will include Monahan and his series "The Kentucky Chronicles." For more information, call the park at 859-272-3611. Wild Fig Bookstore, owned and operated by author Crystal Wilkinson and Ron Davis, is collecting books as part of the Tornado Relief Book Drive initiated by first lady Jane Beshear. The Wild Fig bookstore and Wilkinson were also featured in an article in the May 11 edition of Business Lexington. Wyman Rice has an exhibition of his newest works at the Cross Gate Gallery in Victorian Square in Lexington, June 15- July 15, 2012 . Warren Brunner has an exhibit titled, "No War on Dignity: Exploring the War on Poverty - The Photographs of Warren Brunner," on display at the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center at Berea College, through Aug. 3, 2012. Bob Gibson and Brenda Plaster have wood carvings and quilts on display at Farmers National Bank Gallery in Danville through July. More on both of these artists and the exhibit. Mitch Barrett performed at Natasha's Bistro in Lexington in June. Exhibiting at the 2012 Governor's Derby Celebration in Frankfort were KACB artisans: Richard Adams, Gary Bertram, Marianne Brown, Paula Clark, Pam Hillard, John Keeton, Eugene King, Corey Marcum, Judy Rosati, Jeannette Rowlett, Mick and Deb Shambro, and Audrey Schulz. Woodcarver Jim Sams was on the cover of Sunshine Artist magazine in April, and featured in a well illustrated article titled, "From Ducks to Dogwood," in this 200 Best Survey issue. Kathleen O'Brien has 17 new collages featured at the Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft in Louisville. O'Brien was also selected as artist of the month on "The Art List" with an online interview. An exhibit of O'Brien's new work is on display at the Community Arts Center in Danville, June 1 - July 31. Philis Alvic, Dobree Adams, Linda Blumer, Julie Warren Conn, Marta Dorton, Bruce Frank, Rita Kent, Jeannette Rowlett, Rachel Savané, Carol Shutt, and Michael Terra had works in a group exhibition by members of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, at the Yeiser Art Center in Paducah, May 19 - June 16, 2012. |
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CALENDAR
GALLERY EXHIBIT – Now Through August
26, 2012 LOBBY EXHIBIT – Now through July 29,
2012 Events are from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM (unless otherwise noted) FOLK ART PAINTING
DEMONSTRATION BRAIDED WOOL RUG
DEMONSTRATION WIRE WRAPPED JEWELRY
DEMONSTRATION WOODCARVING DEMONSTRATION
FREE GUIDED GALLERY TOUR
POTTERY ON THE WHEEL
DEMONSTRATION REED BASKETRY DEMONSTRATION
FOUNDATION QUILT PIECING
DEMONSTRATION PASTEL PAINTING
DEMONSTRATION FREE GUIDED GALLERY TOUR
WOODCARVING
DEMONSTRATION TAPE LOOM WEAVING
DEMONSTRATION
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Artisans are invited to
submit information for future columns to: Interested in receiving additional information about Kentucky travel events and discounts? Then sign up today for the monthly Kentucky Travel E-Newsletter, brought to you by the Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism. Sign up here. |
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The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is an agency in the
Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. |
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John Lackey, Lexington; the late Homer
Ledford, Winchester; the late Rude Osolnik, Berea; Stephen Rolfe Powell,
Danville; Laura Ross, Louisville; Arturo Alonzo Sandoval, Lexington; Rebekka
Seigel, Owenton; Brook Forest White Jr., Louisville; LaVon Williams, Lexington;
and Jennifer Zingg, Frankfort.
"Celebrating the success of
the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea is a great way to cap off National Travel
and Tourism Week," said Sparrow, who earlier announced that the economic impact
of tourism had been nearly $11.7 billion during 2011 in Kentucky. 
The 19 Kentucky Crafted
Retailers designated are: The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, Berea, Ky.; The
Gift Shoppe on Main, Brookville, Ind.; Indigenous - A Handcrafted Gallery,
Cincinnati, Oh.; Rough River Dam State Park, Falls of the Rough, Ky.;
Completely Kentucky, Frankfort, Ky.; Gallery on the Square, Franklin, Ky.;
Amerson Farms, Georgetown, Ky.; True Kentucky, Glendale, Ky.; Kentucky Market
House, Greensburg, Ky.; Locust Grove Museum Store, Louisville, Ky.; Damselfly
Gallery, Midway, Ky.; Fuzzy Duck Coffee Shop/Coffee Tree Books, Morehead, Ky.;
The Gallery Store at the Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, Ky.; The Meadows Pottery
Studio and Gallery, Bardstown, Ky.; Kaviar Forge and Gallery, Louisville, Ky.;
Gallery Janjobe, Louisville, Ky.; Artique at the Lexington Center, Lexington,
Ky.; Artique at Lexington Green, Lexington, Ky.; David Appalachian Crafts,
David, Ky. 
