Kentucky Arts Council Values

The mission of the Kentucky Arts Council is to create opportunities for the people of Kentucky to value, participate in, and benefit from the arts. Working in partnership with organizations and individuals to deliver arts programs and services throughout the state, we ask that applicants and partners keep the following guiding values in mind when working with the Kentucky Arts Council:

Artists' Compensation

The Kentucky Arts Council believes that the time and work of artists have real value, for which artists should be fairly compensated. In dealing with artists' creative services and works, consideration must be given to:

• The full engagement of artists in plans for use of their work
  
  
• Gratis creative services and works, demonstrations, or performances should not be solicited as standard practice
  
  
• All parties should mutually agree upon equitable compensation for services, works or performances

Diversity

The Kentucky Arts Council believes that arts programs and services should be accessible to all people of the commonwealth. The Council recognizes that communities are not limited to geographic boundaries, and may be defined by common factors such as occupation, recreation, religion, ethnicity, belief, etc. that are shared by a group of people. The members of these groups share a common culture and a sense of aesthetics. These unique and diverse art forms bring people together and can promote positive intercultural relations among the state's various communities, including:

• persons of all ages
• gay, lesbian and transgender communities
• persons of all ethnic and racial groups
• persons with disabilities
• geographically or economically isolated communities
• disadvantaged and at-risk persons
• institutionalized persons

Preservation of Cultural Resources

The Kentucky Arts Council believes that the arts and cultural resources of Kentucky are key to understanding our heritage, and that honoring the past will help build our future. Recognizing that knowledge of our history will help build our future; we support identifying, documenting, conserving and protecting the cultural resources of the state including:

• Artistic works
• Cultural traditions
• Historic sites
• Historic structures

Advocacy

The Kentucky Arts Council believes in the importance of individuals and organizations advocating for the arts as basic to life. These are some of the ways in which you can help the Arts Council achieve public policy favorable to the arts in Kentucky:

• Involve you or your organization in the public life of your community
  
  
• Get to know your legislators and local officials and stay informed about the issues
  
  
• Involve your public officials in your activities or the activities of your organization
  
  
• Ask legislators and local officials to vote for your position
  
  
• Acknowledge public funding sources
  
  
• Discuss the value of the arts with your peers

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Related content - see also

• General Guidelines: Introduction
  
  
• Image Preparation
  
  
• Click here for individual KAC Program Guidelines and Applications

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