Newsroom

Registration for Poetry Out Loud 2026 is now open!

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. Participating students must be in grades 9 through 12, and any representative of a Kentucky public or private high school may apply. Each participating school receives … Continued

Celebrating the Black Experience Art Exhibit Launches Kentucky Tour 

The Kentucky Arts Council launched the Celebrating the Black Experience touring art exhibit this month. The fourth annual exhibit, presented by the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage (KCAAH), includes artists from all over Kentucky, and some from Indiana, Virginia, Tennessee, Illinois, Florida and Zimbabwe. Media includes fiber art, wood sculpture, textiles, copper, acrylic and oil paintings, drawings, and mixed media work with innovative … Continued

The Kentucky Arts Council Board to Meet June 20  

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 13, 2025) — The Kentucky Arts Council second quarter board meeting will be held Friday, June 20, 2025 from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Eastern at the Singletary Center President’s Room at 405 Rose Street, Lexington, Ky.  The meeting will be simulcast via Zoom. Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android.   … Continued

Applications are Now Open for the Kentucky Crafted Program

The Kentucky Arts Council is now accepting applications for its Kentucky Crafted Program, the commonwealth’s premier marketing initiative for professional visual and craft artists.  Kentucky Crafted provides networking, promotional and sales opportunities, as well as arts business training, to support the success of Kentucky artists. Adjudicated artists accepted into the program receive statewide and national exposure … Continued

March 2025 Board Minutes

Celebrating the Black Experience

The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage is collaborating with the Kentucky Arts Council to bring the annual art exhibition, Celebrating the Black Experience, to locations across the commonwealth. Join curators Aukram Burton and Julia Youngblood as they present two visual artists from the exhibit, Nahla Joy of Louisville and Derek King Jr. of Lexington. This free webinar will take place Wed., June 4, 2025, 11 … Continued

Creative Industry Summit Series: New Generations of Storytellers

The Kentucky Arts Council presents a free webinar, New Generations of Storytellers, on May 14 from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern. Meet Appalachian storytellers Hasan Davis and Mitch Barrett, both of Madison County, Ky. Hasan and Mitch are mentor artists participating in the arts council’s Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program. This year, they are teaching storytelling traditions to … Continued

AI and Arts Administration: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bot

Join the Kentucky Arts Council’s Creative Industry Summit Series on May 16, 2025, at 2 p.m. Eastern. In this free webinar, arts administrator Joshua Brown will explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace and how to use AI tools to improve your practice. Brown believes AI tools can empower artists, patrons, and grantees … Continued

Teaching Art Together Grant application is open!

The Kentucky Arts Council is now accepting applications for the 2025-26 school year for the Teaching Arts Together Grant.    With the Teaching Art Together Grant, teachers can implement one to 10-day teaching artist residencies in their PreK-12th grade classrooms. All artists have been carefully juried by a panel of arts education professionals and selected for inclusion in the Teaching … Continued

Governor’s Derby Exhibit is now open!

The 2025 Governor’s Derby Exhibit is now open in the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort. The work of 44 artists from across Kentucky, curated by the Kentucky Arts Council, will be on display through May 29. The exhibit, which carries the theme “Spring is Here,” opened April 30. Visiting hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. … Continued