More than 300 people gathered at the Capitol Rotunda on Wed., Feb. 11 to celebrate Arts Day in Kentucky.
Among the attendees were representatives from the 96 Kentucky Arts Partnership (KAP) organizations who received a collective $1.4 million in grant funding from the Kentucky Arts Council in fiscal year 2015. Members of those organizations met with their legislators to thank them for their continued support of the arts in their respective communities.
"Arts Day is a great time for us at the arts council and the legislators in the General Assembly to hear stories from our Kentucky Arts Partnership groups about how our support has made a difference in their communities," said Lori Meadows, arts council executive director.
"We are also grateful to the artists who came and demonstrated their craft today, providing a great backdrop to celebrating creativity in Kentucky," Meadows added.
Among those demonstrators was Doug Naselroad, of Winchester, who brought his handmade dulcimers for Arts Day guests to look at.
"The Hindman dulcimers are world famous," he said. "We're trying to preserve and promote this tradition."
Naselroad said he enjoys Arts Day because of the interaction between artists, art groups and the public.
"I've got lots of friends here. It's wonderful to have fellowship with them on a day like this."
The arts council hosts Arts Day each year during the legislative session to bring awareness to the many roles the arts play in the Commonwealth. Arts leaders, artists, the general public and other supporters of the arts gather to celebrate the arts and the creative industry, and recognize the Kentucky General Assembly for its continued support of the arts.
2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the arts council by then-Gov. Edward T. Breathitt, as well as the 50th anniversary of the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) by Congress. The arts council is celebrating these significant events as the Year of the Arts in Kentucky.
The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, fosters environments 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.
(story provided by Kentucky Arts Council)
