Get Your Cultural Groove on in Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region

      When you think about culture, what comes to mind?  A Puccini opera?  A Shakespearean sonnet?  A painting of water lilies by Monet?

      Granted, all of these are expressions of culture, but so is arock opera by The Who, a verse by cowboy poet Baxter Black, and a painting of asoup can by Andy Warhol.

      Culture is defined as “the customs, arts, rituals, socialinstitutions and achievements of people in a particular location.”

      In the Bluegrass Region, culture runs the gamut from museumsspecializing in jeweled bibelots and blown glass to theaters showcasing toptalent and galleries showcasing folk and equine art.  It can even mean a nostalgic evening ofradio, Golden Age-style, and a nostalgic drive-in movie theater, 1950s -style.

      Come get your cultural groove on in Kentucky’s BluegrassRegion.

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Museums:

    George Headley may havebeen an accomplished artist (studying at the L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Parisand winning the Vicenza Gold Cup for International expertise in jewelrydesign), but he was also a crackerjack marketer.

      During the 1930s and 40s when he operated an exclusive jewelryboutique at Los Angeles’s Bel-Air Hotel, he would entice potential customers byhaving his dachshund Ernie strut poolside sporting a diamond necklace as a dogcollar.

       A bejeweled Ernie provedan effective marketing tool as Headley counted among his clients film stars,international jet-setters and members of royalty.

      When he returned to his family’s farm La Belle in FayetteCounty, Headley sought an outlet for his artistic bent.  He found it designing one-of-a-kind bibelotsusing precious and semi-precious stones.

      His unique jewelry is one of the art forms on display at theHeadley-Whitney Museum, set in the midst of Lexington’s Thoroughbred farmcountry on Old Frankfort Pike.

       A 30-minute drive from Lexington to Danvillein Boyle County takes visitors from jewels to blown glass.  In 2023, the city’s Art Center of theBluegrass unveiled a $3.7 million expansion which will serve as the home of theGLASS National Art Museum, honoring the legacy of one of Danville’s own.

      Stephen Rolfe Powell was a faculty member in the art departmentat Centre College for 30 years, and a well-respected glass artist known for hiselaborate three-foot vessels utilizing richly colored patterns and images.

      Powell’s work has been displayed at the

Smithsonian, Cincinnati Art Museum, Tennessee Aquarium and at the2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

      Now it can be seen in the museum’s Main Gallery, one of threegalleries that have more than doubled the footprint of the Art Center.

      With both the permanent Powell collection and rotatingexhibitions featuring regional and national glass artists, the museum is hopingto become a leader in the glass art field.

      Question:   Where can youfind a Mammoth tooth, a display of fishing reels that revolutionized angling,17 original Paul Sawyier paintings and a replica of a room where a Kentuckygovernor spent his last hours – all under one beautifully renovated roof?

      Answer:  Frankfort’sCapital City Museum in Franklin County.

      While Sawyier’s art and the fishing reels have their fans, theMammoth tooth and the room tableau are where most visitors go first.

      On loan from the University of Kentucky AnthropologyDepartment, the Mammoth tooth was excavated from Big Bone Lick in northernKentucky and dates to the Ice Age some 12,000 years ago.

      The room is a replica of the one where 19th century governorWilliam Goebel spent four days on his deathbed after falling victim to anassassin’s bullet.

      Lest anyone feel sorry for Goebel, who has the dubiousdistinction of being the only U.S. governor to be assassinated while in office,consider that just five years previously he had dispatched a political rival ina similar fashion.

      Looking for a differentkind of museum? Look no further than Carlisle in Nicholas County where you’llfind the Kentucky Doll and Toy Museum, the only one of its kind in thecommonwealth.

      If you think it’s all about Barbie and Ken….. think again.  Among the 2,000-item collection dating fromthe late 19th century are childhood favorites Pippi Longstocking, Thumbelinaand Paddington Bear as well as more contemporary figures in miniature – StevieNicks, anyone?

      George and Martha Washington show off their curled wigs, andShirley Temple shows off her natural curls. There’s even a doll of Kentucky icon Col. Harlan Sanders.

Theaters:

      In 1948, at the height of Lexington’s segregated era, abuilding meshing Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival styles, quickly becamethe cultural hub for the city’s African-American community.

      While Fayette County’s Lyric Theater & Cultural Centerstarted as a movie house, it evolved into a live performance venue, which inthe 1950s attracted big name R&B and jazz artists such as Count Basie, RayCharles, B.B. King and Mercer Ellington.

      Desegregation led to a decline in patronage and the once proudpalace was reduced to showing Saturday morning cartoons and horror flicksbefore finally closing its doors in 1963.

        Fast forward to 2010 when it re-opened amidstmuch fanfare, although only the lobby’s tile floor, box office and theatermarquee retained the look of the original Lyric.

      Today, the Lyric Theater is a bastion of cultural diversity,hosting a range of community-focused programs, including its respected BlackLens Film Series, as well as being a catalyst in the development of Lexington’sEast End.

      What do Aretha Franklin, Jerry Seinfeld, Willie Nelson, TonyBennett, the Beach Boys and Blue Man Group all have in common?

      They have played to sellout crowds in the 2,000-seat theater atthe EKU Center for the Arts on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University inMadison County.

      But soul singers, stand-up comics, country troubadours andwhatever Blue Man Group is, aren’t alone in taking the stage at what has beencalled “Central Kentucky’s premier live entertainment and performing artsdestination”.

      The EKU Center for the Arts also regularly imports touringBroadway shows, ballet companies, and the exquisite pageantry of Shen Yun whichoffers through music and dance, a colorful window on Chinese culturepre-Communism.

      Through its artistic programming, EKU Center for the Artsserves as a conduit to foster arts appreciation in the Bluegrass Region.

 Like its Madison County counterpart, Norton Center for the Arts in BoyleCounty has been described as a “powerhouse palace of culture.”  It seems a fitting tribute for a theater thathas hosted icons Dolly Parton and ZZ Top, and classical superstars Yo-Yo Ma andthe Vienna Philharmonic with its then conductor Gustavo Dudamel.

      For 50 years, the Norton Center on the campus of Centre Collegein Danville has been entertaining audiences in its two theaters – 1,476-seatNewlin Hall and the intimate 367-seat Weisiger Theater.

      The Norton Center found itself in the national spotlight whenit hosted both the 2000 and 2012 vice-presidential debates.

    Frankfort’s Art DecoGrand Theater opened in 1911 as a vaudeville house offering acts from comedyskits to melodramas.   It’s the onlyremaining theater of five that had entertained audiences from the mid-19th tothe mid-20th centuries.

      In its heyday, the Grand was a stunning beauty, but like manyaging grand dames it was in need of a facelift. It got one in 2009 following a fund-raising campaign that netted $5million.

    The result was astate-of-the-art performing and visual arts theater offering both classic filmsand live performances.

    The Grand is nothing ifnot eclectic, having brought in both the Vienna Boys Choir and the BaconBrothers Band (one of the sibs being mega-star Kevin).

      It has paid tribute to the Big Band Era with the Count Basie,Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller orchestras, and the Swinging 60’s, courtesy ofJefferson Starship and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels.

      The Grand may be small in size (only 428 seats), but there’snothing small in the caliber of its performances.

  If you love Broadwaytheater, but can’t make it to the Big Apple on a regular basis, Versailles inWoodford County has an alternative option.

      The Woodford Theater stages five productions a season -audience-pleasers such as “James and the Giant Peach,” Roald Dahl’s fantasyabout a boy and his insect companions, and Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit,” thecomical adventures of a novelist who resurrects the vengeful spirit of his deadwife during a séance.

      Since its opening in 1988, Woodford Theater has provided thebest in community theater.

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Public Gardens:

      What could be a lovelier way of displaying a region’s culturethan with a gorgeous garden – especially if that garden also represents theties of friendship?

      That’s just what visitors to Yuko-En on the Elkhorn in ScottCounty discover at the traditional Japanese garden designed to cement therelationship between the towns of Georgetown and Tahara on the island ofHonshu.

      The two communities’ relationship blossomed after Toyota MotorCompany, which already had a manufacturing plant in Tahara, opened one inGeorgetown in 1988.

      Open to the public all four seasons, the five-and-a-half-acresanctuary is the only official Kentucky – Japan Friendship Garden.

      A 30-acre park in Franklin County carved out of a one-timetobacco farm is better known for its unique sculptures than for flowers andshrubs, although the art is set amidst native wildflower meadows and ecologicallandscapes.

      At Josephine Sculpture Park, some 80 sculptures and muralsrotate every year, with each piece created from recyclable materials such assteel, reclaimed wood, stone, fiber fabrics and shredded tires.

      Visitors to Josephine Sculpture Park, just a short drive fromdowntown Frankfort and the only dedicated sculpture park of its kind inKentucky, are encouraged to interact with the art, and even enjoy a picnic onthe lush grounds.

Old-Time Radio:

      The meandering journey from upstate New York to the border townof Laredo, Texas to the Appalachian community of Mousie, Kentucky may seem likean odd career arc, but it has paid off handsomely for Michael Jonathan, folksinger/songwriter/concert performer and self-proclaimed “tree-hugger.”

      Jonathan hosts the weekly Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour fromFayette County’s Lyric Theater, where a melange of bluegrass and blues, folkand country, rhythm & blues and Rock-a-Billy is broadcast live on PBS toaudiences around the world.

      Jonathan, frequently described as “Woody Guthrie in a cyberworld” and a hipper version of Garrison Keillor, presides over Lake Woebegon’sjust-as-quirky southern counterpart.

      Woodsongs isn’t the only radio program attracting audiences toits broadcast.  If you’re a fan ofradio’s Golden Age where mysteries, dramas and comedies came complete withappropriate sound effects, and the sponsors hawked their products right on theair (ever wonder how many Goodyear tires were sold during The Ozzie and HarrietHour?) KCAL will be right up your alley.

      Those halcyon radio days are revisited during quarterlyperformances (Spring, Summer, Fall and Christmas), courtesy of theall-volunteer KCAL Old Time Radio Troupe at their theater on South Main indowntown Nicholasville in Jessamine County.

      The non-profit operates solely on community support anddonations, and it also puts on a gospel sing every year, with the proceedsgoing to charity.

      Tickets for the family-friendly shows tend to sell out quickly,so don’t dawdle if you want to “see” radio the way it used to be.

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 ……and Movie Theaters

      In the 1950s and 60s, the drive-in movie theater was synonymouswith American culture.  Parents wouldload up the kids (usually clad in their pjs) and head off to the nearestdrive-in where they would settle in for a double bill of B movies churned outby Hollywood in the pre-blockbuster era.

      They would watch campy classics such as “The Monster ThatChallenged the World” and “The Killer Shrews,” - struggling to understand thedialogue through the squeaky speaker, and to keep the kids’ attention on themovie and off the canoodling teenagers in the car next to them.

      Today, most of these theaters have gone the way of thedinosaur, but Lincoln County’s Stanford Drive-in keeps the cherished memoriesalive, offering an evening of retro recreation.

      The Stanford Drive-in opened in May, 1952 with the movie “MagicCarpet” starring Lucille Ball, and has been going strong ever since – eventhrough name and facility changes and a screen that was destroyed by a tornado.

      The drive-in’s movie schedule is weekends only from May throughOctober.  The rest of the year, it hostsevents ranging from a classic car show to children’s birthday parties.

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Art Galleries:

      Museums are only one venue to showcase art in the BluegrassRegion.  Galleries – exhibitingeverything from fine art to folk art – provide another.

      Equine art is the focus at two Scott County galleries.  Visitors delve into the world of equestrianart at the Robert D. Clark Equine Artist and Gallery in downtown Georgetown,where Clark has used oils to capture the essence of the state’s equestrianheritage.

      Also in Georgetown, renowned equine photographer John StephenHockensmith has curated a collection of Thoroughbred photographs on display athis Hockensmith Fine Art Editions.

      Hopewell Creative Arts Guild in Bourbon County could be describedas a one-stop art shop. No matter what you’re looking for, artisticallyspeaking, whether it be paintings, pottery or photography, you can find it atthis eclectic gallery in downtown Paris.

      Designed to promote local artists, it’s guaranteed to please boththose looking for fine art and folk art, and for those who want to engage allthe senses in their pursuit of art.

      Sample the tasty craft cookies or sniff one of the customcandles.  Who knows – Horse Breath mayjust be your next home fragrance.

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Art Trails:

      If pioneer trails were a major feature of the Bluegrass Regionin its early history, today the trails are more associated with celebrating theregion’s art.

      One of the largest is the Anderson County Arts Trail held everyNovember.  During the full-day event,visitors can peruse artists’ booths featuring painting, sculpture, mixed media,jewelry and pottery; watch demonstrations of weaving and quilting, and listento some of Kentucky’s best storytellers spin yarns.

      While you’re in the “Burg,” if you haven’t gotten over yourchildhood love of playing with clay, make a detour to Elements Clay Studio forone of potter Susan Burge’s popular classes.

      Making a mess is encouraged, because as Susan says, “the art ofmaking pottery includes the mess that goes with it.”

      Beginning every May and continuing through October, Frankfortin Franklin County offers a one-hour, one-mile guided walking tour through thestate capital’s downtown area.

      Along the way, visitors will see 17 sculptures, from “Ready forFlight,” depicting a graceful dragonfly resting on freshwater river grass, to“Daddylonglegs,” geometric shapes cast in steel which might represent aharmless spider lurking in the bathtub, or an armored transformer robotstraight from a Sci Fi film.  You decide.

      If folk art is more to your taste, the Bluegrass Region is amecca.  Berea in Madison County is knownas “the Folk Art Capital of Kentucky.”

      Visitors need several days to explore all it has to offer, buthere are a few places they should definitely not miss.

      Start with the Kentucky Artisan Center.  Part museum, part gallery and part shoppingmecca, it boasts the work of more than 800 artists and artisans.  Spread across 25,000-square-feet, it’s ashowplace for superbly crafted glasswork, woodwork, jewelry, woven products andartwork.

      Visitors can interact with artists (Saturdays only) as theywatch vases thrown and glass blown, while listening to the sweet notes of adulcimer or the click-clack of a weaver’s shuttle.

      Should they wish to get even more up-close-and-personal withthe artists, they can head to Old Town Berea and its plethora of workingartists’ studios.

      At Top Drawer Gallery, elegant ironwork has been forged for 20years; Sunhouse Crafts’ broom maker has been profiled in Garden and GunMagazine, and woodworking products from The Cabin have been sold on everycontinent (well okay, maybe not Antarctica.)

      Anyone who knows anything about pottery stops at Tater KnobPottery and Farm, located in the hills outside of Berea in Madison County’s RedLick Valley.

      Here, Sarah Culbreth, “the Lady on the Knob,” turns out some 25items – from pitchers and vases to lamps and bells……even a baker for makingspoonbread like that found at Berea’s Boone Tavern.

      As each piece is handcrafted, no two will be alike.

      From specialty museums to special gardens, from pottery andclay-making studios to prestigious arts programming at institutions of higherlearning, the culture of the Bluegrass Region draws you in.

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