LAL is committed to providing community engagement initiatives that make art accessible to all members of our community and illuminate the role of visual art in everyday life. Over the past several years, LAL has implemented several successful art programs on-site at the Loudoun House as well as in central Kentucky neighborhoods. Below is a snapshot of these programs. To learn more about LAL community engagement initiatives please contact Julia Curiel here or by calling 859.254.7024. If you are interested in helping make LAL programs possible through gifts of financial support or volunteer hours please contact Stephanie Pevec here or by calling 859.254.7024. Donate now to support our community engagements programs! ›Side by Side ›Witness ›Lexington as Home ›Master Class ›Castlewood Fun Camps ›Lyric Theatre Quilting Bees

Side by Side Recipient of the Award of Excellence in Partnerships by VSA arts in Washington, D.C., Side by Side engages children with communicative disorders in the visual arts via a partnership of Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital, VSA arts of Kentucky and LAL.  Combining the medical knowledge of Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital, the arts advocacy of VSA arts of Kentucky, and LAL’s artistic ties to the Lexington community, this program offers quality visual art instruction by a VSA arts of Kentucky Master Artist to participating children for a total of 6 weeks. Each child then collaborates with a professional adult artist to create a work of art reflective of that adult artist’s medium. The result is an exhibition featuring one set of artwork per child: an individually-created piece, their collaborative piece done in partnership with the adult artist, and a piece created solely by this professional artist; all three are displayed side by side. More information on events surrounding Side by Side. Side by Side Master Artists: Luella Pavey (2010), Luella Pavey (2009), Christine Kuhn (2008), Brenda Wirth (2007)

Witness Working with advocates from partnering agencies, artists have collaborated with women who have experienced violence and created original works of visual art reflective of the women’s stories, often untold. Through the exhibition of works in Witness, visual art is a tool to facilitate healing for survivors, build relationships between artists and survivors, and engage the community in a very powerful way to help end violence against women and girls.  Witness is developed and produced by LAL in partnership with the Kentucky Domestic Violence Association, Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program, Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center,  Kentucky United Methodist Homes for Children and Youth, and Third Street Stuff. Sponsored by The University of Kentucky Center for Research on Violence Against Women.

Lexington as Home A new initiative implemented through a partnership between Lexington Habitat for Humanity and the Lexington Art League, Lexington as Home takes children of families participating in the homeowner’s educational course through long-term visual arts exploration via instruction from an LAL appointed visual art professional. The children are allowed to experiment with various media, and are engaged in projects that encourage them to define their roles in their communities, their identities within their families, neighborhood and city, and to creatively translate that definition into a work of art. The 2008 Lexington as Home program will culminate in an exhibition at the Mayor’s Office, where works from each child in the program will be displayed January 12th to March 27th, with a Gallery Hop Reception on February 20th, 2009. Lexington as Home Instructors:  Michelle Zendarski (2010), Sonja Brooks (2008)

Master Class A new program offered by the Lexington Art League, the Master Class allows high school students across Kentucky to enroll without cost in a twelve-hour course taught by a Master Artist to learn about life as a professional artist and to assist in the development of their own artistic careers. After several hours of leading the students in various artistic exercises and providing them with feedback on their work, Master Artists lead the students to complete their final project. More information about 2010's Master Class. Master Class Master Artists: Charlie Campbell (2010), Travis S. Townsend (2009), Waseem Touma (2008)

Castlewood Community Center Summer Camps Through a partnership between the Castlewood Community Center and the Lexington Art League, children participating in the community center’s Castlewood Community Center Sumer Camps receive a non-traditional visual arts education from instructors hired by LAL. The instructors lead the children to complete a myriad of different art projects based on experimentation with media, ideas and methods, and encourage the children to creatively explore alternatives to traditional art-making. The result for the 2008 partnership was an installation entitled “C-City,” in which each child built at least one structure to be included in their collaborative city made of found objects, paint, and other various media. Castlewood Fun Camp Art Instructors: Michelle Zendarski (2010); Luella Pave (2009); Chris Gragg, Jacob Cecil, Sarah Winters & Patricia Jacovino (2008)

LAL Quilting Bees with the Lyric Theatre Professional artists and communities across Lexington are collaborating on the creation of the Lyric Theatre Community Quilt. The quilt, which will hang in the lobby of the newly renovated Lyric Theatre, serves to commemorate the history of engagement between the theatre, its community members and Lexington's African American Community. Although traditional materials will be used, relevant mixed media with a historical context (perhaps the photos of one’s relatives at the theatre or a ticket stub) will be encouraged and are sought. Each quilting bee will be photographically documented and displayed in an exhibition at LAL @ Mayor’s Office, concurrently with the grand re-opening of the Lyric Theatre, in September, 2010. Facilitators: Sarah Campbell, lead; Lauren Fox, assistant

If you are interested in partnering with LAL download this application form and return it to: LAL c/o Julia Curiel, Program Coordinator 209 Castlewood Drive Lexington, KY 40505