Sandoval Part of KMAC's 30th Anniversary Program

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 3, 2011) − Arturo Alonzo Sandoval, the Alumni Endowed Professor of Art at the University of Kentucky Department of Art, will moderate a panel discussion presented in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. The event, which features founders of the organization, will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 3, at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, located in downtown Louisville, Ky., at 715 West Main St.

The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, originally founded as the Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, was established in 1981 by Phyllis George, then first lady of Kentucky and a former Miss America and the late Mary Norton Shands. To celebrate their 30 year milestone, a panel discussion is being presented with three of the organization’s founders - Reverend Al Shands III, Lois Mateus and David Mahoney. Sandoval, an internationally recognized artist, will serve as moderator. The event will also feature a champagne toast in honor of the Shands' 2010 Governor’s Awards in the Arts. This event is free for museum members and $5 for non-members.

Sandoval is a critically acclaimed fiber artist, whose work has been displayed extensively regionally, nationally and internationally, including exhibitions at New York's Museum of Modern Art; the Smithsonian Museum of American Art; the Indianapolis Museum of Art; the National Vietnam Veteran's Museum; Speed Art Museum; the 8th and 14th Biennial of Tapestry in Lausanne, Switzerland; the Textile Triennial in Lodz, Poland; and the International Textile Competition in Kyoto, Japan.

Through his creative efforts, Sandoval has been awarded two National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Visual Arts Fellowships; NEA supported Visiting Artists Grants; two Kentucky Arts Council Al Smith Visual Arts Fellowship awards; two Al Smith Professional Service Awards; the Kentucky Craft Marketing Honorary Award; the Kentucky Craft Marketing and Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation Inc. Rude Osolnik Craftsman Award; the 2003 Governor's Award in the Arts Artist Award; and was presented with a Kentucky Star Award by the Downtown Lexington Corporation in 2007.

The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft is a nonprofit organization founded to promote and support art and craft excellence in Kentucky. Each year, museum programs benefit more than 90,000 children and adults from Louisville and beyond. The facility's Education Center also provides special needs workshops, summer art camps, community center programs, school partnership workshops, Girl Scout workshops, child, teen and adult workshops, and craft artist demonstrations. Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft is supported in part by the Fund for the Arts and Kentucky Arts Council.

For more information on the event, contact the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft at (502) 589-0102.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, (859) 257-1754 ext. 229, Whitney.Hale@uky.edu