'An Inspired Evening' returns to recognize art curator, fundraise for UK Art Museum
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 7, 2023) — In 2020, University of Kentucky Art Museum postponed its fundraiser because of the pandemic. UK is thrilled to announce the return of "An Inspired Evening," focusing on the museum's commitment to the art of the Commonwealth, and recognizing the numerous Kentucky artists it has exhibited and collected in its 43-year history. Many of these artists will be in attendance. "An Inspired Evening" is scheduled for 7-10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at Singletary Center for the Arts.
"The artists from Kentucky that we've supported — by exhibiting their works and accessioning pieces into our permanent collection — are a major part of our identity. Their creative activities in painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, and photography, are significant in terms of formal investigations, conceptual approaches, and modes of representation and storytelling," said Stuart Horodner, director, UK Art Museum.
Curator Janie Welker will be the event's honoree, in appreciation of the exhibitions, photography lectures, acquisitions, and scholarship she has produced during her career at UK. Welker has announced her retirement in the fall of 2023, and the museum looks forward to celebrating her.
"Janie Welker is a dedicated and insightful curator and the legacy she leaves here at the museum is significant. Her current exhibitions on view — 'Site of a Dangerous Leap,' 'Sinners and Saints' and 'Ralph Eugene Meatyard: Georgetown Street' — are a reflection of her ability to make visual and conceptual connections, and champion diverse artists," Horodner said.
Enjoy abundant hors d'oeuvres, specialty cocktails, and lively performances — on the stage in the Singletary Center's Concert Hall and in the lobby. All proceeds support the UK Art Museum's year-round programs and free admission policy. Purchase tickets to "An Inspired Evening" at: https://cfapay.uky.edu/art-museum/ticketing.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.