Take in GSA talent in the spotlight July 29
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 28, 2023) — You may have seen — or heard — them on campus this June and July — a young artist covered in clay or paint, the profile of a dancer practicing a perfect pirouette, a writer scribbling away in a notebook, an actor delivering a monologue or a vocalist rehearsing the solo of a beloved Broadway tune. This weekend is your chance to see the finished product as the second session of the Governor's School for the Arts (GSA) comes to a close July 29.
"The final day of the Governor's School of the Arts on the University of Kentucky campus is a celebratory festival like no other," said UK College of Fine Arts Dean Mark Shanda. "The students from the different arts forms each share not only examples of what they have learned by being immersed in the arts for three weeks, but they share their new-found passion as the artists of the future! A joy to behold and all are welcome to engage as audience members who seek to see creativity on display."
Demonstrations of work in GSA's different disciplines will be presented from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 29. A schedule of programming by area is as follows:
- Creative Writing: 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at Patterson Hall Lobby, Room 218 and the second floor common space;
- Dance: 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. at the Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall;
- Drama: noon-2:30 p.m. at Guignol Theatre in the Fine Arts Building;
- Film and Photography: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in the Bolivar Art Gallery at the Art and Visual Studies Building;
- Instrumental Music: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. in Rooms 17 and 22 of the Fine Arts Building and in the President's Room at the Singletary Center;
- Musical Theatre: 1-2:45 p.m. in the Singletary Center Concert Hall;
- Visual Art: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Bolivar Art Gallery at the Art and Visual Studies Building; and
- Vocal Music: noon-4:30 p.m. in the Singletary Center Recital Hall.
GSA is the Commonwealth's flagship initiative for more than 500 of its brightest young artists. Each year, GSA auditions and reviews applications from thousands of students from across the state who are passionate about their art form. Selected participants attend a tuition-free summer residential program that focuses in nine different disciplines. The intense experience fills the students' schedules with seminars, masterclasses, lectures, workshops and field trips from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week for the duration of the three weeks.
At UK, 2023 GSA participants were hosted by UK College of Fine Arts in collaboration with architecture and creative writing programs in the College of Design and College of Arts and Sciences. The students resided at Holmes Hall, the Creative Arts Living Learning Program residence hall.
About GSA
GSA is a public/private partnership established in 1987 by the Kentucky Center (now Kentucky Performing Arts), the Commonwealth of Kentucky and numerous private supporters. Today, the vital funding required to make GSA a reality is provided by the state through the leadership of the governor’s office and the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, as well as the Kentucky Performing Arts Foundation, Toyota Motor Manufacturing and more than 300 corporations, parents, educators, alumni and friends of GSA.
About the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts
The University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts, UK’s college host for GSA, offers Kentucky’s broadest collection of visual and performing arts academic programs with four academic units. The college also is home to the Singletary Center for the Arts and the UK Art Museum. The College of Fine Arts declares that the arts are essential to the life of the individual and the community and expresses commitment to the arts through dedication to teaching, scholarly research, artistic experimentation, performance, outreach and exhibition.
About Kentucky Performing Arts
Bringing world class performances to Kentucky, connecting artists with the community, and providing arts education opportunities, Kentucky Performing Arts lives its statewide mission of building lifelong relationships with the arts. As an integral member of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet, Kentucky Performing Arts, along with the other agencies, seeks to preserve and promote the history, heritage and arts of the Commonwealth.
Three locations in Louisville make up the family of venues under the Kentucky Performing Arts umbrella:
- The Kentucky Center at 501 W. Main St.
- The Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway
- Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, 724 Brent St.
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.