Campus Conversations: Fine Arts Telling UK Story Across State, World

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 13, 2011) -- The University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts not only has the Commonwealth as a stage, but increasingly the world.

As a result, they are helping tell and promote the UK story in every corner of the state and on stages far and wide across the country and internationally, said President Eli Capilouto after a recent visit with leading college faculty and staff.

"The fine arts are both a physical and cultural gateway to the University of Kentucky," Capilouto said. "Our Singletary Center for the Arts and the Art Museum at UK sit at a prominent corner of campus and welcome people from our community to a diverse area of performances and exhibits."

Some recent examples of innovation and spreading the UK story include:

•           The UK Symphony Orchestra, led by John Nardolillo, performs Saturday evening at Rupp Arena with the Boston Pops as part of a celebration of Keeneland's 75th anniversary. The orchestra has performed throughout the state for schoolchildren and in New York at Carnegie, among other locations, and played for more than three hours during the opening ceremonies of the World Equestrian Games.

•           The UK Opera Theatre, led by Everett McCorvey, is performing “Roméo et Juliette” soon for Lexington audiences and recently put on a ground-breaking performance of “Porgy and Bess.” That performance debuted new technology, created by UK's Center for Visualization and Virtual Environments, which provided high-tech backdrops to simulate different scenes such as streetscapes and neighborhoods.

•           The UK Women's Choir and UK Jazz Ensemble were recently invited to perform in Europe.

•           Students and faculty from the UK Department of Theatre staged a documentary drama on student veterans' experiences at the New York International Fringe Festival with help from the Veterans Resource Center and the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History.

•           And faculty member Ebony G. Patterson in the Department of Art, became the first visual artist to receive the Rex Nettleford Fellowship in Cultural Studies.

"The faculty and staff in the College of Fine Arts are resourceful and passionate about their work, students and providing their communities with rich cultural engagement opportunities," Capilouto said. "The music, visual, performing and creative arts enrich our lives and add incredible value to the way we interact and embrace ideas in our world."

Capilouto is visiting each college at UK as part of his Campus Conversations. Capilouto is working with faculty, students and staff ― along with the UK Board of Trustees ― to build a shared campus agenda for the future. That agenda will focus on enhancing the undergraduate educational experience and a transformation of facilities and infrastructure in the campus core.