UK Arts Administration Group to Launch Kickstarter to Support Community Art Initiative
LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 11, 2014) — A group of University of Kentucky arts administration students has taken a course project from the classroom to the community, launching an effort to bring art to Lexingtonians who need it the most. The group has begun seeking community support this week as they launch their own Kickstarter campaign.
Art in Unlikely Places was founded by 17 students in an arts administration spring 2014 class under the guidance of UK Arts Administration Director of Undergraduate Studies Mark Rabideau. What began as a class project has grown into a fully functioning arts organization. Driven by the belief that creativity is the seed of hope, Art in Unlikely Places connects artists to those most in need of the transformative powers of the arts.
To support the development of the organization, the students were awarded a grant from the Michael Braun Endowment Fund, which awards projects and activities that enrich student knowledge of the arts administration profession and field.
The organization’s first project is Future Doors, launched with the belief that art by definition challenges the mind and emotions and refocuses our perspective of the world.
For the project, local artists were commissioned to create works of art on doors that reflect the mission of eight partner nonprofit organizations. The artwork serves as reminders of hope for the underserved of Lexington. Each door is on display at its respective nonprofit until June 25, at which time they will be auctioned off at the historic Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center. Proceeds from the auction will go to the artists and nonprofit organizations.
To help further support the Future Doors project and auction, Art in Unlikely Places has launched a Kickstarter campaign. Funding received through the campaign will be used for supporting the efforts of Art in Unlikely Places partner charitable organizations and future cultural and social entrepreneurial projects. The Kickstarter can be found online at: www.kickstarter.com/projects/1742171443/future-doors.
"For me, the real investment through Future Doors is empowering young people to see themselves as change-agents, leveraging their skills, knowledge, experience and passion toward providing hope for those most in need of the transformative powers of the arts," Rabideau said.
The Future Doors participating nonprofits and artists, including current UK students and alumni, are:
- Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital and Emily Slusher;
- Christian Health Center and Caitlin Serey, a 2014 arts administration and art studio graduate;
- Hope Center and Spencer Reinhard;
- Lexington Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Cameron White;
- NAMI Lexington and Sara Hadorn, an arts administration senior from Erlanger, Ky.;
- Ronald McDonald House and Jenny Kittinger, a 2008 art studio and art education graduate who teaches at Anderson County High School.
- Shriners Hospital for Children and Andria McElroy, a music education senior from Georgetown, Ky.; and
- The Nest Center for Women, Children and Families and Isabell Park, an integrated strategic communication sophomore from Hopkinsville, Ky.
For more information about Art in Unlikely Places, visit the organization’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/artin.unlikelyplaces, or contact Mark Rabideau, at mark.rabideau@uky.edu.
The Arts Administration Program at UK College of Fine Arts offers one of the most comprehensive curriculums in the country and the first online master's degree in the field at a public university. The program is designed to teach students the concepts, technologies and skills necessary to successfully direct an arts organization in a competitive and changing environment.
MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu