UK to host campuswide Art Trail April 16
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 13, 2026) — The University of Kentucky invites students, faculty, staff and the Lexington community to explore creativity across campus during the inaugural UK Art Trail, a self-guided art walk 4-7 p.m. Thursday, April 16.
Hosted by the College of Design, College of Fine Arts, UK Arts in HealthCare program and UK Art Museum, the Art Trail offers a unique opportunity to experience the breadth of artistic activity at UK through a flexible, self-paced format.
The event will feature a series of gallery stops showcasing exhibitions, collections and creative work across multiple campus locations. Participating stops include:
- UK Art Museum, in the Singletary Center for the Arts
- UK Chandler Hospital, with exhibits on display throughout the ground and first floor of Pavillion A
- Gray Design Building Gallery
- Bolivar Art Gallery, in the School of Art and Visual Studies
- Great Hall Gallery, in the Gatton Student Center
Event maps are available for pickup at the Gatton Student Center information desk, Gray Design Building, the School of Art and Visual Studies building and the UK Art Museum.
Participants who visit at least three of the featured stops and collect stamps at each location will be eligible to receive a free exclusive piece of artwork by a UK faculty member, available for pickup at the UK Art Museum while supplies last.
“The yearly event that will be held surrounding the UK Art Trail is an opportunity for everyone to come together and celebrate the visual arts that enliven our campus,” Bryce Chatwin, art curator for UK Auxiliary Services and one of the Art Trail organizers, said. “What is so exciting about the UK Art Trail is that it will be a way to celebrate and support our creative students while bringing together our campus community in a way that continues to cultivate creativity and contribute to our vibrant arts scene.”
The inaugural UK Art Trail represents a new effort to connect creative spaces across campus, with plans to grow the event into a recurring celebration of art and design at UK.
“As we look to the future, we hope to hold screenings of films, art-making activities and other events along the trail as we grow this annual event into something UK students look forward to every year,” Chatwin said.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit https://design.uky.edu/events/uk-art-trail-2026.
In addition to the event, the UK Art Trail will serve as a permanent public art experience. Maps will be available year-round in participating locations, allowing students, faculty, staff and visitors to explore the trail at their own pace beyond the April event.
This event is sponsored by UK Office of the Provost’s IMPACT grant as part of the “Expanding the University of Kentucky Arts Ecosystem” project in collaboration with the UK College of Design, College of Fine Arts, UK Arts in HealthCare and UK Office of Student Success.
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 healthcare. 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 $1.02 billion research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.