Arts & Culture

Arts Entrepreneurs Dive In at Fish Tank

of
black and white photo of JT Priar and Maddie Marburger presenting at 2018 Fish Tank
photo of Fish Tank web slider

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 13, 2019) What's next in the arts? Find out for yourself when you #JumpInTheTank at Fish Tank: Emerging Entrepreneurs in the Arts, presented by University of Kentucky Department of Arts Administration, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, at Awesome Inc., located at 348 E. Main St. in Lexington. This event is free and open to the public.

Part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, Fish Tank is a pitch competition that features UK arts administration students who have bold ideas for a better future in the arts in their community, and are ready to jump in the tank and share them with you. Project concepts for new arts-based organizations in Lexington include bike and pedestrian-friendly Sunday afternoon entertainment, repurposing vacant real estate for art exhibition or creation, and an all-ages music venue.

Fish Tank is in its second year. The inaugural event garnered praise from participating students who said that they were “able to apply what they’ve learned in classes and internships to every aspect of their projects.”

Competitors will be judged on the feasibility and sustainability of their projects by esteemed local business owners and arts professionals including: Nan Plummer, president and CEO of LexArts; Sal Sanchez, owner of A Cup of Common Wealth, Chocolate Holler and Magic Beans Coffee Roasters; and Adanma Onyedike Barton, associate professor of theatre at Berea College and the first African American president of the Kentucky Theatre Association. Professor emerita and founder of UK Arts Administration, Geraldine Maschio, will serve as the emcee.

For the first time, this year there will be an audience favorite winner. Register for your free ticket now so you can vote for your favorite.

This event is produced by Jill Schinberg, assistant professor of arts administration, as part of the course AAD 410: Arts Entrepreneurship, which is required curriculum in the Department of Arts Administration at UK.

Parking is free after 5 p.m. on the street or in the Phoenix surface lot located directly behind the Kentucky Theatre on Vine Street.

Founded in 1987, the Department of Arts Administration at UK College of Fine Arts offers one of the most comprehensive curricula in the country. Dynamic and innovative, the department leads national and international initiatives in teaching, research, professional and community service to educate and inspire responsible arts leaders, artists and entrepreneurs.

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.