Warhol Foundation supports UK Art Museum research on pioneering photographers

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 27, 2026) — The University of Kentucky Art Museum received a $38,000 Curatorial Research Fellowship Grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to fund research on two photographers working in Lexington in the mid-twentieth century.

“With support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the UK Art Museum plans to deepen and expand the impact of research on two African American photographers: Maurice W. Strider and William S. Dotson,” said Rachel Hooper, Ph.D., UK Art Museum curator and recipient of the grant. “They have never been exhibited in an art museum, despite their innovative approaches to image-making and important role in advancing civil rights.”

Hooper will research Dotson and Strider to present their photographs in a 2029 exhibition. 

The UK Art Museum, an entity under the College of Fine Arts, was one of two recipients of a curatorial research fellowship in the Fall 2025 grant cycle.

“We are pleased to support Rachel Hooper’s research on Maurice W. Strider and William S. Dotson, bringing long-overdue attention to two photographers whose significant contributions to image-making and deep engagement with the struggle for civil rights expand our understanding of both photography and social history,” said Rachel Bers, program director for the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, “This inquiry exemplifies the foundation’s commitment to uncovering overlooked yet vital practices and art histories.”

The foundation, which was created in accordance with Warhol’s will, promotes the advancement of the visual arts. Warhol, who died in 1987, is one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.

Hooper said she feels a personal connection to Warhol, made more meaningful by the grant.

“I first learned about Andy Warhol as a student at the School for Creative and Performing Arts here in Lexington, and I went on to write my master’s thesis at Williams College about his work,” she said. “To have the recognition of the foundation that continues his legacy means the world to me.”

Stuart Horodner, UK Art Museum director, said the award is a seal of approval on the work the museum is already doing.

“Whenever we receive grants from national funders it is significant,” Horodner said. “Their support contributes to our budget and helps to pay for things like curatorial research, production costs for exhibitions and publications. But equally important is that such grants are very validating. They recognize our contribution to the field alongside other significant arts institutions around the country.”

“The foundation’s recognition is a testament to the importance of our museum in developing meaningful exhibitions and educational programs that serve our campus community and citizens of the Commonwealth.”

The museum’s research and exhibition seek to make Dotson and Strider’s photography more widely known and accessible to the public.

“Sharing their photographs will be an opportunity to engage the local community in meaningful conversations about the preservation and presentation of the history of the Civil Rights Movement,” Hooper said. “This curatorial research project will be an occasion to consider what our responsibilities are to a generation that sacrificed so much for us.”

Dotson and Strider’s photography primarily served a social purpose rather than an aesthetic function, Hooper said, capturing the beauty and full experiences of their community.

“But more importantly,” she added, “they used photography to advance social justice, challenge oppression, and build community power.

“The support of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts will allow us to invite artists and scholars to Lexington, Kentucky, to present their work and discuss best practices for community engagement and the history of the Civil Rights Movement.”