UK Happenings

Gaines Center’s Breathitt Lecture to Explore Kentucky Urban Legends

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 4, 2022) — Matthew Kluemper, a University of Kentucky digital media and design senior, has been selected to deliver the 27th Edward T. Breathitt Undergraduate Lecture in the Humanities from 6-7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 7, at the Davis Marksbury Building in the Hardymon Theatre. Kluemper’s lecture will explore the relationship between urban legends and the spaces and cultures in which they originate.

Established to honor an eminent Kentuckian and an outstanding UK alumnus whose interest in higher education and the humanities was exceptional, this lectureship is awarded to an undergraduate whose qualities of mind and spirit have been expressed eloquently on one or more of the basic concerns of the humanities.

Kluemper’s lecture is titled “Photographic Retellings of Kentucky Urban Legends.” He will focus on three urban legends. Kluemper will tell the stories by projecting imagery on top of the original photographs, to allow the audience to engage with each tale.

Kluemper credits UK School of Art and Visual Studies assistant professor, Forest Kelley, for mentoring his research and lecture.

Attendees must pre-register here and select whether they want to attend virtually or in-person. The event is free and open to the public. 

The Breathitt Lectureship is presented by the Gaines Center for the Humanities. The student speaker is chosen through an application process that includes a lecture proposal submitted by the student to an independent committee of readers. In recognition of his selection for the Breathitt Lectureship, Kluemper will receive a commemorative award and a $500 honorarium.

Founded in 1984 by a generous gift from John and Joan Gaines, the Gaines Center for the Humanities functions as a laboratory for imaginative and innovative education on UK’s campus. The center is devoted to cultivating an appreciation of the humanities in its students and faculty. The Gaines Center embraces varied paths of knowledge and particularly strives to integrate creative work with traditional academic learning.

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.