Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft: Celebrating the State's Artisans
Stirring oil paintings, exquisite blown-glass vases, woven art, glorious quilts and more, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft celebrates traditional and functional art. Each year, more than 165,000 visit the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, located on Main Street in downtown Louisville.
The museum showcases works from hundred of Kentucky artists representing a wide variety of media, from magnificent glass vessels by artist Stephen Rolfe Powell, to hand painted wooden folk art by Minnie Adkins. While the museum is proud to exhibit Kentucky and regional artists in its four exhibition galleries, the facility also has works from across the country and from overseas. In all, the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft has 27,000 square feet of space over its four floors and a lower level.
The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft has an illustrious pedigree: It was founded as the Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation in 1981 by then-Kentucky First Lady Phyllis George. The idea was to generate interest in the Bluegrass State's rich craft heritage. It found itself retail and exhibition space in 1984; since then, the museum has presented more than 175 exhibitions. By 1991, the museum had become a leader in preserving and advancing Kentucky's art and craft heritage. The museum received its new name in 2003.
Admission is free for museum members, children 12 and younger, and students with a valid ID. Senior citizens and members of the military pay $5. Everyone else pays $6. If one or more exhibition galleries are closed due to transitioning exhibits, the price drops to half. Admission drops to $4 for groups of 10 or more. First Friday Trolley Hop evenings and the opening of any exhibition, however, are free to all. A visit to the Gallery Shop is always free.
While the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft generally closes at 5 p.m., it's open late for the First Friday Trolley Hop.
From the very beginning, the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft has been committed to education. The museum presents thematic workshops and its general field trip workshops, which cost $7 per student. Can't get downtown? The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft can come to you through its Middle School Program and its various Traveling Suitcase programs. The museum also has programs aimed directly at children like KidArt Camp and various workshops.
The Lindy + Bill Street Gallery, on the second floor overlooking Main Street, and the Brown-Forman Gallery, on the third floor, can be rented for meetings and entertaining. Rental fees begin at $150.
Posted on Feb 7, 2011 by Ivonne Rovira
