UK awards Reynolds building project
By Beverly Fortune bfortune@herald-leader.com
The University of Kentucky announced Wednesday that the South Hill Group of Lexington has been selected as the finalist for redevelopment of the Reynolds Building project on South Broadway.
UK residency changes artist's perspectives
By Heather Castro Contributing Art Writer
The interesting thing about travel is that, inevitably, there's no way back.
To have, help and hold
By Heather Castro Contributing Art Writer
Last year, the economy was strong, the holiday shopping season brisk and carefree, and my dad made me proud. A self-made man, my father went from a childhood in the projects of Owensboro to working two jobs to support our family, to early retirement at 50.
An artful life leads back to Tomahawk
By Amy Wilson awilson1@herald-leader.com
On the night before his death, Tom Williamson ate a double portion of dinner "as if he were getting ready to travel."
Gallery Hop exemplifies progression of changes in art world
By Heather Castro Contributing Art Writer
Did you know that, not too long ago, horses were thought to have all four legs extended outwards at full gallop? This stretched-out pose was common in artworks (and can be seen by Googling Alfred Pinkham Ryder's eerie work The Race Track), but artists and the equine industry argued about its absolute truthfulness in depicting a horse's movements. Then, in 1878, pioneering English photographer Eadweard Muybridge captured a horse in full gallop using motion-capture photography techniques. It showed that all four horse hooves do indeed leave the ground, but they're tucked under the body. Known as The Horse in Motion, Muybridge's photographs changed the visual expression of the horse, conforming the active painted image to photography's frozen moment.
World-renowned glass artist shares his expertise at Centre College
By Tom Eblen Herald-Leader columnist
DANVILLE — It's a long way from the Italian island of Murano — the center of Venetian glassblowing for 1,000 years — to the converted railroad shed beside the tracks at the edge of Centre College's campus.
'Death's Showcase' offers 10 visual responses to 'biggest mystery'
By Heather Castro Contributing Art Critic
Benjamin Franklin once wrote that nothing in this world is certain but death and taxes. That might be true, but there is an important difference between the two. Tax season conforms to a set deadline, still several months away. Death, however, is a constant presence, ready to claim each of us, any time, day or night, when our time comes.
'KY.7 Biennial' promises to challenge people's ideas of art
By Rich Copley rcopley@herald-leader.com
In the art world, biennial is a word often associated with Paris and other major cities, and major museums such as the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
Sculpture exhibit to reshape Lexington
By Heather Castro Contributing Art Writer
It's hard to think of looking at a three-dimensional artwork in terms of dialogue, but it's true. To look at a sculpture is to confront it. The viewer comes face to face with the presence of another's ideas and creative ability in a manner much more physical than with a flat wall piece. Think of Mount Rushmore or, more locally, Gwen Reardon's bronze horses in Thoroughbred Park.
Young artists get time in the spotlight
By Heather Castro Contributing Art Writer
I know I'm not the first to say it, but I love Zac Efron. I love him not for tweeny reasons — I'm kinda past the point of scrawling the High School Musical actor's name on my Trapper Keeper — but for what he and other young stars are doing for the rising interest in the arts among America's youth. It's an interest that, for Kentucky, couldn't come at a better time. "Right now, we're looking at the future of the Guild," says Jeannette Rowlett, president of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen. "A lot of our (artist) members are getting older — new members apply and that's great, but it's important to educate the next generation."
Botanical art class opens up new horizons
By Susan Smith-Durisek Contributing columnist
An ad for an art class with the lofty title "Botanical Art in the French Court Tradition of the 18th Century" caught my eye.
Sculptor John Tuska's son ensures that his father's work lives on
Tom Eblen Herald-Leader columnist
Lexington sculptor John Tuska had a sign on his studio wall: Non basta una vita. In Italian it means, One life is not enough.
'Farmer's Daughter': cycle of life
By Heather Castro Contributing Art Critic
For those of you like me who are prone to claustrophobia: heads up. It's going to be a challenge just to get through Lauren Argo's installation exhibit Farmer's Daughter Cycle, on display at the LAL @ DAC gallery in downtown Lexington.
Mercer County's beauty vividly captured in Armstrong's work
By Heather Castro Contributing Art Writer
Accompanying Master Works by Kentucky Painters: 1819-1935 is a smaller show featuring another Kentucky artist, Jesta Bell Armstrong. She is known for her paintings of scenic views and architecture of her native Mercer County, which she captured through the seasons and throughout many years; her career lasted from the 1930s to the 1970s.
UK exhibit beautifully showcases Kentucky's master painters
By Heather Castro Contributing Art Writer
With everything going on in today's world, sometimes it's nice to sit back, relax and remind ourselves that Kentucky is a beautiful, enriching place to live.