The Blue Moon is published bi-monthly by the Kentucky Arts
Council, a state agency in the Commerce Cabinet. Please send comments, questions
and information to the Blue Moon, Kentucky Arts Council, Old Capitol Annex,
300 West Broadway, Frankfort, KY 40601-1980 or call 502-564-3757, toll free
1-888-833-2787.
E-mail: kyarts@ky.gov
|
 |
At the Discovery Festival, held the first weekend of June at Renfro Valley,
Gwyn Henderson teaches rapt observers about flint knapping and how prehistoric
people made cordage for shoes, ropes, and textiles. The Kentucky Humanities
Council and Kentucky Archeological Survey set up the booth with hands-on
opportunities for children and also supplied the demonstrators for the three-day
event.
Arts Kentucky Launches Cultural Heritage Festival Web site Communities
Celebrating Communities
Anyone interested in folklife or involved in festivals should be aware
of a new Website, presented by Arts Kentucky, which offers ideas and
resources on incorporating cultural heritage themes into local festivals.
Several state organizations, including the Kentucky Arts Council and
the Kentucky Department of Travel/Cultural Heritage Tourism, have joined
with Arts Kentucky to develop this program. A cultural heritage festival
presents activities and events related to a community's sense of identity
or something that makes the community unique. Heritage festivals often
include at least one of the following: historical sites or reenactments;
contemporary craftspeople and individual artists; and folklife or traditional
culture shared within groups of people. The Web site gives information
about assessing a community's assets and resources, understanding the
potential participants and attendees, and identifying outcomes and benefits
of such an event. Arts Kentucky also offers workshops about hosting a
cultural heritage festival.
For more information, go to www.ky-festivals.org or www.artsky.org.
Sponsors of the Web site include the National Endowment for the Arts,
the Appalachian Regional Commission, Arts Kentucky, Appalachian Heritage
Highways, the Kentucky Arts Council, the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program,
the Kentucky Folklife Program, and the Kentucky Department of Travel/Cultural
Heritage Tourism.
Arts Kentucky Hosts Arts Advocacy Day
After the Governor's Awards in the Arts celebration on February 8, Arts Kentucky, a statewide organization of artists and arts groups whose mission is to provide resources and tools for people who are working to improve their communities through the arts, hosted Arts Advocacy Day at the State Capitol. Participants had the opportunity to talk with their legislators and attend related workshops on advocating for the arts.
In the tunnel that connects the State Capitol Building with the Capitol Annex, visitors were treated to a poster display of arts activities and events from Paintsville to Paducah and from Covington to Corbin. Arts Kentucky solicited the event and arts-related posters from individual artists, craftspeople, performers and arts and cultural organizations across the state. Legislators, as they walked between the buildings, could see the number and breadth of active arts organizations around the state and understand the importance of funding the Kentucky Arts Council and the many recipients of its grants and other areas of support.
For more information on Arts Kentucky, visit www.artsky.org or call 502-561-0701.
Hazard Community & Technical College Forming Professional Music Program
Hazard Community & Technical College is planning a Professional Music Program
based in Hyden, Kentucky. The new program is National Advisory Council met
for the first time from January 12 - 14. During that three-day retreat at the
new Kentucky Community & Technical College System offices in Versailles, the
National Advisory Council began developing a program that will be unlike any
in the nation.
"This is the ideal location to offer such a music program," noted
Dr. Jay K. Box, Hazard Community & Technical College president and CEO. "This
region is so rich in the heritage of Appalachian music and bluegrass music.
What better place to learn about traditional music than in the region where
it is so much an integral part of life?" he said.
In addition to classes on vocals, banjo, guitar, and other traditional instruments,
students will learn about contracts, working with agents, copyrights for songs,
and other parts of the business side of music. Technological advances have
a major impact on the music industry and students will be learning about those
as well. "Computer programs are used to write music, arrange music, and
record music," noted Deronda Mobelini, who is working with the planning
of the new program. "Our classes will include instruction on using this
latest technology."
The National Advisory Councilis next meeting is planned for May 18-20, so
committee members can tour the campuses and talk with individuals in the community
about the vision for the new initiative. The program is being modeled after
the Kentucky School of Craft in Hindman. Finding the right person to serve
as the founding dean, as Tim Glotzbach has done for the School of Craft, is
a critical component, and a nation-wide search will be underway soon. A sub-group
of the national advisory committee is currently working on identifying the
qualifications needed for such a demanding job.
"We expect the program to draw students from the region as well as
the rest of the nation and other countries," noted Professor Mobelini. "The
advisory council has already pointed out that countries such as Germany and
Japan have similarities to and an interest in the music of this region, so
we believe our new program will be attractive to international students," she
said.
Students completing the program will graduate with an associate degree in
applied science, although some students may enroll in just a few classes to
enhance their quality of life or to address continuing education needs. A curriculum
committee consisting of national advisory council members and Hazard Community & Technical
College faculty will develop a list of classes to be offered. The program is
slated to begin in that fall of 2007. Before that time, the specific location
of the Hyden program will be determined. "We are working on a location
that will provide a space for musicians to play informally when they are out
of the classroom," Dr. Box said. "We know that kind of immersion
into playing and performing will enhance their learning experience. It will
also make the Hyden area a very enjoyable place for the community to come out
and be in the evenings," he said. More information will be available soon.
Back | Next |
