The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft in Louisville, KY is a huge museum that has been around since its origin in 1981. It is a nonprofit organization designed to help support all the talent in Kentucky by displaying their arts and craft. In addition to giving culture to the adults, they have also helped the school age students by providing them with educational programs dealing with the arts. Each year over 90,000 adults and children are helped in some way by the programs they've provided. Every state in the United States as well as 6 different continents have had their people come to the museum to see what they could learn. The Fund for the Arts and the Kentucky Arts Council help to support the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft.
In addition to their day to day activities and exhibits, they also sponsor summer art camps, school partnership workshops, special needs workshops, community center programs, Girl Scout workshops and many more workshops and demonstrations.
They show work from all kinds of different media whether it be folk art to simple crafts to furniture, featuring over 200 artists' work at one time. They also provide sales for corporate gifts, help artists by working with them on commission and provide free gift wrapping. They have an excellent gift shop with many items done by famous artists or artists that they have worked with. They also have many souvenirs you can purchase to take home with you or just for a gift. The arts and crafts they sell are from nationally known artists, up and coming artists or current artists trying to make their way in the world.
The Kentucky Museum of Art and Crafts puts on two big fundraisers each year. One is the Bourbon Ball, which takes place in October and the other, which is on the morning of the Kentucky Derby and is called the Oaks Brunch. Proceeds from both these events help to support the educational programs of the Kentucky Museum of Art and Crafts as well as their exhibits.
Some of the exhibits they have had in the past or will have are by Stephen Rolfe Powell, Harriet Giles Rugs, First Kentucky Bienniel and Trompe L'Oeil Art to name just a few. Some exhibits such as the Mary and Al Shands Gallery or the Steve Wilson Gallery are run for a couple months straight. If you get the chance, stop in and see the Kentucky Museum of Art and Crafts.
