TED WATHEN
Wild in the Streets
Nonprofit organizations come in all shapes and sizes, with the common goal of providing a benefit to the public without the focus on earnings. Kentucky is full of various arts organizations with this same target in mind—exposing audiences to art, culture, talent and music—and with support from donors, grants, and the sale of products or services.
Here are a few organizations throughout the state that present the arts in different ways to reach a wide selection of audiences.
With a mission of making classical music attractive, accessible and affordable to everyone in Northern Kentucky, the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra has been doing just that since 1992. Its typical performances include free three-concert summer series at Covington’s Devou Park and Fort Thomas’ Tower Park, free education/outreach concerts, and an affordably priced subscription series that includes five performances, which add up to about 25,000 guests each year. The KSO hires 200 freelance musicians each season; other expenses include guest artist fees, music purchases, rental and licensing, hall and truck rental, insurance, workers comp and salaries for two full-time and four part-time staff members.
“Like many nonprofit organizations, we sell sponsorships and write grants to offset funding not raised via ticket sales,” said J.R. Cassidy, KSO executive director and founder. “The KSO’s goal each year is to break even. Sometimes, we make more; occasionally we’ll come up a little short.”
kyso.org • 859.431.6216
With a focus on bringing people together to inspire meaningful connections, the KMAC Contemporary Art Museum on Museum Row in downtown Louisville accomplishes that goal through art.
“Many people are reluctant to walk into an art museum, especially a contemporary art museum,” said Michelle Staggs, executive director. “But we want to be the place where people can explore and discuss art. It is OK if they like it or not. Our goal is to start conversations and get people thinking.”
The museum, which was founded by former Kentucky First Lady Phyllis George Brown in 1981, started out as the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. Originally intended to showcase folk art from the Bluegrass State, the museum has evolved over the years into a contemporary art museum. Last year, it welcomed more than 16,000 visitors to its solo shows, multi-artist exhibits and museum events, which featured the works of more than 40 artists.
Funding is raised primarily through donations, but Staggs said the museum has seen a growth in revenue through transactions, whether those are purchases from the gift shop or tickets bought for an event. Its largest annual event is KMAC Couture, where artists’ creations are designed to be worn and not hung on a wall. This lively and visually impactful evening draws more than 1,000 people to watch art literally walk the runway. Another highly anticipated event is the KMAC Triennial. Held every three years, the Triennial features art depicting contemporary issues such as climate change and the environment, and all participating artists must have ties to Kentucky. The next KMAC Triennial exhibit is set to open in May 2025.
715 West Main Street, Louisville
502.589.0102
Now in its 67th year, the Yeiser Art Center (also known as YAC) is a cultural organization in the heart of Paducah. It hosts gallery exhibits, artist lectures and visual arts-based programming for adults and children. It also has 300 pieces in its permanent collection. The YAC is located inside the historic Market House Building, and visitors can’t miss the entrance because a large bright red yak sculpture stands just outside.
According to gallery administrator Alyssa Rickards, the YAC typically welcomes 12,000-15,000 visitors a year. It is supported by a small endowment and relies heavily on grants, sponsors, donations and memberships.
“Part of our mission is to provide availability to art for our community,” she said. “So, we never charge an admission fee to our gallery.”
The Lower Town Arts and Music Festival is the largest fundraising event that the Yeiser Art Center hosts each year. This weekend-long event each May brings thousands of people to Paducah to enjoy music, food and art in the streets of the artsy, historical neighborhood known as Lower Town.
200 Broadway, Paducah
270.442.2453 • theyeiser.org
William Steven Davis 74 Summertr
The Grand Theatre opened as a vaudeville house in Frankfort In 1911. By the 1940s, it had been transformed into a movie theater, and by the 1960s, it was shuttered. The next few decades saw the building become an office, a retail store and an auction house. It wasn’t until 2005 that the once-grand theater got back on track to becoming the Grand Theatre.
It was then that Bill Cull, owner and president, purchased the building and gained financial support for renovations by issuing bonds. As the money began to trickle in, the overhaul of the 410-seat landmark got underway, and in 2009, the doors reopened.
Today, the Grand hosts about 100 events per year and welcomes more than 18,000 guests from all 120 Kentucky counties and 23 states. The theater receives some support from arts organizations, but generally, every penny brought in goes back into running the theater.
“We are a nonprofit, but we are entrepreneurial,” Cull said. “Of course, we support the arts, but we work to do economic development, trying to build our community and bring in tourism.”
Those efforts have paid off, as the guests of the Grand tend to have dinner or an after-show cocktail in town and possibly stay at a Frankfort hotel.
The Grand is small compared to other venues, but Cull said that can be appealing to patrons coming to see films, musicians and entertainers.
“Because of the intimate nature of the theater, you can see the act [up close],” he said. “Plus, I love when people tell us they drove from out of state, past large cities, to come to the Grand.”
308 St. Clair Street, Frankfort
502.352.7469 • thegrandky.com
In 2020, Bowling Green’s Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, lovingly known as the SKyPAC, merged with Orchestra Kentucky to create the Arts of Southern Kentucky. This nonprofit became the umbrella organization for the productions performed by the orchestra; BG OnStage, a youth theater company; Ramsey Theater Company, a professional acting company; and the Dr. Robert and Pat Goodwin Art Gallery.
Performances include Broadway musicals, nationally known comedians, musical guests, local actors and extras, and well-known and not-so-well-known directors, producers, writers and stagehands.
This wide variety of shows and performances enabled the Arts of Southern Kentucky to welcome more than 77,000 people to the facility between July 2023 and June 2024.
“Donations, sponsorships and grants make up about 40 percent of our income,” said Jeffrey Reed, president and CEO of Arts of Southern Kentucky. “On a $5.7 million budget, that’s a significant amount that we must raise each fiscal year.”
The organization received an $8.5 million appropriation from the Commonwealth of Kentucky to build a two-story addition to the current venue. The finished product is about two years out, and the space will create a set workshop, rehearsal areas, storage and administrative offices allowing for more educational programs and additional onstage productions.
601 College Street, Bowling Green
270.904.1880 • theskypac.com
Pine Mountain Settlement School
In 1913, the Pine Mountain Settlement School was created to educate the children of the remote, mountainous area of Harlan County. Through the years, it served thousands of students as a boarding school and day school. Today, the campus, which covers 800 acres and has 26 historic buildings, is registered as a National Historic Landmark. The school has a mission to “enrich lives and foster community by offering experiential education focused on environmental literacy, sustainable agriculture and Appalachia’s diverse people, art and culture.”
Students of all ages participate in workshops, retreats and overnight fieldtrips with topics such as storytelling, ecology, geology and folk dancing. In an average year, the settlement school welcomes close to 6,000 people to the grounds.
Executive Director Jason Brashear explained that art is influenced by the environment and agriculture and is the perfect tie-in to the institution’s educational pursuits. “Plus, we have a pottery studio, woodshop, weaving studio, blacksmith shop and a commercial kitchen,” he said. “This is a neat place to get an all-encompassing experience.”
Pine Mountain Settlement School is funded by an endowment and program fees, as well as grants and philanthropy, but Brashear said that funding is an everyday challenge.
“Infrastructure is the hardest part,” he said. “Most buildings date back before 1925—and all are before 1940—so we must find ways to keep them updated, heated and cooled, while still preserving our history.”
36 Highway 510, Bledsoe
606.558.3571 • pinemountainsettlementschool.com