The start of a new year gives us space to reflect on the past 365 days of our lives.

Looking back at 2017 gave me a chance to process and come to appreciate all of the new lessons life brought. I am forever grateful for my community of friends and family that make the tears just as nourishing as the laughs.

The past year also held some changes in my career. I am now the Community and Content Manager for The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts. This means I get to create and share more content that highlights the mission of The Kentucky Center. Below is some content from 2017 that I'd like to share with you.

Enjoy!

Poet, Alisha Jordan, gets ready backstage during the Lipstick Wars Poetry Poetry Slam.

For more on Lipstick Wars, take a listen to this episode of Strange Fruit: Musings on Politics, Pop Culture, and Black Gay Life http://wfpl.org/strange-fruit-lipstick-wars-welcomes-women-to-the-slam-poetry-stage/

Children in crisis learn to play the Mountain Dulcimer (the Kentucky state instrument) with AIH artist Lorinda Jones. Here’s to finding creativity during a crisis!

For a video on our work with youth, follow this link:https://youtu.be/cWH-I_yX-UA

This year The Center became an Autism Friendly Business by completing training provided by Families for the Effective treatment of Autism (FEAT) of Louisville and the Autism Friendly Community. On top of that, we provided Audio Description for 46 performances, Caption Theater for 35 performances and now offer noise canceling headphones for patrons who need assistance with sound sensitivity. We had over 5,000 uses of our various access services offerings and can't wait to assist in 2018.

For more on Access Services:http://www.kentuckycenter.org/about/access-services

Tupperware lady extraordinaire, Dixie Longate poses for a photo at The Kentucky Science Center before her performance in Louisville.

Louisville native Wendy Whelan leads a stretch break for the kindergarten class at the Brown School. Whelan spoke to older students about her life, working hard and achieving goals. The piece was commissioned with producer Joyce Theatre, NYC with creators/performers Wendy Whelan (Louisville native, NYCB ballerina), Brian Brooks (first recipient Artistic Director at the Harris Theater, Chicago) and Brooklyn Rider (quartet based in NYC). The project consisted of mounting new work in the Brown Theater and Todd Hall on May 2-9, 2016 then made its Louisville premiere on Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at the Brown Theatre. The visit beyond the performance, also included Whelan’s lecture and Q&A with approximately 200 middle and high schoolers at the Brown School, her alma mater; simultaneous master classes by Whelan and Brooks at the Youth Performing Arts School; and a lecture-demonstration by Brooklyn Rider at Newburg M.S. with over 60 string students.

The Warrior's Heart Community brings veterans and civilians together to bridge communication gaps, create compassion and build community. In this image, a Warrior’s Heart Community veteran received a huge hug of compassion from a civilian after 9 weeks of bonding, storytelling, and art-making. Connection and belonging are at the heart of healing.

For more on this program, here is an article by theCourier Journal https://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/wellness/health/2017/04/14/warriors-heart-honey-soul-wounded-veterans/98867316/

Heros Create! is an art program created for homeless veterans. The program creates community while vets are transitioned into more stable housing. Here, a participant puts the final touches on a quilt he made over 7 months in Heros Create!

For more on this project, watch this video recap:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGosIkLRODo

Mr. Keith Cook, ArtsReach violin instructor, helps a Young Masters violin student get ready to perform at The ArtsReach Showcase.

For more photos from that night:https://www.flickr.com/photos/kentuckycenter/albums/72157684538345165

In 2016-17, The Kentucky Center co-commissioned A Some Of A Thousand Words with producer Joyce Theatre, NYC with creators/performers Wendy Whelan (Louisville native, NYCB ballerina), Brian Brooks (first recipient Artistic Director at the Harris Theater, Chicago) and Brooklyn Rider (quartet based in NYC). The project consisted of mounting new work in the Brown Theater and Todd Hall on May 2-9, 2016 then made its Louisville premiere on Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at the Brown Theatre. The visit beyond the performance, also included Whelan’s lecture and Q&A with approximately 200 middle and high schoolers at the Brown School, her alma mater; simultaneous master classes by Whelan and Brooks at the Youth Performing Arts School; and a lecture-demonstration by Brooklyn Rider at Newburg M.S. with over 60 string students.

Every summer for the past thirty years, GSA and our faculty of professional artist/educators have guided over two hundred of Kentucky’s finest young artists through three weeks of incredibly intense (and incredibly fun) arts instruction. GSA auditions promising high school sophomores and juniors in nine different arts disciplines: Architecture +Design, Creative Writing, Dance, Drama, Instrumental Music, Musical Theatre, Film + Photography, Visual Art and Vocal Music.

For three solid weeks residing on a college campus, the students discover the power of their art and their place as an artist. It’s a thrilling, often life-changing experience, as they meet new friends, explore their creativity, and discover new things about who they are and who they can be in the future.

Here, drama students perform an original piece about acceptance of diversity.

For more on the program: http://www.kentuckycenter.org/education-community-arts/gsa

Governor’s School for the Arts alumnus (and member of the Grammy-award winning group Pentatonix) Kevin Olusola came home to GSA this summer, visiting with students and encouraging them to be the best artists they can be.

Young people from the Chestnut Street YMCA Dance Studio, choreographed by AR instructor Keisha Walker, perform at the ArtsReach Performing Arts Showcase May 21, 2017.

For more photos from that night:https://www.flickr.com/photos/kentuckycenter/albums/72157684538345165

Conservators from The Conservation Center in Chicago clean “Faribolus and Perceval” by Jean DuBuffet.

Dance students from The Governor's School for the Arts perform the final act of The American Four Seasons by Philip Glass.

Teachers create a visual art response during professional development for Bearing Witness, a project that uses arts strategies to engage students more deeply in Holocaust studies.

This project has gained international attention and has been the focus of a newly published book by faculty at UofL, Reading Challenging Texts: Layering Literacies Through the Arts.

Former Kentucky Center ArtsReach intern, Sara Muhammad pictured here with ArtsReach Director, Julia Youngblood, at the opening reception of Performance, Rehearsal and Reclamation photo exhibit June 16, 2017. Sara curated the exhibit of photographs and original artwork that highlight the community work that ArtsReach has done over the past 13 years

Complexions Contemporary Ballet lead several master classes across the metro during their residency at The Center. Here Doug Baum leads a class at the Youth Performing Arts School.

For more photos from this residency:https://www.flickr.com/photos/kentuckycenter/albums/72157688091745813/with/37689588906/

Our review of 2017 rolls on with this image of Buddhist monks from Drepung Gomang Center for Engaging Compassion.

The monks created a mandala out of sand during Festival of Faiths.

The Second City held classes at the Youth Performing Arts School, UofL School of Medicine and Jefferson County Technical College while in residency here in Louisville.

Here, Becca Barish brought the laughs to faculty from Jefferson County Technical College in a professional development session. Becca led JCTC faculty members in an interactive workshop introducing the principles of improvisation as a tool for active listening, “knowing your audience” (aka students), mindfulness of different perspectives, communication methods, and engaging as colleagues in a fun and casual environment.
For more photos from this residency:https://www.flickr.com/photos/kentuckycenter/albums/72157666321575749