Arts and Education
 

 

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Please see our History of Events and Learning Center-Final Report for a complete list of our Arts and Educational programming

Topics on this page:

Arts and Educational Programs Appalachian Out-reach Programs
Friends of the Red River/ KY River Authority Red River Gorge Scenic Byway Project
Coping with Change Through Creativity

 

Arts and Educational Programs

The closing of the Life Long Learning Center, the educational funding cuts, and the drastically increased bus transportation costs have severely hurt our very popular Educational Field Trips. We are currently working in partnership with schools, adult education and Head Start facilities to bring arts programming to their facilities.  

In an effort to bring the literary world to life the Wolfe County Adult Education/Family Literacy Program and AHA! brought the Polar Express train to Wolfe County.  Head Start and elementary students read the book, some saw the movie and then they rode the train.  

In partnership with Rogers and Campton Elementary and the Wolfe County Adult Education/Family Literacy Program, the Appalachian Heritage Alliance coordinated programs for the community and schools with Kentucky Author, George Ella Lyon.

 

Working with the Wolfe County Head Start and the Wolfe County Elementary Schools, AHA!  presented the Lexington Children's Theatre performing the Tomato Plant Girl.  We have brought the Lexington Children's Theatre to the region every year since 1990 (over forty performances.)

    

Workshops in jewelry making, quilting and dulcimer playing were held for a variety of groups in the community.

 

Appalachian Out-Reach Programs

The Appalachian Heritage Alliance joins with organizations throughout the region to provide cultural arts and educational programs.

Our first "on the road" Appalachian Heritage Festival, a partnership with the University of Kentucky Appalachian Center and the Lexington Public Library was held in Lexington's Triangle Park.  Artists, musicians, storytellers and crafters shared their talents with an enthusiastic public. Other libraries have expressed interest in having a similar festival.

The Appalachian Heritage Alliance worked with Morgan County Kiwanis Club to provide storytelling, pumpkin decorating, and face painting at their Halloween Party in the Park.

   

Appalshop orchestrated a reenactment of Robert Kennedy's historic 1968 trip through Eastern Kentucky.  Robert Kennedy held a senate hearing in Vortex, Kentucky, in Wolfe County.  The Appalachian Heritage Alliance was proud to be partners in this wonderful event. The project received national media attention.

 

 

KY River Authority / Friends of the Red River

The Kentucky River Authority, in partnership with Friends of the Red River, supported two projects benefiting the biology education of area high school students. In the first year of the three year program, biologist Kim Feeman coordinated hands-on field  experiences to the biology classes at Powell County High School. The proposal included 3 trips to the Red River with various biologists and one trip to Frankfort to tour the Center for Mollusk Conservation. 

Powell County students use viewing buckets to look for fresh water mussels in the Red River.

 

This year, Wolfe County students joined the project and next year, Menifee County students will be added. By the third year, students from all three counties bordering the nationally designated "Wild and Scenic" Red River will be involved. The students will learn stewardship of a national treasure located in their own back yard.

  

 

            

Wolfe County students, hands-on science

 

Our second project with Friends of the Red River and the Kentucky River Authority is to help with expenses in the cleaning of the Red River. Spearheaded by Russ Miller, volunteers have cleaned the Red River for eleven years. Hundreds of old tires and innumerable bags of trash have been removed. This grant will enable the Friends of the Red River to extend their project to clean ten more miles of the Red River and to purchase rafts to pick up the solid waste in the Red River in the future.  Both of these projects have a huge impact on preserving the beauty of our environment, an important part of our Appalachian heritage.

 

Red River Gorge National Scenic Byway

The Appalachian Heritage Alliance is working with Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association (SEKTDA) to beautify the Red River Gorge area.  The Appalachian Heritage Alliance has assisted in distributing thousands of Redbud Trees made available through SEKTDA.  Students from all of the Wolfe County Schools have planted trees at their schools and in the community.  This initiative, supported by Congressman Hal Rogers, will have Redbuds blooming throughout Eastern Kentucky.  A Redbud festival will jump start the tourist season in the near future.

Students planting Red Bud seedlings.

 

Coping with Change through Creativity

Through a partnership with Kentucky Foundation for Women, The Appalachian Heritage Alliance is providing a series of workshops to help women through the changes in their lives.  Crafts, painting, writing and movement are offered to women to encourage creative outlets for coping with change.