Intercultural Microgrant Projects bring together creative leaders
Ten Kentuckians received grants from RUX to lead intercultural projects across Kentucky
Happy New Year! We are excited to see the opportunities our tenth year brings to support our growing RUX alumni community. RUX has been investing in Kentuckians since our founding in 2014, and this past fall, we were able to kick off our inaugural Intercultural Microgrant program. This program was made possible by support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, and the Kentucky Foundation for Women.
After the application process closed, we funded projects from intercultural teams in rural and urban communities across Central, Eastern, Southern, and Western Kentucky. Check out the projects below, and stay tuned for creative products recapping each one in the new year!
Enslaved Person's Cemetery Restoration & Reparations at Clay Hill Memorial Forest
Shaelyn Bishop, Bernard Clay, & Zoë Scott
Shaelyn, Bernard & Zoë organized a series of cleanups of an unmanaged burial site on the property of Clay Hill Memorial Forest in Campbellsville, KY. They will also be researching the history of this former plantation and the people who were enslaved there. This will provide context to host a ceremony to connect the community with this significant site and to facilitate more dialogue about the ways we engage with and acknowledge these spaces and their history. The 2024 RUX cohort will visit the site in May.
Natural Weaving & Dyeing Textile Workshop
Michelle Amos, Lexie Millikan, & Robin Verson
Together, the team taught a workshop at Yeiser Art Center in Paducah, that included elements of each team member's textile background. The workshop also discussed the regional history of natural weaving & dyeing methods while exploring techniques & ideas. Each class participant had the chance to weave & dye their own fabric. The team intends to foster an ongoing partnership to expand outreach and offer classes that are not currently available in Western Kentucky. Check out a reel from the workshop here!
Our Common Wealth
Lauren Calhoun & Michael George
Our Common Wealth is bringing together musicians from across the state of Kentucky and from different musical traditions of hip hop, country, Bluegrass, rock, and Americana to craft a song celebrating what it means to be Kentuckian.
Flags & Dyes
Kyra Higgins & Robin Verson
Kyra and Robin met at RUX's first-ever alumni gathering at Rough River. Kyra taught a flag dancing workshop during the alumni event and expressed interest in creating her own flags for flag dancing workshops. Robin saw the opportunity to create more meaningful flags with locally sourced plant dyes. Working together on this project, they shared the knowledge of plant dyeing, explored the impact of shared joy & movement through flag dancing, and created an impulse in their host community to come together with locally curated projects. The workshop was hosted in partnership with RUX members from the Cowan Community Center in the Appalachian community of Whitesburg. Check out a reel from the workshop here!
Cross-County Poetry Slam
Emily Kicklighter & Bernard Clay
Emily & Bernard met during RUX 2022 and discovered they share interests in sustainable agriculture + English Language Arts. After hearing Bernard's Affrilachian poetry, Emily asked if he could run a workshop for her high school sophomores, and he agreed! They used Bernard's recently published book English Lit for a poetry unit and ran a cross-county poetry peer-review & pen pal workshop between English students at Butler Traditional High School in Jefferson County (urban) and Estill County High School (rural). The project culminated with a field trip to Kentucky State University, an HBCU land grant university, where the students met and performed poetry alongside university students. Check out this post to see photos from the day.