LOUISVILLE, KY, JANUARY 28, 2014 – The Fund for the Arts presented the annual Arts Showcase & Campaign Kickoff today at the Brown Theatre. The event was attended by area business leaders, local government officials, and more than 300 school children. The showcase is held in celebration of the vibrant Arts community in Louisville which is made possible through public donations. This year the Fund will focus on the theme “Invest in the Arts” tying their messaging to the importance of economic gardening.
“Art is all about changing lives.” said Barbara Sexton Smith, President & CEO of the Fund for the Arts. “From the students at Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts School learning multiplication tables through music and dance, to the young musicians of the Louisville Youth Choir and Louisville Youth Orchestra and every child who is engaging with local artists though in school programming; art is making a difference in the lives of children all across this community. Art is changing the dynamics of this city and creating the artists, entrepreneurs and leaders of tomorrow!”
Barbara Sexton Smith and Mark Wheeler hosted the Showcase with special guest appearances from Mayor Greg Fischer, singer/songwriter Andrea Davidson, Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts School youth performers, Louisville Ballet dancers, Kentucky Opera Studio Artists, Louisville Orchestra musicians, Louisville Youth Choir, Louisville Youth Orchestra, Kentucky Shakespeare, Walden Theatre, Actors Theatre, singing sensation 2nd CHANCE and live artists from the Louisville Visual Art Association and Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft.
“To me, the Arts are personal. Everyone in this community has a story about how the arts have touched their lives, it’s personal to me and it’s personal to this city. I am looking forward to picking up the gauntlet and leading the Fund for the Arts into its third consecutive year of growth so that the arts will continue to touch people’s lives.” Mark Wheeler, Fund for the Arts 2014 Campaign Chairman.
The Arts Showcase & Campaign Kickoff celebrates the beginning of the Fund for the Arts campaign each year. To date the Fund for the Arts announced it had raised $3.1million toward the 2014 Campaign goal of “Beat Year Ago”.
