Arts and Creativity
Community Arts Engagement
Moses, Daniels, Robinson, Dengel
Community Design/Creative Placemaking
E-Commerce for Artisans
Arts Engagement
Building Healthy Coalitions
The Whitley County Extension Fine Arts Council has identified enhancing artisan skills, community poverty rates, citizen engagement, and a qualified workforce as pressing concerns for Whitley County Extension to address. According to Americans for the Arts, “The arts are integral to the lives of our citizens. The arts are essential to the health and vitality of our communities and our nation.” In the rapidly changing (and challenging) times in which we live, the arts can address county poverty, resident vitality, and a vibrant local economy.
Data from The College Board shows that students who take four years of arts and music classes while in high school score 98 points better on their SATs than students who took only one-half year or less. It is clear that the arts, music, creative writing, drawing, and dance, provide skills that contribute to increased quality of life. Not only does participation in arts programming and artisan entrepreneurship create a skilled and educated workforce for local community businesses to have quality employees, but it also contributes to resilient families and communities, vibrant culture, and significant economic impact to local residents.
Whitley County residents will recognize Extension Fine Arts as a valuable provider of educational, economic, and social opportunities and skills within the arts.
Whitley County will have a strong, healthy community arts coalition that links artists, businesses, students, potential employees, and citizens to increase quality workforce and economic opportunity within the region.
Whitley County will have a vibrant arts economy.
To develop a county rich in appreciation, talent, and training of and in all areas of the arts
Residents will have increased appreciation of the arts.
Whitley County will grow artistically in conjunction with our economic growth, making Whitley County an increasingly vibrant place to live.
Residents will recognize that art is an intergral part of life.
They will share their interests and skills with others
Businesses, private donors and public officials financially support Whitley County Fine ArtsI
To increase recognition of the arts and the importance of the arts within Williamsburg, Corbin, and all rural communities within the county.
Whitley County will identify opportunities for creative placemaking and community design.
Residents gain new skills in the arts.
Create a sense of connection to community through the arts.
Provide positive wholesome extracurricular activities for all members of family and at-risk residents. More citizens aspire to volunteer in in fine arts programing and events.
More students believe they can carve an artistic, yet financially solvent career.
Initial Outcome:
Indicator: Continue and growth of established events and local participation
Method: Focus Groups?Surveys
Timeline: 2017-2018
Intermediate Outcome:
Indicator: Growth in Participation
Method: Focus Groups/Email lists/Social Media numbers/Conversations
Timeline: 2017-2020
Long-term Outcome:
Indicator: Knowledge of organization and resources
Method: Surveys
Timeline: 2019-2020
Audience: Residents, Artists, Farmers
Project or Activity: Appalachian Winter Market
Content or Curriculum: Event Coordinators
Inputs: Fine Arts Agent
Date: December- Ongoing
Audience: General Public/Families
Project or Activity: Night of the Living Tread-Bicycle event
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Bicycle curriculum, FSC physical activity curriculum
Inputs: Agents
Date: Fall-ongoing
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Community Wreath Making
Content or Curriculum: Natural Resource Publication, 4-H curriculum, AG curriculum, Hort Curriculum
Inputs: Fine Arts Agent, Hort Agent, Volunteers
Date: December-ongoing
Audience: Residence
Project or Activity: Stories from around the world
Content or Curriculum: UK public Speaking Curriculum, UK international Publications
Inputs: Fine Arts Agent, FCS Agent, University of the Cumberlands, volunteers, College students,
Date: Spring and Fall- ongoing
Audience: Residence
Project or Activity: Pottery Program
Content or Curriculum: UK publication, KET, curriculum,
Inputs: Fine Arts Agent, UK faculty, Volunteers, Artists
Date: Monthly-ongoing
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Basket Weaving
Content or Curriculum: UK basket curriculum, small business development Curriculum
Inputs: Fine Arts Agent, FCS Agent, Local Basket Artisans, Volunteers
Date: Monthly
Audience: General Public/Families
Project or Activity: Hike and Sketch
Content or Curriculum: UK physical activity publications, Hort Publications
Inputs: Fine Arts Agent, Hort agent
Date: Summer
Audience: General Public/Families
Project or Activity: Mother Earth Bicycle Ride- Earth Week celebration
Content or Curriculum: UK publication, Health Department
Inputs: Agents, Volunteers, Whitley County Health Department, Whitley County Bicycle Coalition
Date: April
Audience: General
Project or Activity: Whitley County Meets Art
Content or Curriculum: 4-H art curriculum, UK publications, Extension
Inputs: Fine Arts Agent, Kentucky Arts Council exhibits, Arts Organization, Whitley County Schools, Professional Instructor, Local Artists
Date: Yearly-ongoing
Audience: Families and Children
Project or Activity: Early Childhood Development through Creativity
Content or Curriculum: Art to the Heart-KET
Inputs: Fine Arts agent, Whitley County Health Department, UK, Volunteers
Date: 2017-2020
Audience: High School Age Students
Project or Activity: YELP Arts
Content or Curriculum: UK YELP
Inputs: Agents, Volunteers, Artists, Local organizations
Date: Aug 2016-May-2017
Audience: Community Organizations, Residents
Project or Activity: Whitley County Spokespeople-Bicycle Group
Content or Curriculum: Leadership and Community Planning Materials
Inputs: Agents
Date: Ongoing
Audience: Residents
Project or Activity: Community Bicycle Ride
Content or Curriculum: Leadership Material, Physical activity Publications
Inputs: Agents, Resident Volunteers, Community Organizations
Date: Monthly
Audience: Whitley County Youth and Families
Project or Activity: After School Art Classes
Content or Curriculum: Extension Fine Arts
Inputs: Fine Arts Agent, Artists
Date: Aug-May
Audience: Whitley County Residence
Project or Activity: Earth Day/Week
Content or Curriculum: Community Organizations, Publication, Art
Inputs: Agents, community leaders, Whitley County Health department, NRCS, other local organizations and businesses
Date: April-ongoing
Audience: Whitley County Residents
Project or Activity: Community Education Classes
Content or Curriculum: Music, Art, Gardening, youth activities etc.
Inputs: Agents, Assistants, Community Leaders, Local Artist
Date: Farmers Markets
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Enhancing Business and Marketing Skills of Eastern Kentucky Artist
Content or Curriculum: Artisan Education Curriculum, STLW
Inputs: Fine Arts agent, Local Artist
Date: Winter
Audience: Whitley County School Teachers
Project or Activity: Professional Development for Art Teachers
Content or Curriculum: Fine Arts Classes, 4-H curriculum
Inputs: Fine Arts agent
Date: Ongoing
Audience: Home Gardeners
Project or Activity: Art in the Garden Workshop Series
Content or Curriculum: 4-H curriculum
Inputs: Materials, Fine Arts and Horticulture Agents, and video tutorials
Date: Summer
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Mobile Art Unit
Content or Curriculum: 4-H curriculum, Fine Arts Classes, Exhibits
Inputs: Fine Arts agent, Fine Arts Council, volunteers, local artists
Date: 2018-2020
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Old Fashioned Trading Days Quilt Show
Content or Curriculum: Tourism/CEDIK
Inputs: Homemakers, FCS Agent
Date: September 2016-2020
Audience: General Public, Youth and Families, Farmers
Project or Activity: Extension Arts Corner at the Whitley County Farmers Markets
Content or Curriculum: Art activities, Artist Demonstrations, Educational materials
Inputs: Artists, Volunteers, Fine Arts Agent
Date: Summer, Saturdays, Weekly, April-August
Author: Cortney Moses
Major Program: Artistic Skill Development
Cortney Moses, Fine Arts agent and Fine Arts council members sensed a need in the community for a pottery program. The Fine Arts program has been building the pottery studio, working with local artists, training volunteers, and offering classes since the donation of 2 kilns and a pottery wheel in 2013. It was now time to take it a step further. Our first, Open Pottery winter session began December 2016 and ran through February 2017. Once a week for 11 weeks participants of all ages w
Author: Cortney Moses
Major Program: Increasing Access to Quality Arts Experiences
2018 is Whitley County’s Bicentennial, for the month of April the City government has a calendar full of activities planned celebrating the unique history, people and places. For the past year the Whitley County Extension Fine Arts Agent Cortney Moses worked with the city government, city council members, tourism and community volunteers to help plan events for the celebration. The Extension Community Art Center is located on main street of Williamsburg city across from City Hall. Fine Art
Author: Cortney Moses
Major Program: Increasing Access to Quality Arts Experiences
Having a very low percentage of Hispanic population in Whitley County at 1.3 percent, it is the responsibility of the Whitley County Extension Fine Arts program to promote inclusivity in all our programs and events.During our monthly Mountain Textiles art group meeting, we had a participant visiting from Chile. The participant was a senior female that had previous experience with the Batik technique that was being taught that night. Batik is an Indonesian fabric dying technique using wax resista
Author: Cortney Moses
Major Program: Volunteer Engagement in the Arts
In January, Cortney Moses, Whitley County’s Fine Arts Agent, was contacted by Berea Tourism’s Writer and Arts Consultant. She was in desperate need of a seasoned basket artist who would be willing to teach a class at Berea’s annual Festival of LearnShops. Cortney has attended the festival for two years and participated in many of the classes. The festival is well organized and the classes are of high-art nature and the teaching artist are well qualified in their profession.Cort