The Kentucky Cooperative Extension System invests in long-term creative community engagement through KSU and UK

The Community Arts Extension Program began in 2005 as a partnership between the College of Agriculture, Food and the Environment (CAFE) and the College of Fine Arts (CFA) at the University of Kentucky. This was an experimental project to explore ways that the Cooperative Extension Service could support community and economic development through arts and placemaking initiatives, primarily in rural Kentucky counties.  For the initial developmental years of the program, 5 counties had Arts Agents and 1 county had an Arts Program Assistant that worked in conjunction with the Family Consumer Sciences, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and 4-H Youth Development county staff within the community to extend the knowledge and outreach of the university to local citizens. 

The Community Arts program experienced growth beyond the county-based agent model from 2005-2015 to include state-level specialists and associates at UK.  From 2015-2021, a variety of positions were created, including: an Arts Extension Associate for Creative Economies; an Arts Extension Associate for Substance Use Disorder Recovery; and a partnership with both College of Fine Arts and College of Design faculty to advise, develop curriculum, and support placemaking initiatives. This multi-college partnership provides a support network for Extension personnel to access research-based information in the arts disciplines, as well as support engaged scholarship for campus faculty and students to integrate research and high-quality information within Kentucky communities through the Extension network.

The program expanded to Kentucky State University in 2023 through a KSU Area Arts Agent that serves several counties in west-central Kentucky.  Kentucky State University and University of Kentucky leadership collaborate closely to provide support and share resources between the university systems.   Kentucky Extension’s creative approach also serves as a national model to other state Extension systems through 3 published academic journal articles, 2 published toolkits, 2 National Endowment for the Arts grants, 7 national awards, and presentations at over 15 national conference sessions.  The program has sustained and expanded since 2005 due to the willingness of Kentucky’s Extension System to invest in creative solutions to community engagement that provides quality transformation in the built, financial, cultural, human, and social capitals within Kentucky’s communities.