Community festivals, arts events, and cultural gatherings play a central role in Kentucky’s civic life and local economies. These events are often organized by volunteers or small nonprofits with limited capacity to prepare for emergencies like severe weather, infrastructure failure, or safety threats. In rural counties, the absence of arts-specific preparedness tools has left communities vulnerable.

In response, the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension, along with the Department of Arts Administration and UK Libraries, secured $112,000 to launch a multi-year initiative to improve the arts and cultural sector's disaster readiness. Extension offices in Boone, and McCracken Counties partnered with academic faculty and national organizations, reaching 51 participants from 25 organizations. These trainings covered risk assessment, recovery planning, and protecting collections. In McCracken, 25% of attendees were first-time visitors to the Extension office, opening the door to new partnerships around a 30,000-person annual festival. After the trainings, 100% of McCracken attendees and 82% of Boone attendees said they were “very likely” to apply what they learned.

In September 2024, we hosted the first national Arts Crisis and Disaster Preparedness Conference, drawing 126 participants from across the country, along with representatives from The Smithsonian and National Endowment for the Arts. That event launched the Kentucky Heritage Emergency Response Network (KHERN), a statewide initiative of 13 partner organizations supporting emergency coordination for the arts and culture sector.

A new experiential course, AEM 588: Event Safety and Security, allowed engagement-based learning for 15 undergraduate students alongside Whitley County Extension's Earth Day Festival. Students developed emergency operations plans, signage improvements, and communications protocols, creating a replicable planning model for other counties.

Through this work, Community Arts Extension is building safer, more connected, and more resilient communities—starting with the places people gather.