The Fine Arts Extension Program has been in existence in Kentucky for fifteen years. Kentucky is the first state to have dedicated arts agents at the county level to deliver programming under the Community and Economic Development heading. Because there is no other similar program from which to duplicate curriculum and programming targets, our programing has been formulated from a truly grass roots system. 

The UK Fine Arts Program Leader, Melissa Bond, has used the fifteen years of program data and general county survey data compiled by CEDIK to begin the process of developing curriculum that can be duplicated and delivered in any county, with or without a dedicated arts agent. Greenup County is proud to take part in this process. 

Over the past few months, Greenup County Extension Fine Arts has been able to begin the pilot of the MARK - Mind, Art, Recovery, Kentucky program, in partnership with the Greenup County Family and Consumer Science that will present Recovering Your Finances and Cook Together, Eat Together to a group of adult females who are in a residential treatment and recovery program, Journey House, facilitated by Pathways.     

Greenup County Extension Fine Arts has also initiated a new grant-funded program as a result of the partnership between the College of Ag and the College of Fine Arts through the new Extension Arts Specialist, Stephanie Richards. For this pilot program, a local arts education entity, the Russell High School Instrumental Music Program, has been targeted to demonstrate new outreach and recruitment strategies that will connect faculty, staff, and students from the UK School of Music to teachers and students in a county outside the traditional reach of campus-based opportunities. 

It is our hope that these two pilot programs will generate data that can be used as ongoing programming in Greenup County and also to initiate similar work in other counties across the state.