Frazier History Museum Presents KENTUCKY BY DESIGN Tonight

Tonight, November 19, starting at 6 pm, the Frazier History Museum will host a panel discussion in celebration of Kentucky by Design: The Decorative Arts and American Culture edited by Andrew Kelly. The panel will include University Press of Kentucky editorial board member and former Courier-Journal Editor-in-Chief David Hawpe, project visionary Allan Weiss, internationally recognized expert on American quilts Shelly Zegart, musicologist and director of the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music Ron Pen, and Tommy Hines, executive director of South Union Shaker Village and Kentucky furniture authority.

The event will be held:

Tonight, November 19, 2015, 6:00 pm

The Frazier History Museum

829 West Main Street, Louisville
Panel discussion and signing featuring:
David Hawpe, Allan Weiss, Shelly Zegart, Ron Pen, and Tommy Hines

At the height of the Great Depression, the Federal Art Project (FAP) opened its doors under the auspices of the New Deal's Works Progress Administration (WPA). One of the aims of this project was to collect and record the history of American material culture. This research culminated in the creation of the Index of American Design. It was intended for a wide audience, but was never published.

Now, eighty years after FAP began, Kentucky by Design has at last compiled Kentucky's contributions to the Index. Kelly has gathered the contributions of experts from across the Commonwealth and around the nation, cataloging prime examples of the state's decorative arts that were featured in the Index, pairing the original FAP watercolors with contemporary photographs of the same or similar artifacts. Kelly provides information surrounding the history and current location (and often, the journey in-between) of each piece, as well as local or familial lore surrounding the object. In addition to a wealth of Shaker material, the objects featured include a number of quilts and rugs as well as a wide assortment of everyday items, from powder horns and candle lanterns to glass flasks and hand-crafted instruments.

As the home for the heart of Kentucky, the Frazier History Museum is a world-class museum that provides an unforgettable journey through history with ever-changing and interactive exhibits, daily performances by costumed interpreters, and engaging special events and programs. Just last April they announced that the Museum will explore and develop the concept of a new and expanded Bourbon experience that will include a visitor center and, in partnership with the Kentucky Distillers' Association (KDA), will serve as an official starting point to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour. The museum is a member of the Smithsonian Affiliate Membership Program and the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and participates in a reciprocal membership network through the North American Reciprocal Museum Program (NARM).

The November 19th panel discussion will also feature the unveiling in the museum's Great Hall of a Kentucky sampler of selected objects and decorative art from the forthcoming exhibition, Kentucky by Design, opening in August of 2016. Admission is free and open to the public, and copies of the book will be available for purchase from the museum gift shop.

Kentucky by Design

The Decorative Arts and American Culture

Edited by Andrew Kelly

Publication Date: July 31, 2015 ♦ $50.00 cloth, ISBN: 978-0-8131-5567-8 ♦ 9 x 12, 207 color photos, 328 pages ♦ ebook available

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