Every other week, LPM brings you the newsletter Arts, Culture, Et Cetera. It’s full of arts and culture news from the region, a rundown of things to do and see, and an introduction to an artist in the community.
Here’s a snippet from this week’s newsletter:
Events, exhibitions, etc…
The Derby City Dhoom, a national Bhangra and Fusion dance competition, will be at the Kentucky Center. It's hosted by the Indian Student Association at the University of Louisville.
- Date: May 21. Details here.
- Learn more about the competition from this year's director and one of the dancers.
“The Curse of Blue Moose,” written by local playwrights Lex Mitchell and Vidalia Unwin, runs at The Bard's Town. Described as an "absurdist comedy," it looks at how a city is faring after it's been devastated by a "villainous Moose."
- Dates: Now - May 22. Ticket info here.
Comedian Josh Blue performs at the Louisville Comedy Club. Blue won the NBC reality competition show Last Comic Standing in 2006. He's said he likes to push back against stereotypes of people with disabilities through his comedy.
- Dates: May 26 - 28. Ticket info here.
It’s the 20th anniversary of Abbey Road on the River, a celebration of Beatles music and other classic rock icons at Jeffersonville’s Big Four Station Park.
- Dates: May 26 - 30. Details here.
- Also check out this John Boyle story about this year's festival.
The Carnegie Center for Art and History in New Albany hosts its annual “Form, Not Function: Quilt Art at the Carnegie” show. It features the work of more than 20 quilt artists from around the country.
- Dates: May 19 - July 16. Details here.
Here's your reminder that the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park kicks off this month, opening with “Twelfth Night.” Other mainstage performances include “Richard III” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor.”
- Dates: May 27 - Aug. 7. Details here.
- Also, here's a primer on what to expect for Kentucky Shakespeare's longest season in the park to date.
Portland Museum opens Weber Group Past, Present, and Future this weekend. The exhibition focuses on fabrication from Weber Group, which was founded by two Louisvillians. They've played a role in the design and build out of places like Kentucky Kingdom and Louisville Zoo. They're also collaborating with Portland Museum on its forthcoming immersive children's museum, AHOY.
- Dates: May 22 - mid-September. More information here.
The Muhammad Ali Center is featuring the artwork of muralist Kelsey Montague. It's called “What Lifts You?” Montague is known for Instagramable murals of wings that make whomever stands in front of them look like winged creatures themselves.
- Dates: Now - Dec. 31. Info here.
In case you missed it
Attention, attention: WFPK has added more artists to this year's Waterfront Wednesday lineup. That includes two headliners for the monthly concert series: Nashville band Moon Taxi and singer-songwriter Joan Osborne, whom I recently learned grew up in the Louisville area.
A few things are coalescing for Louisville visual artist John Brooks right now, most notably an influx of creative ideas and energy, plus national recognition and opportunities. We spoke about his latest work, an ongoing series of intimate portraiture and landscape drawings.
Kentucky College of Art and Design hit a milestone in its short history as an independent art college recently. KyCAD broke away from Spalding University in 2018, and got licensure to award BFAs in Studio Art. The school has since graduated its first class.
Forecastle returns to the Waterfront Memorial Day weekend after a two-year, pandemic-induced hiatus. Headlining acts include hometown rapper Jack Harlow, Tame Impala and Tyler, the Creator.
May is AAPI Heritage Month, and WUOL is spending the month celebrating composers of Asian and Pacific Islander descent.
Reporter Jacob Munoz has info about the return of Fund for the Arts' NeXt! Ambassador program, designed to train up future board members and volunteer leaders for arts nonprofits. Scholarships are available for those who can't do the $600 fee.
Southern Indiana reporter John Boyle looks at a series of documentaries focused on the state's waterways and, in some cases, the creatures that inhabit them.
Louisville Orchestra's recent concert included a special guest artist: a hologram named AGNES playing the cello.
Frazier History Museum in Louisville unveils a new permanent art installation soon. The artist behind it is Ché Rhodes, who created hundreds of glass replicas of personal items from Black people who were enslaved.
Thenew Louisville Ballet season is out. Yasmine Jumaa reports that it includes classics with a local twist, such as a production of "Coppélia" set in Germantown, and an evening of works choreographed by women artists.
The National Endowment for the Arts announced its latest round of recommended funding, which includes 10 grants going to Kentucky organizations for a total of $1,167,470.