Studio Programs

During the 2021 fiscal year, Art Sparks remained closed to the public and many of our studio programs were suspended. However, we were still able to provide opportunities for guests of all ages to express their creativity through Facebook Live Artmaking sessions and through the distribution of At Home Art Kits. During Facebook Live Artmaking, a Speed staff member would lead a demonstration of different artistic techniques, providing tips and tricks so viewers at home could follow along. At Home Art Kits were available to Museum guests on weekends, and gave them all of the supplies they would need to complete a fun and engaging art project at home. In addition to sharing At Home Art Kits with our visitors, we were also able to distribute them to students in JCPS through partnerships with Dare to Care, Global Game Changers, and Change Today, Change Tomorrow. We also hosted a series of adult artmaking workshops via Zoom with topics ranging from watercolor to printmaking, and from glass etching to paper making. Every workshop, Art Kit, and Facebook Live demonstration was inspired by works in the Speed’s collection and our special exhibitions.

Community Outreach

Through our Community Outreach work, we continue to partner with social justice and non-profit organizations across Louisville to provide opportunities for collaboration and creativity through our Community Connections program. In early 2021, we were able to resume our artmaking workshops with Play Cousins Collective, a program that were preempted due to the pandemic. The participants in the Play Cousins Collective workshops created wall hangings that reflected their family experiences. Their work was on view at the Speed in an exhibition called Closely Knit, Woven Together, which opened in February 2021. We also resumed our work with students at the W.E.B. DuBois Academy, a partnership that will continue into fiscal year 2022.

One of our most exciting opportunities of 2021 was to launch the Connections Artist-in-Residence program. Toya

Northington, the Speed’s Community Outreach Manager, envisioned the residency in this way: “The Community Connections Residency Program is part of the Speed’s desire to reach out, amplify, and empower the people by collectively creating a platform for artists of all kinds to share their stories and express perspectives on social and personal topics.” Shauntrice Martin, founder of #FeedTheWest and the Black Market KY, was selected as the first Community Connections Artist-inResidence, and will continue in this role through October of 2021. Shauntrice’s residency is focused in the West End, where she led a series of art-making workshops for children and adults.

Shauntrice also conducted research and shared the rich history of the Russell neighborhood through a series of Friday takeovers on the Speed’s Instagram page. Her experience will culminate in an exhibition at the Speed slated to open in December 2021. You can follow her journey on Instagram @SpeedxWest. Creating opportunities for people to connect with artworks is at the heart of what we do as Museum Educators. During a global pandemic, engaging with artworks and having an outlet for creative expression became more important than ever. I’m proud of what we were able to create during the past year, and we all look forward to safely resuming in-person Education programs in the coming year.