Washington, DC—NEA Chairman Jane Chu will visit Lexington and eastern Kentucky April 13-14, 2015. Her visit will focus on the importance of the arts in creating livable communities and contributing toward economic and community development. Follow @NEAJaneChu on twitter for photos and commentary on her visit to Kentucky. Chairman Chu will begin her visit to Kentucky on April 13 in Lexington where she will meet with local NEA grantees and Kentucky Arts Council grantees and visit the North Limestone Corridor where an NEA-supported project is taking place to develop a cultural plan and public art for the neighborhood. Her visit will include a tour of the corridor with community members and artists who are taking part in the project. On April 14, Chairman Chu will visit eastern Kentucky, beginning at the Appalachian Artisan Center in Hindman where she will learn more about their NEA-supported project to celebrate the living history and contemporary artisanship of the dulcimer. This project is part of their efforts to reinvent the community as a hub for artisanship and creative activity following the downturn in the coal industry. Next, Chairman Chu will visit Whitesburg, Kentucky, which is part of one of the Promise Zones designated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The National Endowment for the Arts is one of the federal partners on this initiative, providing technical support for communities looking to leverage their arts and cultural assets. Chairman Chu's visit to Whitesburg will begin with a roundtable discussion with organizations who have received Our Town and ArtPlace America funding (ArtPlace America is a collaboration of private foundations and federal agencies committed to creative placemaking) to support art-based community development projects in eastern and southeastern Kentucky. These projects include a wayfinding project to connect visitors and residents with cultural designations throughout the city of Berea; arts programming associated with the It's Good to Be Young in the Mountains conference in Cumberland, focusing on emerging regional artists in southeast Kentucky; and the River Arts Greenway project in Hazard. Following this discussion, Chairman Chu will tour Appalshop, a multi-disciplinary arts and education center, and learn more about their NEA-supported programs, including the Appalachian Media Institute and WMMT-FM's traditional music program. After this tour, Chairman Chu will join artists and representatives from Appalshop in Jenkins, Kentucky, the site of an NEA Our Town grant to Appalshop to support the creation of murals, a large-scale photographic installation, and a media-rich walking tour that celebrates the cultural history of Jenkins. The following events are open to media. Media who wish to attend these events or request an interview with Chairman Chu should contact NEA Public Affairs at auclaire@arts.gov or 202-682-5744. Monday, April 13, 2015 1:30–2:30pm  Tour of North Limestone Corridor Location: Tour will begin at the offices of the North Limestone Community Development Organization, 714 North Limestone, Lexingon, KY 40508 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Lori Meadows, executive director, Kentucky Arts Council Richard Young, executive director, North Limestone Community Development Organization                                      Kris Nonn, project manager, North Limestone Community Development Organization                      Griffin VanMeter, board president, North Limestone Community Development Organization Lisa Adkins, president and CEO, Blue Grass Community Foundation                              

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Tuesday, April 14, 2015 9:00–10:00am  Visit to Appalachian Artisan Center Location: 16 W Main Street, Hindman, KY Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Lori Meadows, executive director, Kentucky Arts Council Josh Mullins, executive director, Appalachian Artisan Center Brent Hutchinson, chairman of the board, Appalachian Artisan Center Bill Weinberg, board member, Appalachian Artisan Center Doug Naselroad, master artist in residence, Hindman Dulcimer Project Randy Wilson, folklorist and musician

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11:30am–1:00pm  Roundtable discussion on creative placemaking in Eastern Kentucky Location:Appalshop, 91 Madison Ave. Whitesburg, KY  41858 Participants:   Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

Lori Meadows, executive director, Kentucky Arts Council

Tom Fern, state director, USDA Rural Development Vernon Brown, community program director, USDA Rural Development Tim McNeilly, rural development coordinator, USDA Rural Development Robert Gipe, director of the Appalachian program, Southeast Community and   Technical College Mandy Hart, executive director, Center for Appalachian Philanthropy Belle Jackson, executive director, Berea Tourism Doug Naselroad, master artist in residence, Hindman Dulcimer Project Ada Smith, institutional development director, Appalshop Jenny Williams, River Arts Greenway 

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1:00–2:00pm  Tour of Appalshop Location: 91 Madison Ave. Whitesburg, KY  41858 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Alex Gibson, director, Appalshop Donna Porterfield, managing director Roadside Theater Elizabeth Sanders & Parker Hobson, WMMT Co-General Managers Matthew Carter, program director, WMMT Ben Spangler, director, Appalachian Media Institute Lori Meadows, executive director, Kentucky Arts Council

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3:00–3:30pm  Visit to Jenkins, Kentucky, to learn about Our Town project Location: Visit will begin at Jenkins Public Library, 9428 Hwy 805, Jenkins, KY  41537 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Todd DePriest, Mayor, City of Jenkins Peggy Bentley, head librarian, Jenkins Public Library Jill Hatch, fundraising manager, City of Jenkins Elizabeth Barret, Jenkins Our Town project director, Appalshop Lois Greer, curator, David A. Zegeer Coal & Railroad Museum Caroline Rubens, archivist, Appalshop Lacy Hale, visual artist Pam Oldfield Meade, visual artist  Lori Meadows, executive director, Kentucky Arts Council

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