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  1. Home
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  3. State Profiles

Kentucky

Facts and Figures

In the past five years, the National Endowment for the Arts distributed $14,490,264 in federal funding, either directly or through state and regional partners, in Kentucky.

In the most recent information (2023) from the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA), which is produced jointly by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Office of Research & Analysis and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Commerce Department, Kentucky...

  • Added 2.5 percent or $6.9 billion to the state economy from arts and cultural production
  • Employed 51,094 workers in the arts and cultural industries, with workers earning wages and benefits totaling $3.3 billion

Almost 29 percent of Kentucky’s adults attended live music, theater, or dance performances, while more than 13 percent attended art exhibits, according to the 2022 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau.

In addition to offering direct grants, the NEA supports national initiatives benefiting people across the country. Over the last five years:

The Blue Star Museums program provided free admission to thousands of active military personnel and their families at 27 participating museums in Kentucky.

More than 3,023 students from 46 high schools in Kentucky participated in Poetry Out Loud.

The NEA Big Read program generated community events focused on reading outstanding American literature and involving more than 17,903 adults and students in Kentucky.

The Shakespeare in American Communities program in Kentucky enabled schools to offer 11,113 children the opportunity to see live professional performances of Shakespeare, or to engage in educational programs


Kentucky Fact Sheet

On this page, find information on the arts and culture for Kentucky, and how the National Endowment for the Arts has supported the arts in communities throughout the state. 

To find a list of grants awarded by the agency to Kentucky, go to our Recent Grant Search. 

State Highlights

AS man playing a mandolin.
Bill Monroe
1982
1982 National Heritage Fellow Bill Monroe practically single-handedly created bluegrass music, singing in a style he called "high lonesome."
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Headshot of a woman.
Leona Waddell
2016
A revered leader in the white oak basketmaking community, 2016 National Heritage Fellow Leona Trulock Waddell is a master artist whose basketmaking skills have been perfected by her years of experience.
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Man and woman examine a dulcimer
Creative Approaches to Problem-Solving
Located in the state’s eastern Appalachian region, Appalachian Artisan Center of Hindman, Kentucky, shows how the arts can provide a way forward for the town’s 750 residents, the community, and the region as a whole.
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State & Regional Contacts

Kentucky Arts Council

1025 Capital Center Dr., 3rd Floor
Frankfort, KY 40601
502/564-3757
kyarts@ky.gov

South Arts (Regional Arts Organization)
1800 Peachtree Street, Suite 808
Atlanta, GA 30309
404/874-7244
southarts@southarts.org 

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