Research & Creative Activity

Stories of University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts research, creative activity, awards, and scholarship.

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CFA Students Win Research Awards

Three CFA students were among nineteen UK students who recently won Oswald Research and Creativity awards from the Office of Undergraduate Research. Hannah Johnston received a $350 first place award. Katelyn Cox received a $200 second place award and Meredith Coffey won an honorable mention.

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Director of Music named Editor of Music Forum

Congratulations to Stanley Pelkey, director of the UK School of Music. Dr. Pelkey has been named the new editor for the Forum section of the College Music Society's official journal, Symposium. Visit the website >

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Kentucky Brass Quintet Begins SEC Performance Circuit

Originally posted on thesecu.com December 16, 2019

Higher education research is often synonymous with the STEM disciplines, and it conjures up images of goggles, test tubes, lectures, and long equations. For the University of Kentucky Faculty Brass Quintet, those equations are replaced by sheet music – and conference lectures are replaced by recitals.

As SEC Faculty Travel Program participants, the UK Brass Quintet is sharing its sound with other SEC universities in a series of recitals and classroom teaching experiences. This semester, it will perform at the University of Alabama, the University of Arkansas, the University of Georgia, and LSU.

Read more >>

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Emoji-inspired design receives top honors

University of Kentucky Assistant Professor of Digital Media and Design Mia Cinelli's work has been honored as one of the STA 100, the finest examples of communication design and typography created around the world recognized by The Society of Typographic Arts (STA).

Click here to read more>>

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Piano and Poetry, November 6, 2019, in the Niles Gallery, Fine Arts Library.

This event was coordinated by Dr. Irina Voro in partnership with the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures. The A&S students read poems in Russian and then in English, followed by Russian compositions performed by Voro’s talented piano students.

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Dr. Kevin Holm-Hudson, Singer-Songwriter!

Dr. Kevin Holm-Hudson (Music Theory) was selected as one of five Kentucky songwriters for the 2019 Acoustic Guitar Project. For the project, artists are given a guitar to use for a week with the objective of writing one new song. They then sign the guitar and pass it on to the next selected artist. Holm-Hudson’s time with the guitar coincided with UK’s Fall Break, which he spent in a cabin in the Red River Gorge, ultimately writing four songs. All of this year’s Acoustic Guitar Project artists will present their new songs in a special concert on November 22 at 7 PM in the Performance Hall at LexArts, 161 N. Mill Street in Lexington, KY. Find out more about the Acoustic Guitar Project at theacousticguitarproject.com

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Lifetime Achievement Award for Long-tenured Percussion Professor

Well-deserved accolades from the Percussive Arts Society for UK School of Music’s James Campbell! Read the story >

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Andrew Maske helps bring Bluegrass Music to Japan

Audiences across the country have been enjoying the Kentucky Educational Television’s (KET) latest documentary “Big Family: The Story of Bluegrass Music.” CFA Associate Professor of Art History and Visual Studies, specializing in the Arts of the Asia, worked with KET staff to provide translations for the segment on Bluegrass music in Japan.

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Options for Keeping the Old Soundboard.

John Pope, UK School of Music’s piano technician, recently presented a class called “Options for Keeping the Old Soundboard” at the Piano Technicians Guild conference. His “options” included his own methods of re-crowning old boards which he has been perfecting over the last few years on UK’s pianos.

It was John’s first time to present at a conference, and in his own words: “In the talk, three times, I quoted or referenced Del Fandrich, a well-known piano rebuilder, designer, and consultant to manufacturers. Well, as I feared, Del showed up for talk. When I got to the part about my method of removing and replacing rib material to re-crown a soundboard, he exclaimed in front of everybody, ‘I wish I’d thought of that!’

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Music Theory Presentations by  Karen Bottge, Michael Baker, Jennifer Campbell, and Kevin Holm-Hudson

These four School of Music Theory faculty are all presenting at prestigious national and international conferences and symposia. 

Karen Bottge, associate professor of music theory, presented her research on visual artist Victor Hammer's affiliation with music theorist Heinrich Schenker a workshop on Schenkerian theory at the Mozarteum Conservatory, Salzburg, April 26-27. She was the only American professor to present at this by-invitation workshop and symposium.  

Michael Baker, associate professor of music theory, will present his research on Clara Schumann's Lieder at the sixth North American Conference on Nineteenth-Century Music in July, and later at the annual meeting of the Society of Music Theory in November. He will also present his research on interdisciplinary approaches to teaching music fundamentals at the College Music Society national meeting in October. 

Jennifer Campbell, assistant professor of music theory, will present her essay, "Traversing a Man's World: Missy Mazzoli, Isabella Eberhardt, and Feminist Voice in Song from the Uproar" at the third Transnational Opera Studies Conference in June in Paris. Dr. Campbell's presentation will be held at the Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art in Paris.  

Kevin Holm-Hudson, professor of music theory and chair of the division of music theory and composition, will present his research on Neil Young at the twentieth conference of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music in Canberra, Australia in June. He will also present a paper on electronic techniques in prog rock music as an invited speaker at the Rethinking Progressive Rock symposium in Brisbane, Australia in July. 

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NEH to Fund Digitization of Sacred Music Collection at Niles Center

University of Kentucky's John Jacob Niles Center for American Music is home to one of four archives of sacred music that will benefit from the Sounding Spirit initiative's second grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support pioneering work in digital scholarly editions.  

Click here to read the full story on UKNow.

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Carnegie Hall to Celebrate UK's Music Centennial

How do you close out a yearlong celebration of 100 years of music excellence at the University of Kentucky? Share those talents on the stage of one of the nation's most celebrated music venues — Carnegie Hall.

Congrats to our students as they take over Carnegie Hall tonight, May 29, 2019. What a great opportunity for our students to travel and perform in one of the most prestigious concert halls!

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Award-Winning Undergraduate Research

UK Art History undergraduate students Emily Hedges and Aaron Reynolds, along with faculty mentor Assistant Professor Miriam Kienle, presented their award-winning research at this year’s Posters-At-The-Capitol, an event held annually to educate KY State Legislators of the importance of undergraduate research and scholarly work.

Emily Hedges (Art History major at SAVS) presented her poster “Yet Another Fight for Remembrance: Titus Kaphar’s Representation of Race in the Past and Present” at UK's 2019 Undergraduate Showcase on April 24, and the paper related to this research at 10th Annual Jonathan Riess Undergraduate Art History in Cincinnati on April 13. This research also garnered Hedges the  UK Libraries Dean's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Scholarship for best paper of 2018-19. The online announcement of this award came to the attention of Kaphar (recent recipient of a MacArthur Genius Grant). Kaphar congratulated Hedges on the award, asked to read her paper, and sent her a new book about his work as a thank you present.

 Aaron Reynolds (Art History major at SAVS) presented his poster “The Suburban Gothic: Gender Expression in the Work of Ralph Eugene Meatyard" at UK's 2019 Undergraduate Showcase on April 24, as well as 24th Annual Graduate Student Symposium in Art History at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL on March 1, 2019. In Alabama, Reynolds won the award for the best undergraduate poster. Reynolds will also be presenting his research on Meatyard at the 2nd World Congress on Undergraduate Research, University of Oldenburg, Germany in May 2019. His paper  “Psychology of Image: ‘Ralph Eugene Meatyard: Stages for Being’ at the University of Kentucky Art Museum,” was published in “Under Main” on November 17, 2018.  Reynolds will be joining the UK's new Curatorial Studies program this fall.

http://www.under-main.com/arts/psychology-of-image-ralph-eugene-meatyard-stages-for-being-at-the-university-of-kentucky-art-museum/

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UK Student Artists Take Home $10k in Foundations Scholarships

Some of the newest art students at the University of Kentucky were recognized during the Foundations Show Reception held March 28 at the Bolivar Art Gallery. Click here to read the story on UKNow.

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Hunter Stamps Receives University Research Professorship Award

This week, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved 16 University Research Professorships for the 2019-20 academic year including SA/VS professor Hunter Stamps.

Story Courtesy of UK Public Relations

The purpose of the University Research Professorship program is to recognize and publicize research accomplishments of scholars across the full range of disciplines at UK. The award amount is $10,000 for one year, to be used to further the research, scholarship and creative endeavors of the awardee. 

“It is truly gratifying to recognize these distinguished experts who have made significant contributions in so many different fields of research at the University of Kentucky,” said Lisa Cassis, UK’s vice president for research. “The University Research Professorship Awards honor 16 members of our faculty who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship and creative work that addresses scientific, social, cultural and economic challenges in our region and around the world.”

The University Research Professors Program recognizes excellence across the full spectrum of research, scholarship and creative endeavors within each college that nominates a faculty member. College leadership developed criteria for excellence in research and scholarly activity within their area of expertise and then nominated faculty who excelled at these criteria.

The 2019-20 University Research Professors are:

Jason Unrine, Plant and Soil Sciences, College of Agriculture, Food and     Environment;

Mark Peffley, Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences;

Susan Gardner, Physics and Astronomy, College of Arts and Sciences;

Craig Miller, Oral Health Practice, College of Dentistry;

Anne Filson, Architecture, College of Design;

Beth Rous, Educational Leadership, College of Education;

J. Zach Hilt, Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering;

Hunter Stamps, Art and Visual Studies, College of Fine Arts;

James Ziliak, Economics, Gatton College of Business and Economics;                     

Phillip Gribble, Rehabilitation Science, College of Health Sciences;

Philip Kern, Internal Medicine, College of Medicine;

Donna Wilcock, Physiology, College of Medicine;               

Misook Chung, College of Nursing;

Patricia Rippetoe Freeman, Pharmacy Practice and Science, College of Pharmacy;

Svetla  Slavova, Biostatistics, College of Public Health; and                      Julie Cerel, College of Social Work

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UK SA/VS student wins prestigious award for undergraduate research

By: Michaela Bowman

Emily Hedges, a junior studying Art History in the University of Kentucky School of Art and Visual Studies, has won the prestigious 2019 UK Libraries Dean’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Scholarship in the category of traditional paper. In addition to winning a $1000 prize, Hedges will attend and be recognized at the UK Libraries Spring Gala on May 16. The award was established in 2016 to recognize and celebrate exceptional, original scholarship and research by University of Kentucky undergraduates whose research projects make substantive and creative use of the UK Libraries’ collections, services, and resources. 

Hedges’ project, “Yet Another Fight for Remembrance: Titus Kaphar’s Representation of Race in the Past and Present” utilized these resources and was presented at the Thirteenth Annual Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars this past week. 

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UK SA/VS students compete at national conference

By: Michaela Bowman

At the National Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art and Practices, a total of eight UK SA/VS students had nine or more artworks shown across three exhibitions. The exhibits included more than 200 pieces from artists all over the country with two pieces being juried by Professor of Sculpture Jeremy Colbert in the “Rare Few” exhibition. Students won two awards at the Student Coupla Contest as well as Hottest Metal and Best Crew.

Professor Colbert also presented his presentation “Safety Protocol, and Policies within the University” as well represented the University of Kentucky in “The Grind”, a recruitment event for students looking for graduate programs. In addition to the students in attendance, there were 15 UK alumni involved with the conference including Conference Co-Chair Andrew Marsh, Solo Exhibitionist for the Charles Hook Award Gerry Masse, and many others who taught workshops, presented, volunteered, panelists, and tours. 

The National Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art and Practices is a biennial convergence of students, educators, academics, and professionals dedicated to exploring and advancing cast iron as an art medium. Support from this conference helps the Metal Arts Program at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark preserve the history and knowledge integral to working with cast iron processes. In turn, Sloss Metal Arts provides opportunities that propagate and expand technical, aesthetic, and conceptual issues pertinent to the discipline. Collectively, this National Conference and Sloss Metal Arts create a magnetic field that helps hold the community together.