Kentucky Museum

Join us to celebrate the award winners and all entrants of the 2025 Abound Credit Union Celebration of the Arts. Awards ceremony will begin at 7 p.m.

Nancy Green became one of the first prosperous African American women in the U.S. Green was born enslaved in Montgomery County, Kentucky, in 1834. While in Kentucky she worked for the Walker family and moved with them to Chicago just after the Great Fire, in 1872. Eight years later, Nancy Green became "Aunt Jemima." Businessman R.T. Davis had purchased a pre-mixed, self-rising recipe for pancakes and wanted an "Aunt Jemima," a character from minstrel shows which were popular at the time, to be the face of his pancakes. "Aunt Jemima" would be a friendly, animated, African American cook who served a wealthy white family. Playing the role of "Aunt Jemima" gave Green financial independence few African Americans and few women experienced at the time. She used her wealth as a means to empower her community. She was particularly active in her church, leading missionary trips, investing in anti-poverty programs for African Americans, and advocating for equal rights. Though her work depended on a derogatory racial stereotype, her financial success demonstrates how black Americans could sometimes play on and use such images to their advantage.

Join us for this amazing Kentucky Chautauqua program by Debra Faulk.

This program was funded in part by Kentucky Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  

Location: Kentucky Museum 

Join the Kentucky Museum and Kentucky Art Education Association to celebrate this year's entrants and winners of the KYAEA's Elementary & Middle School All-State Art Show. Showcased in the Museum's second-floor gallery, the student artists will be recognized with awards during a Closing Reception held on March 15 from 11 am to 12:30 pm. The reception is open to the public. 

About the KyAEA Exhibit

Each year, this competition begins at the regional level and culminates in the state-wide show, celebrating Kentucky's talented student artists. Students in grades K-8 currently in public and private Kentucky schools are eligible to enter, and teachers submit up to five pieces for the exhibition. Entires are gathered by coordinators, who then work with the host organization to display the works. At the end of the show, an Awards Reception honors students and gives them an introduction to the world of art competition judging and recognition. 

The exhibition is presented by the Kentucky Art Education Association (KyAEA), which advances art education through professional development, service, advancement of knowledge, and leadership. Established in March 1945, the association has continued to grow and change in service of Kentucky's art educators as a nonprofit, all volunteer, non-salary art educational organization. Its members are comprised of active and retired P-12 teachers, art advocates, and higher education art students and educators statewide. Each year, the organization sponsors a two-day convention, regional professional development meetings, and special shows for students to compete and exhibit artworks. The KyAEA is an affiliate of the National Art Education Association (NAEA).