The Kentucky Museum – Upcoming Exhibits

Located in the historic 1939 side of our building, selected works of Kentucky artists Dorothy Grider (1915-2012) and Ivan Wilson (1889-1981) will be on view at each landing of the stairwells as you journey between our galleries. 

Six works by WKU photographer Clinton Lewis showcase life on campus, from the famous white squirrel sightings to unforgettable moments in our recent history. Accompanying these works are historic cameras from our collection, recounting the history of photographic technology.

We are thrilled to welcome back the Kentucky Art Education Association's All-State Elementary and Middle School Art Show for 2025. Please join us for an Awards Reception on Saturday, March 15, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST.

The Kentucky Museum presents their annual juried art exhibit, which is truly a celebration of this region’s art. Generously sponsored by Abound Credit Union, any Kentucky resident over the age of 18 and living within 65 miles of Bowling Green was eligible to enter a piece of their original artwork created within the last two years. Monetary awards are given in ten categories as well as for Best of Show, the Purchase Award, the Student Purchase Award, the World's Greatest Studio Tour Merit Award, and the Artworks Merit Award.

The Call for Artists is now open - Register Here.

The Side by Side program was created by Arts for All Kentucky (formerly VSA) in 2004 for school age kids with special needs in communities across Kentucky. Details will be released in early spring 2025.

A celebration of local artists and the contributions they - and their works - make to our communities. This exhibition features 37 works by local artists held in the permanent collections of the Kentucky Museum.

Did you know Bowling Green has a huge fine art collection? The Kentucky Museum is home to over 1,000 works of art spanning five centuries of history. In Treasures of the Collection, we showcase 27 of these works from Flemish artist Adriaen Brouwer's The Prize (c. 1630-38) to Harlan Hubbard's Wellsburg, Kentucky, on the Ohio River (late 20th century). Along the way, discover religious scenes, famous portrait artists, one of Bowling Green's own female botanists, the first artist recognized for the use of x-ray technology, and the pioneers of pop art. 

Rather than developing only one distinct sound, South-Central Kentucky has been a site of exchange and collaboration between and across a plurality of genres and styles, which owes its strength to the long history of diversity in the region and the traffic of talent and opportunity between the region’s hub, Bowling Green, and nearby Nashville, TN, one hour south. Produced in partnership with the Kentucky Folklife Program, this multi-year exhibition interprets and contextualizes these rich musical traditions in the region and their influence throughout America.

More information.

Equal Temperament highlights the inclusivity of modern metalworking in a juried art show, accompanied by a variety of interpretive programming to showcase metal’s links with other artistic and historical forms. The show invites entries from artists who are 18 years of age or older and living in the United States, whose work is inspired by or includes metalwork or forging and fits within a USPS Flat Rate Shipping Box. Equal Temperament will be accompanied by a variety of programs that explore the inclusivity of metalworking and its ties to other art forms. It is produced in collaboration with the Soceity for Inclusive Blacksmiths, WKU Department of Art & Design, and WKU Department of Music.

Musicians and artists have a symbiotic relationship - relying on one another to inspire and promote their works. At times, they are one and the same: musicians create visual works to promote their sounds, or visual artists become inspired to create sound from being involved in the promotion of other musicians' works. What kinds of visual art promote music? What do these works say about the music - its sound, producers, and culture? Featuring regional posters, flyers, drawings, zines, murals, and photography, we dive into the art of our Sonic Landscape.

How do you learn to quilt? For many, quilt-making begins at home: learning from mothers and grandmothers who pass on this decorative and utilitarian art form. Quilts tell the story of Kentucky families, many of whom have called the region home for generations. Inherited Threads showcases seventeen such families, whose members created quilts now in our permanent collection. They include stories of grandmothers, mothers, daughters, aunts, and sisters - relationships that trasncend time to showcase how quilting is taught and remembered among families, how quilters from different generations exhibit similarities or differences, and how these quilts become beloved family heirlooms.