WKU News

The Kentucky Museum and Kentucky Folklife Program are seeking sponsors for their upcoming Sonic Landscape exhibition, which explores the musical history of South-Central Kentucky. Long a site of exchange and collaboration between many genres and styles, the region is home to diverse talents. Notably, from the 1940s to early 2000s, these talents blossomed to create a unique musical culture whose reverberations can be heard across local, national, and global planes. 

This collaborative exhibition will be featured in the museum's spotlight gallery, an over 7,000-square-foot space that is the first encountered by visitors to the museum. Seed funding has been provided by the Bowling Green Convention and Visitors Bureau and The Webb Foundation. Now, the Kentucky Museum and Kentucky Folklife Program are seeking major sponsors - in advance of a forthcoming crowdfunding campaign - to ensure high interactivity and immersion along with a robust series of public programs, concerts, and artistic collaborations for the exhibit.

"An exhibition of this scale - immersive and distinct scenes with sound, local artist-produced murals, large-scale graphics, and microclimates that protect precious artifacts - requires a lot of funding," stated Tiffany Isselhardt, the Museum's Exhibits Curator. "We are incredibly grateful for the seed funding, but we need to double that to ensure that this vision comes to life and truly does justice to the robust and diverse musical heritage of our region. By being transparent about those needs, we hope to achieve full funding by the time construction begins in early 2024."

Isselhardt stated that the construction process will be at least a year, as the Museum deconstructs the Gazing Deeply exhibition, adjusts the gallery layout, and then installs Sonic Landscape in time for an early 2025 opening. Following the exhibit's opening, Sonic Landscape will be complemented by a robust series of concerts, film screenings, guest speakers, and other public programs that are being planned in partnership with various individuals and organizations featured in the exhibition. 

Various sponsorships are available, and custom sponsorship packages can be created for those wishing to pursue named or endowment-level gifts. Exhibition Sponsorship levels are:

Platinum ($10,000 or more)

• Named mention on all television and radio advertisements.
• Invitation for four guests to attend exhibition sponsor preview party.
• Opportunity for a small, private, curator-led tour of the exhibition for up to six guests (after exhibition opening).
• Highlighted social media post recognizing your contribution, during opening month.
• Invitation for two guests to attend exhibition sponsor preview party.
• Logo or name recognition in all exhibition ads (print, digital, graphics and publications).
• Logo or name recognition on exhibition credits wall.

Examples of support: LED Lighting upgrades for the gallery to protect artifacts on display ($13,000 total) or printing of labels and vinyls ($10,000).

Diamond ($5,000 to $9,999)

• Highlighted social media post recognizing your contribution, during opening month.
• Invitation for two guests to attend exhibition sponsor preview party.
• Logo or name recognition in all exhibition ads (print, digital, graphics and publications).
• Logo or name recognition on exhibition credits wall.
• Logo or name recognition on exhibition website.

Examples of support: Murals created by local artists ($6,000 per mural) or acoustical panel supplies and materials ($7,500 per section).

Gold ($1,000 to $4,999)

• Logo or name recognition in all exhibition ads (print, digital, graphics and publications).
• Logo or name recognition on exhibition credits wall.
• Logo or name recognition on exhibition website.

Examples of support: Replicas of venues or a DIY recording studio ($4,000 per replica) or one Holosonic Audio Spotlight ($2,000 each).

Patron ($1 to $999)

• Logo or name recognition on exhibition credits wall.
• Logo or name recognition on exhibition website.

Examples of support: One wall-mounted television unit ($750) or the K-12 traveling trunk ($500).

To become an exhibition sponsor:

• Make a secure online gift to the Ky Folklife Program Music Exhibition Fund at http://alumni.wku.edu/musicexhibit 
• Make your check out to "College Heights Foundation" and write "music exhibit" in the notes, then send to Kentucky Museum, Attn: Tiffany Isselhardt, 1906 College Heights Blvd #11092, Bowling Green, KY 42101
• or email Tiffany Isselhardt at tiffany.isselhardt@wku.edu or 270-745-3369 to discuss other giving options.

About the Kentucky Museum

The Kentucky Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Kentucky Museum celebrates all aspects of southcentral Kentucky’s art, history and culture. “Kentuckians need to know Kentucky” was the Museum’s earliest conceptual framework, which took shape under WKU’s founding President, Dr. Henry Hardin Cherry. Today, the Museum is a steadfast educational campus partner helping to inspire innovation, elevate community and transform the lives of WKU students and the region. To learn more, visit wku.edu/kentuckymuseum