Join Arts Connect in celebrating the individuals who will be recognized for their significant impact and contribution to the Lexington arts communityTo make lunch reservations |
LaVon Van Williams Jr
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“I want to accentuate and preserve the humanizing connections we discover and embrace in art. We are works of art” – LaVon Van Williams Jr.
Born in Lakeland, Florida, LaVon Van Williams Jr moved with his mother to Colorado when he was ten. There he began playing basketball exhibiting clear talent. He played for the University of Kentucky with the team that won the NCAA national championship in 1978 and then went on to play professionally. He returned to Lexington in the ‘80s to teach at the university along with creating his art. Known for his woodcarving, LaVon adopted the distinctive African-inspired carved sculpture tradition of the Carolina coastal Gullah/Geechee people to find his voice. After cutting the wood with a chainsaw, he uses a mallet and chisel to complete the work. He often applies found items to his pieces before the final stage of painting and staining the grain. LaVon considers himself to be an Urban folk artist, drawing inspiration from blues and jazz that were tastes he absorbed from his father and from the multitude of clubs near his home growing up in Colorado. |
Jenny Fitzpatrick
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Jenny Fitzpatrick is the Founder and Artistic Director of Blackbird Dance Theatre which she launched in 2013 with her original dance theatre production of The Great Gray. Prior to that Jenny was involved and collaborated with many other local theatre group such as Woodford Theatre in Versailles.
Jenny began her studies in dance at an early age in Scottsville, Kentucky, training in ballet, tap and jazz. She received her BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Kentucky in 2006, where she performed in seven main stage productions. Since its inception, Blackbird has produced 22 dance theatre productions and 5 musicals/musical reviews. Six of these are full length, original works created by Jenny. Another six are adaptations of other works for dance theatre in which Jenny has served as director and choreographer as well as costume designer and playwright. She has also performed as principle dancer in many of these productions. When not performing or crafting works for the stage in Lexington, Jenny has taken Blackbird Dance Theatre on tour throughout the Central Kentucky area. |
Katerina Stoykova-Klemer
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Katerina Stoykova-Klemer’s literary contributions are many and span a wide spectrum. She is a poet, publisher, radio show host, teacher and mentor.
In 1995 she immigrated to the United States from her homeland Bulgaria and for over a decade worked as a software engineer in high-tech companies. In 2009 she graduated from the brief-residency Spalding University program with an MFA in Writing. Katerina is the author of several poetry/prose books. Her most recent book, Second Skin, deals with domestic abuse and its impact on those involved. She is an advocate for women’s rights through her voice and through the opportunities she provides other women writers in this community. Katerina writes poetry and prose in both Bulgarian and English. She enjoys translating between the two language and her poems and stories have appeared in numerous literary publications both in the United States and in Europe. Additionally, Katerina is the host of Accents Radio Show. A weekly show that highlights literary topics and writers. In 2010 she launched Accents Publishing, a local literary press providing opportunities for local writers to be published. She regularly mentors, promotes and encourages other writers. |
Larry and Vivian Snipes
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After completing his MA in Theatre for Young Audiences at Alabama’s University of Montevallo, Larry Snipes worked for two years as a professional actor and director in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
Vivian Snipes knew in sixth grade that she would work in theatre. By ninth grade she had decided to specialize in theatre for young audiences. In 1979 whilst on their honeymoon, they agreed to move to Lexington where Larry had been offered and accepted the job of Producing Director with the Lexington Children’s Theatre. They expected to stay three to five years. Now, after forty years of service to arts education for young people and the community of Lexington, Larry and Vivian Snipes have retired as Producing and Artistic Directors of Lexington Children’s Theatre. It is no exaggeration to say that over a million children have participated in programming with LCT during the Snipes’ tenure. Generations of Kentucky’s young people have had the privilege of learning the values, ideals, and integrity that have made the Snipes such remarkable educators and leaders for the last forty years. |
Kathy Plomin and Jennifer Mossotti
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Responding to the glaring lack of female representation in the national public art landscape and using the 100th Anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, then Councilmember Jennifer Mossotti along with the support of fellow Councilmember Kathy Plomin mobilized an effort to bring a significant and commemorative piece of public art to Lexington.
Working with a Steering Committee, Jennifer and Kathy organized a national artist search that returned 127 proposals. Barbara Grygutis was selected from a shortlist of four. Her illuminated, monumental aluminum sculpture, entitled STAND, was installed in August 2020 to coincide with the celebration of the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. And this, despite the challenges of a raging worldwide pandemic. For three years Jennifer Mossotti and Kathy Plomin, along with their support team, worked tirelessly in their commitment to celebrating Kentucky women in a significant and tangible way. STAND is their legacy; it is representative of the power of public art, and what can be accomplished by strong, innovative women through community partnership. |