Visual Arts

Kentucky history, juried arts and crafts, music and lots of local color are on tap for the 30th annual Constitution Square Festival in the heart of historic downtown Danville. The festival, a Kentucky Tourism Council top 10 designated event, will be held Sept. 19-21. This award-winning celebration of Kentucky's origins takes place at Constitution Square State Historic Site, the grounds of the actual events surrounding the drafting and signing of Kentucky's Constitution in 1792.

The audience waits in anticipation of its first view of the set, the costumes, the props, and most importantly, the plot of the play it is there to see. The anticipation increases as the curtains open. Danville native Elizabeth Orndorff certainly is no stranger to a plot and its construction. In fact, she has garnered many awards and accolades through the years, thanks to her relentless writing. Orndorff worked in advertising and public relations before turning to fiction and playwriting, through which she has made her claim to fame.

Lincoln Christian Academy registration planned for July 25 An open house and final registration for the upcoming school year will be 4-6 p.m. July 25 at Lincoln Christian Academy, 12127 U.S. 27 South, Waynesburg. For more information, call administrator Mike Dixon at (502) 507-7850. Arts council awards local non-profits with grants FRANKFORT - The Kentucky Arts Council has awarded $1,851,657 to 87 Kentucky non-profit arts and cultural organizations for fiscal year 2010, through the Kentucky Arts Partnership grant program.

The Community Art Center continues its monthly “Lunch with the Arts” series Wednesday as it welcomes Lydia DiMartino-Ellis for a special performance, ”Lady Plays the Blues.” DiMartino-Ellis will be playing favorite blues and jazz standards such as “St. Louis Blues,” “Blue Bossa,” “Autumn Leaves,” and more. DiMartino-Ellis recently was named conductor of Danville’s Advocate Brass Band, which will be performing at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in October.

Jessamine students to attend Kentucky Center Governor's School for the Arts Four Jessamine County students will join more than 200 others from across the state at The Kentucky Center Governor's School for the Arts to be held June 22 through July 12 in Lexington. Paul Bork, vocal music, Ashley Sowers, vocal music, Scott Sams, instrumental music and Natasha Walsh, vocal music, will join students from 54 counties at the two week program. Students will be immersed in a rigorous schedule of daily seminars, master-classes, lectures, hands-on workshops and field trips to regional arts attractions.

The Community Arts Center continues its monthly "Lunch with the Arts" series at noon Wednesday with a performance by renowned musician Vince DiMartino. The performance will be followed by an opportunity for discussion with the artist. DiMartino's accomplished music career has positioned him as one of the nation's most sought-after trumpet performers, educators and jazz artists. He currently serves as distinguished artist in residence and professor of music at Centre College. He was a 2008 recipient of the Governor's Artist Award in Kentucky.

A bold splash of color jumped off the white walls and latticework screen of the small, upper-level showroom at the Community Arts Center, which held a summer camp's worth of artwork made by local elementary school children. The kids milled about in search of the paintings and crafts they had created during their four-day participation in the "Arts Exploration" summer camp. The adults were impressed by the strong artistic spirit present in the pieces on display at the reception earlier this month.

There is a new art league developing, and the group is introducing itself by launching the inaugural Creative Paint Out at the Jessamine County Courthouse this Saturday. The fledgling group, Creative Art League of Jessamine County, Inc. (CAL), is making its mark in the community by hosting an free-for-all event that encourages all level of artists and lovers of art to attend. No matter if you are an artist who would like to display your work for others, a budding artist who would like to meet other artists and learn new techniques or just a patron and appreciator of the paints, there will be a place for you at Creative Paint Out, CAL founder and president Constance Grayson said.

Even if you've never been into quilts, odds are you'll be crazy about Pat Isaman, who will quilt her way into your heart during a special presentation Wednesday.  Isaman is a petite woman, but don't let that fool you. She has a huge appetite for color and design - and her hangings show it. With clear green eyes that always seem to be sparkling with new pattern ideas, we have deemed this artist The Crazy Quilter, and you have to hear about her...