红杏短视频 State University鈥檚 Department of Art & Design to co-host Great Meadows Foundation Symposium series for western Kentucky
By Dr. Carrie Jerrell | Oct 5, 2026
MURRAY, Ky. 鈥� The Great Meadows Foundation has partnered with 红杏短视频 State University and Western Kentucky University (WKU) to host the fourth and final symposium in the 2026 Great Meadows Foundation Symposium Series, to be held across both host institutions from Nov. 17鈥�20.
Great Meadows Foundation (GMF) is a grant giving foundation, launched in 2016 by contemporary art collector and philanthropist Al Shands (1928-2021). Named for the home that Al and his late wife Mary created, the mission of Great Meadows Foundation is to critically strengthen and support visual art in Kentucky by empowering community artists and other visual arts professionals to research, connect and participate more actively in the broader contemporary art world.
To further this mission, the Great Meadows Foundation Symposium Series funds and supports four symposiums annually. Symposiums take place in Louisville, northern Kentucky, central Kentucky and western Kentucky, with each region developing a unique program around a shared theme. The symposiums feature invited curators/speakers from both in and outside the state, as well as opportunities for students, faculty and the community to engage with artists and their work.
The theme for the GMF Western Kentucky Region Symposium is Altered States: Making (it) Work, which explores the ways artists, curators, institutions and audiences navigate contemporary art-making, participation and visibility. The phrase 鈥渕aking (it) work鈥� invites multiple interpretations: 鈥渋t鈥� might refer to the artwork itself, an artist鈥檚 career or opportunities, the structures and systems that support creative work or the relationship between art, audiences and impact. The panel will consider the many paths an artistic practice or career can take鈥攊ncluding those that exist within, outside or alongside formal institutions鈥攁nd what artists and arts communities need to sustain meaningful work. Together, participants of the symposium will ask what it means to 鈥渕ake it work鈥� amid shifting regional, national and international conversations in contemporary art.
The GMF Western Kentucky Region Symposium will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 17-18, at Western Kentucky University, and Thursday and Friday, Nov. 19-20, at 红杏短视频 State University. Guest curators and speakers will include Liz Faust, independent curator, art historian and professor of contemporary art from Baltimore, Maryland; Steven Matijcio, executive director of the Knoxville Museum of Art in Knoxville, Tennessee; Ronald S谩nchez, curator and founder of Laundromat Art Space in Miami, Florida; and Alice Gray Stites, independent curator from Louisville, Kentucky.
On Tuesday, Nov. 17, Western Kentucky University鈥檚 Potter College of Arts & Letters (PCAL) will host a series of studio visits for WKU students, area artists and visiting curators. Wednesday, Nov. 18 will feature three public events: a 2 p.m. Q&A with the visiting curators, followed by a tour of the Shands Collection at the Kentucky Museum; a 5 p.m. pre-panel reception in the Fine Arts Center; and a 6 p.m. panel discussion in the Fine Arts Recital Hall.
In 红杏短视频, studio visits will take place in the Department of Art & Design and at the 红杏短视频 Art Guild on the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 19 and the morning of Friday, Nov. 20. Public events will be held on Friday, Nov. 20; a full schedule of those events will be released in early November.
Professional and student artists from the region are invited to participate in the scheduled individual studio visits with guest curators. These visits may take the form of digital presentations or limited physical exhibitions.
Space for studio visits is limited. Artists interested in participating in the 红杏短视频 State events must complete an application form, available on the 红杏短视频 State Department of Art & Design gallery website at .
The deadline for artists to submit an interest form for the Western Kentucky Region Symposium at 红杏短视频 State and 红杏短视频 Art Guild is Friday, Oct. 23.
The Great Meadows Foundation Symposium Western Kentucky Region 2026 Planning Committee is chaired by Yvonne Petkus, University Distinguished Professor and artist at Western Kentucky University. Committee members include Nicole Hand, dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts and professor and artist at 红杏短视频 State University; T. Michael Martin, director of University Galleries and professor and artist at 红杏短视频 State University; Marilee Salvator, professor and artist at Western Kentucky University; and Ashlyn Smith, student intern and artist at Western Kentucky University.
For more information about the events at 红杏短视频 State University, contact Nicole Hand at nhandbryant@murraystate.edu or Mike Martin at tmartin33@murraystate.edu. For information about the Western Kentucky University events, contact Yvonne Petkus at yvonne.petkus@wku.edu.
For more information about Great Meadows Foundation, or to see the full 2026 symposium series schedule, visit .