2025 Art Meets Activism Grant Recipients
Press Release written by Ellen Birkett Morris
The Kentucky Foundation for Women has awarded 28 Art Meets Activism Grants totaling $184,154 to feminist artists and social change organizations from across the state. These artists and organizations received grants to advance social change through feminist-led, arts-based activities in communities throughout Kentucky.
A complete list of statewide grants follows. Here is a sampling of Kentucky artists/organizations that received funding:
Dawn S. Smith (she/her) Paducah, $5,000
To create a short film titled “The Firebyrds,” in which a Black agricultural engineer fights for her life and land after an environmental disaster when an intergalactic body discovers her Western Kentucky farm is the planet’s last fertile ground. Community members, including aspiring filmmakers, actors, and businesses from underrepresented backgrounds, will participate in various stages of the film’s production while learning essential technical skills for environmental feminist filmmaking.
Louisville Public Media, Louisville, $3,500
For their audio/visual project, “75 and Change,” on Louisville Public Media. This project consists of profiling 75 community members, including women and people of other marginalized genders, who are making a meaningful impact in the Louisville community. Community art making will occur as community members nominate and record their perspectives on some of the individuals being highlighted. This project will encourage audience members to be a part of strengthening their community through positive storytelling.
Kris Grenier (she/they) Cynthiana, $5,000
To create a community-made, felt wall hanging that will serve as a visual message of hope for the future. Instruction and supplies will be provided to empower 500 women, girls, trans and gender non-conforming Kentuckians to collaborate on this artwork. The project will also connect participants through a virtual network and shared written responses, emphasizing the power of self-expression and the potential of collective action.
Rebellious Performance Retreat by Nicole Garneau (she/her) Disputanta, $10,000
For the third annual Rebellious Performance Retreat, an immersive workshop and retreat in rural Appalachian Kentucky for performing artists whose work promotes feminism and opposes all forms of oppression. The purpose of the retreat is to nurture a rural Kentucky hub of infrastructure, support, and audience for activists performances, and to provide a much-needed anchor for feminist and LGBTQIA+ activism. This change will occur through community-building, resource-sharing, peer feedback, and the opportunity to be part of the Rebellious Performance showcase.
Voices Amplified INC., Lexington, receives $10,000
To support the revival of “Voices Heard, a Theatre Festival” dedicated to showcasing the stories of those identifying as females. After a seven-year hiatus, the 2026 festival will be themed “HERstories of Resilience.” It will feature a ten-minute play festival, a highlighted full play production to be announced and a workshop about a new musical by Kentucky playwright Cavan Hendron titled “Borden.” In addition to these performances, the festival will offer structured art-making workshops as part of the rehearsal process, along with seminars and talkbacks throughout the two-weekend event.
“In these times of uncertainty and division, we are glad to foster connection and healing creativity. These grantees are bringing Kentucky artists together to elevate their voices, create awareness and birth a better society. Building community through art and activism helps spark lasting change in Kentucky and beyond,” said Sharon LaRue, Executive Director of the Kentucky Foundation for Women.
The Art Meets Activism program supports a wide variety of individual artists and organizations committed to building on the power of art to increase awareness about feminist issues, alter perceptions, stimulate dialogue, open new spaces for civic participation and imagine new ways to create a more just and equitable Kentucky. The grants are for activities that are artist driven and include the direct participation of individuals and communities.
KFW’s Artist Enrichment grant applications will be available the first week of August, 2025.
The Kentucky Foundation for Women is a private foundation formed in 1985 by Louisville writer Sallie Bingham. Its mission is to promote positive social change by supporting varied feminist expression in the arts.
KFW Executive Director Sharon LaRue and selected grant recipients are available for interviews/appearances. Contact Ms. Wright for further information and to schedule interviews. A complete list of the grants awarded statewide broken down by congressional districts and artistic discipline follows.
Art Meets Activism Grants 2025
Literary
Young Authors Greenhouse, Louisville, receives $7,610
For a book project which will allow 40-45 young women (ages 11-14) to choose a poetry/creative non-fiction writing theme that addresses matters most important to them. They will discuss leadership, enhance their writing skills, learn how writing can be a powerful way to create change, and take part in the publishing process.
Taylor Ryan (she/her) Louisville, receives $5,000
For workshops that blend storytelling and collective action tools for women, girls, trans, and gender-nonconforming people. Participants will be guided in creating art for handbills and contributing to a podcast, all of which will highlight issues and concerns of each participant and their community. They will also participate in splash painting and culinary arts discussions that intertwine food, history, and land justice within the Black community.
Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning, Lexington, receives $5,375
For seven female or nonbinary writers to mentor young female and nonbinary 9th-12th graders as they explore writing and literary performance techniques. The students will participate in a public reading and Writer Mentoring Day, during which they will mentor elementary students. The workshops will examine issues including body image and self-esteem, LGBTQ+ issues, and feminism.
Levee, Lexington, receives $4,800
To create, print, distribute, and archive four seasonal poetry and collage zines featuring women and femme writers and visual artists in Central and East Kentucky. Zine participants will bring their creative pursuits to the public eye in a safe and encouraging environment, with additional professional development opportunities including creating individual chapbooks and prints, and conducting readings and exhibitions.
Lisa M. Miller (she/her) Lexington, receives $5,000
For the Poetry from Art Program to provide art practice workshops in collage, journaling, and poetry for women. These practices will allow participants to find meaning and serve as vital witnesses to one another in a creative way as they set new strategies for contributing to community as self-aware citizens.
Media
Dawn S. Smith (she/her) Paducah, receives $5,000
To create a short film titled “The Firebyrds,” in which a Black agricultural engineer fights for her life and land after an environmental disaster when an intergalactic body discovers her Western Kentucky farm is the planet’s last fertile ground. Community members, including aspiring filmmakers, actors, and businesses from underrepresented backgrounds, will participate in various stages of the film’s production while learning essential technical skills for environmental feminist filmmaking.
My Systers Art, Paducah, receives $4,500
To produce 3, or more, filmmaking workshops which focus on giving women of color, queer women, and other marginalized females a voice and platform to express their unique points of view in rural and small-town Kentucky. These engagements will increase the confidence of individual artists (especially emerging and new film artists), foster a sense of self and belonging in an often-hostile world, and encourage artists to continue expressing their uniqueness and tell their distinctive stories through film and video.
Demi Gardner (she/her) Louisville, receives $7,500
To document Black women leaders and activists living in the West End of Louisville as they navigate a changing environment, while building their careers, community, and family. When not in front of the camera, the participants will be learning the technical side of filmmaking and other skills, as everyone involved will share their own unique skillsets with one another throughout the process.
Louisville Public Media, Louisville, receives $3,500
For their audio/visual project, “75 and Change,” on Louisville Public Media. This project consists of profiling 75 community members, including women and people of other marginalized genders, who are making a meaningful impact in the Louisville community. Community art making will occur as community members nominate and record their perspectives on some of the individuals being highlighted. This project will encourage audience members to be a part of strengthening their community through positive storytelling.
Appalshop Film, Jenkins, receives $7,500
For a collaborative documentary storytelling film that captures the lived experiences of individuals experiencing homelessness. Young Appalachian filmmakers and community members will ensure that narratives are authentically represented in interviews, visual storytelling, and production. The film will serve as both an artistic expression and an avenue for connecting viewers to resources and community support systems, while challenging misconceptions and advocating for systemic change.
Jessica Miles (she/her) Frenchburg, receives $5,000
To create a podcast documenting the rich, complex histories of women and women-identifying activists throughout Appalachia’s history. Through conversations with community leaders and activists from the region this project will focus on the often-overlooked leadership of women and how their work impacts our community. These conversations will lead to broader discussions of place, power, the role of women in progressive movements, how to make change in communities, and reflection on leadership.
KAPAAW Incorporated, Lexington, receives $10,000
To engage girls in creative pursuits such as crafts, dance, music, writing, painting, photography, poetry, and fashion to foster feminist social change. By leading community members in artmaking, the project aims to empower participants to use their artistic expression as a tool for advocacy, inspire impactful change in their communities, and address inequality for Black women and girls.
Performing
Steam Exchange, Louisville, receives $10,000
For youth to work with the StEx community, dance instructors from Crestview Studios, and University of Louisville’s historically black sororities to learn various dance styles. They will then choreograph a dance that explores feminism, body positivity and black joy. Youth will also work with fashion designer, Kara Mason to create custom costumes for their choreographed dance. The class will culminate in a youth-organized Community Showcase to share their performance, costumes, music, and other art they create throughout the year with the community.
Hannah Gregory (she/her) Louisville, receives $9,000
To support artist fees for the premiere of Judith, Deliver Us, a new folk musical by Hannah Gregory that places the apocryphal Book of Judith in 1920s coal country. The musical focuses on themes of autonomy, right to assemble, and gender roles and will involve the community through performance and supplemental talkbacks. During the talkbacks, themes present in the play including Kentucky plant life, and union history specifically as it relates to coal wars will be open for discussion.
Ambo Dance Theatre, Louisville, receives $9,800
For a year-long collaborative dance making process created by Ambo Dance Theatre’s professional company, community ensemble, youth companies, and JCPS School dancers. Well-Behaved Womxn… will culminate in a series of performances that centers underrepresented women’s histories, fostering empowerment and critical dialogue on feminism and social change. Artistic residencies to support the dance series will be made possible by JCPS dance programs.
Looking for Lilith Theatre Company, Louisville, receives $10,000
To create a play about the Lilith myth to honor Looking for Lilith’s 25th anniversary. Inspired by Lilith, the play will use women’s histories to create multi-disciplinary performance pieces that will bring women’s voices to a wider audience. As part of the search for modern-day “Liliths”, communities will gather for workshops, in which participants create visual, performance, and literary art that shares their ancestors’ stories.
Rebellious Performance Retreat by Nicole Garneau (she/her) Disputanta, receives $10,000
For the third annual Rebellious Performance Retreat, an immersive workshop and retreat in rural Appalachian Kentucky for performing artists whose work promotes feminism and opposes all forms of oppression. The purpose of the retreat is to nurture a rural Kentucky hub of infrastructure, support, and audience for activists performances, and to provide a much-needed anchor for feminist and LGBTQIA+ activism. This change will occur through community-building, resource-sharing, peer feedback, and the opportunity to be part of the Rebellious Performance showcase.
Carrie Brunk and April Morales/Clear Creek Creative, Clear Creek receives $3,500
To organize a dynamic circle of collaborating feminist artists who will teach and share techniques leading up to a participatory public art parade and celebration focused on the theme of interdependence. The project will uplift “interdependence” as an inclusive, creative and liberatory complement to conventional “Independence Day” celebrations. The series of creative incubators, parade and celebration will offer a joyful approach to collaboration through artist-led creative crews that represent the breadth of demographic diversity, experience and art-making talent in our rural communities.
Voices Amplified INC., Lexington, receives $10,000
To support the revival of “Voices Heard, a Theatre Festival” dedicated to showcasing the stories of those identifying as females. After a seven-year hiatus, the 2026 festival will be themed “HERstories of Resilience.” It will feature a ten-minute play festival, a highlighted full play production to be announced and a workshop about a new musical by Kentucky playwright Cavan Hendron titled “Borden.” In addition to these performances, the festival will offer structured art-making workshops as part of the rehearsal process, along with seminars and talkbacks throughout the two-weekend event.
Visual
Art Center of the Bluegrass, Danville, receives $4,250
For a teaching residency with twelve young women from Danville who will create artwork that reflects their identities, sense of place, and/or social issues that are meaningful to them. Artist Lacy Hale will teach the students a new art form that will culminate in public display of their artwork. Through this process, students will be empowered to celebrate their role as change-makers in their community.
West End Women’s Collaborative, Louisville, receives $3,500
To engage Kentuckians in storytelling and collaborative artmaking to honor the often-overlooked labor, wisdom and leadership of women who have shaped Kentucky’s history. Participants will take part in story circles focused on the women who have shaped their lives, followed by a collaborative art activity during which they paint the names of influential women on wooden blocks. The blocks will become one large installation piece for the Peace Labyrinth at the Collaborative.
Kris Grenier (she/they) Cynthiana, receives $5,000
To create a community-made, felt wall hanging that will serve as a visual message of hope for the future. Instruction and supplies will be provided to empower 500 women, girls, trans and gender non-conforming Kentuckians to collaborate on this artwork. The project will also connect participants through a virtual network and shared written responses, emphasizing the power of self-expression and the potential of collective action.
Carissa Turpin (she/her)/ Frances Club, Louisville, receives $1,025
To support a middle school feminist club in constructing, painting, and installing period pantries that double as art installations in Louisville and Eastern Kentucky. Power in Paint: Period Pantries is a project that uses art to engage in meaningful, hands-on activism that extends beyond the walls of school and into the broader world. It teaches the students that feminism is not just an abstract concept, but a movement that requires participation, effort, and tangible action.
Recovering Joy Arts and Nature Center, Somerset, receives $9,951
To enable participants from Sky Hope Recovery Center for Women to learn fiber arts, including spinning, weaving, indigo dyeing, needle- and wet-felting. Sharing gifts they make and exhibiting some of their completed pieces at Sky Hope as they strengthen community connections. The habit of making art and the skills they gain will increase the confidence of the women to live life fully and with joy.
Art, Work, Empowerment/ On The Move Art Studio, Paris, receives $5,843
To facilitate visual artmaking experiences with women who are 55+ in a way that empowers them to pass down wisdom to younger women. The artmaking and resulting exhibitions will give elder women an opportunity to learn new mixed media art skills, share their experience of aging, engage in self-expression, and defy ageist assumptions about the worth of older women in their communities.
Constance Grayson, Lexington, receives $10,000
For three 12-week art education programs for girls ages 8-12, designed to teach artistic skills, foster self-awareness and develop self-confidence through creativity. The projects will use collage self-portraits, storyboards, and digital productions. The girls will also learn the stories of strong women artists in order to develop their own artistic journeys. Following the conclusion of each 12-week session, there will be an exhibit, open to the public that will showcase these young artists and their work.
Elizabeth Lowry, Lexington, receives $1,500
To lead a workshop series for women to express their experiences with infertility and child loss of any kind through visual art, including painting, ceramics, and mixed media. This project will provide a space to build a resilient and supportive community inspiring personal growth, self-expression, and positive social change. This project will culminate in a public exhibition showcasing the participants’ powerful stories through their visual art.
