Paducah’s Yeiser Art Center’s new executive director says she wants to foster strong community support for developing young artists.
Stacey Reason took over for previous director Lindsey Maestri eariler this month.
Reason is a Murray State and UofL alumna, and helped develop the Louisville Artists Syndicate for young artists and served on the Louisville City Council’s Commission of Public Art advisory board. Reason says she wants to bring her experience helping organize local arts initiatives to the Paducah area.
“Connecting all these different kinds of groups, Lowertown artists, or young artists in school, or artists that are new to Paducah," said Reason. I think the Yeiser could kinda serve as a central station for that.”
Reason says since public projects are underway – like the painting of quilted murals on the Paducah floodwall – now is the right time to approach the city about establishing a local art commission. She says her priorities in the coming year include expanding membership, creating partnerships and diversifying finances.
“Grants, of course, to fund specific projects that we want to plan, whether they’re exhibition or performance art or we want to reboot our educational programming classes for school-aged kids, after school and of course our summer programs.”
The Yeiser Art Center is currently hosting the international juried exhibition Art Through the Lens now through Sept. 21. The annual exhibition originated in 1975 formerly known as the Paducah Summer Festival Photo Competition. The current competition takes place in two parts: the International Show featuring the juror's selection and the Regional Showcase chosen by a second regional juror.
Located in downtown Paducah, the Yeiser Art Center is a non-profit visual arts organization celebrating more than fifty years of serving the community through exhibitions and education throughout the Tri-State Region.
