Public Art

Artists Talk with LVA: April 20, 2023

Shepard Fairey is an American contemporary artist, activist, and founder of OBEY Clothing who emerged from the skateboarding scene. In 1989 he designed the "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" (...OBEY...) sticker campaign while attending the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

Fairey designed the Barack Obama "Hope" poster for the 2008 U.S. presidential election. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston has described him as one of the best known and most influential street artists. His work is included in the collections at The Smithsonian, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Louisville, Kentucky native Eddie Donaldson moved to Los Angeles in 1986 and became involved with the graffiti movement as an alternative to the turbulent gang activity of his generation. Immersed first as an artist amongst diverse L.A. crews like TCF, AWR, and The Seventh Letter, Donaldson had the vision to develop their homegrown graffiti movement into something beyond the streets. His loyalty and business sensibility transformed the graffiti scene and he evolved into the point person for producing art events and exhibitions that inspire and spread the stylistic of southern California art into the world. In 2000, his groundbreaking website GuerillaOne became the first online graffiti portal, uniting the growing subculture globally and changing the landscape for connection amongst artists, fans, and collectors. By inspiring value in artists as influencers and activists, he has the unique ability to put together the right artists with the right projects to promote next-level visual expression. Communicating through fine art online, in galleries, at events, and on the street, Donaldson inspires his culture to grow and shine all over the world.

Public Radio

Artists Talk with LVA: April 20, 2023

May O' Nays is one of the top drag performers in Louisville and she will joined us in the studio this week to talk about their work. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com at 10 am each Thursday to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

May O' Nays is one of the top drag performers in Louisville and she joined us in the studio this week to talk about their work. Also joining us was Tony Lewis, founder and producer of Drag Daddy Productions. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com at 10 am each Thursday to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

Sex kitten. World class dancer. International runway model. These are just some of the phrases that have never been used to describe May O'Nays. May is an experienced performer based in Louisville, Kentucky with a background in musical theatre. She will sing, act, and cook her way into your heart.

May’s lifelong dream has been to join the ranks of the home-making greats—Martha Stewart, Ina Garten, Nigella Lawson, and Amy Sedaris as a queen of homemaking. May loves taking drag into the community and into places that don’t typically see this art form. You can find her teaching cooking, crafting, gardening, and doing drag queen story time all around Louisville, Kentucky, and the Midwest.

In the Spring of 2022, May was proud to debut her self-written cabaret, Tuba Atonement. In the show, May gives an inside look of what it means to grow up as a country queer in rural Indiana. You can watch her as she spends an hour shamelessly pressing her finger into the raw wounds of childhood trauma her therapist just can't seem to heal. If you like the tuba, musical theater, and sausage gravy, Tuba Atonement is a show you must see.

Public Radio

Artists Talk with LVA: April 13, 2023

KMAC Couture is Saturday, April 15 and we talked with designers Angela Davis & Rebecca Richards the day before! Tune into WXOX 97.1FM/Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

Angela Davis was born in Big Rock, Virginia and now works here in Louisville as a Social Worker/Trauma Specialist for Seven County Services. She has also been a teacher and has been a multi-media artist her whole life. This is her first time at Couture as a designer. Last year she modeled Laura Patterson’s design.

This is Rebecca Richards’ second time at KMAC Couture. Originally from Los Angeles, she moved to Louisville from New York City three years ago. For the 2023 Couture, she is collaborating with Stivian Widick

Public Radio

Artists Talk with LVA: April 6, 2023

Lennon Michalski is showing at garner narrative now and we are talking with him about his work this week. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

Michalski’s two-dimensional and digital works have been exhibited in North Carolina, Kentucky, Colorado, Georgia, and Washington, D.C. He has also displayed work in group exhibitions internationally in Mexico, Colombia, and China. Michalski was on the Board of Directors for Creative Alliance for Art Education, a nonprofit organization, that worked to provide funding for art programs in Lexington, Kentucky public schools. Now he is has been appointed as a Board Member for the Kentucky Arts Council. He works with a number of other nonprofit art organizations in the Lexington area including the Lexington Art League, Lex Arts, and the Living Arts and Science Center. His previous solo shows were at The Cressman Center at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning. He recently participated in a group show at the University of Northern Georgia and had a solo show at Georgetown University, exhibiting his series Ghost Bike. In addition to his painting and digital projects, Lennon also recently self-published two books entitled, “How Penguins Save Television” and the other “The Cosmic Sure”. The original artwork has been shown at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning and the Woodford County Library. How Penguins Save Television can be found wherever you buy books.

Lennon Michalski’s exhibit Cosmetic Construction is at garner narrative through April 30, 2023.

Public Radio

Artists Talk with LVA: March 30, 2023

Charles Ellis is a painter who has work now on exhibit at City Hall and this week he joins us in the WXOX studio. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Artists talk with LVA.

Charles Ellis was born in Lexington Kentucky now living in Old Louisville. He is an abstract colorist who works mainly in oil.

Painting oil on canvas, large abstracts with landscape imagery and portraits. Ellis also has worked on a series of prints of digitally manipulated photos that convey an image of perfect order through an abstract collection of squares of pure colors.

His work has been in many exhibitions, shows, and galleries yearly since 2000 in Kentucky, England, California, and Miami Florida.