Beech Tree News Network

Program Reaches Across State and Inspires Students from Butler County

LOUISVILLE, KY. (June 3, 2024) – The Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA) has announced its 2024 class list, marking the third year the program has been able to expand thanks to supplemental funding from the Kentucky Department of Education.

Since 1987, more than 8,000 rising high school juniors and seniors have arrived on a college campus setting to immerse themselves in an arts intensive environment, with cross-discipline learning, special guest artist performances and the opportunity to access critical life-changing college scholarships.

The 2024 class will include 512 students from 66 different counties and be held at The University of Kentucky over two consecutive sessions throughout the summer. Each of the two sessions will be three weeks, with Session One taking place June 9 to June 29 and Session Two July 7 to July 27.

During the program, student-artists will be immersed in a rigorous schedule of daily seminars, creative projects, master classes and lectures. Instruction will be offered in nine disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Design, Drama, Film+Photography, Instrumental Music, Musical Theatre, Visual Art and Vocal Music.  

Participating from Butler County is:

Carson Landgrebe

BUTLER COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL-Vocal Music

Jacob Portman

BUTLER COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL-Vocal Music

“GSA opens so many doors for young artists across Kentucky,” said Jason Brooks, director of GSA. “Not only do these students get the opportunity to learn in an arts intensive environment and establish new friendships with like-minded young artists – but they also return home to inspire those around them. They are truly ambassadors who represent the potential that exists within every young person across the state.”

FUNDING INFORMATION

GSA was approved for $2,850,000 from the American Recovery Plan (ARP) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Summer Enrichment funds (Office of Teaching and Learning) to be awarded over a three-year period. Federal ESSER funding was provided to state education agencies as part of the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act). The $2,850,000 ESSER grant covers 43% of the expanded GSA program, with an additional 32% ($2,121,746) financed by private sources, and the remaining from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Kentucky Performing Arts and program administrators are working to secure additional financial support, including fundraising, to allow for the program to accommodate 500 students after the three-year grant term ends in 2024.

ABOUT THE KENTUCKY GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS:

GSA is a public/private partnership inaugurated in 1987 by The Kentucky Center, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and numerous private supporters. Today, the vital funding required to make GSA a reality is provided by the state through the leadership of the Governor’s Office and the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, as well as The Kentucky Center Endowment Fund, David F. Young and Cheryl Cahill, Toyota Motor Manufacturing and more than 300 corporations, parents, educators, alumni and friends of GSA.

ABOUT KENTUCKY PERFORMING ARTS

Bringing world class performances to Kentucky, connecting artists with the community, and providing arts education opportunities, Kentucky Performing Arts lives its statewide mission of connecting and inspiring through the arts. Kentucky Performing Arts has a significant impact on the Commonwealth’s tourism and local economy, contributing $26.3 million in an average year, including $15.8 million in direct economic impact with our patrons spending an additional $10.5 million annually.  As an integral member of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet, Kentucky Performing Arts, along with the other agencies, seeks to preserve and promote the history, heritage, and arts of the Commonwealth.

Three locations in Louisville make up the family of venues under the Kentucky Performing Arts umbrella:

The Kentucky Center at 501 W. Main St.

The Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway

Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, 724 Brent St.

 ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS

The University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts offers Kentucky’s broadest collection of visual and performing arts academic programs with four academic units. The college also is home to the Singletary Center for the Arts and the UK Art Museum. The College of Fine Arts declares that the arts are essential to the life of the individual and the community. We express our commitment to the arts through dedication to teaching, scholarly research, artistic experimentation, performance, outreach, and exhibition.