Art has the power to inspire, promote reflection and heal. Increasingly, artists are using their work to stimulate dialogue about complex historical subjects. On Friday, March 30, the 2018 University of Kentucky Historic Preservation Symposium, “Storytelling Through Design,” will explore the emerging relationship between art, architecture and history. Featuring artists, curators and architects from Boston; Savannah, Georgia; and Atlanta, the symposium will examine an increasingly vital area of cultural activity at a time of growing social and cultural division.

“Long before debates about Confederate memorials began dominating headlines, artists and designers were using their skills to encourage questions about social justice, historical memory and inclusivity,” said Mitzi Vernon, Dean of the College of Design. “We are grateful to have such an influential group of artists and thinkers to stimulate further discussion about the power and influence of design, and its role in civic engagement.”

This year’s schedule:

9-9:15 a.m.
Opening Remarks by Daniel Vivian, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Historic Preservation

9:15-10:15 a.m.
Jerome Meadows, Meadowlark Studio, Savannah, GA

10:15-10:30 a.m.
Break

10:30-11:45 a.m.
Selvage Collective, Atlanta, GA

Kirstie Tepper

Teresa Bramlette Reeves

Julia Brock

11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Lunch

1:15-2:15 p.m.
Rebecca Bush, Columbus Museum, Columbus, GA

2:15-2:30 p.m.
Break

2:30-3:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion: Public Art and History in Kentucky Communities

Sarah Lindgren, Louisville Public Art Commission, Louisville, KY

Nathan Zamarron, LexArts, Lexington, KY

Garry Bibbs, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

3:30-4 p.m.
Walk to Memorial Hall

4-5 p.m.
Keynote Address: “Justice Is Beauty” by Alan Ricks, MASS Design Group, Boston, MA

The symposium, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. in the UK Athletics Auditorium in the William T. Young Memorial Library. The keynote speech, by Alan Ricks of MASS Design Group in Boston, will be at 4 p.m. in Memorial Hall.

For more information, contact Assistant Professor Douglas Appler, in the Department of Historic Preservation, at douglas.appler@uky.edu or (859) 257-6411.

AIA credits will be offered for attendees of the symposium.