Open Studio

University of Kentucky School of Art and Visual Studies lecturer and Louisville native, Shae Goodlett has been named the artist for the official 2026 Kentucky Derby Festival poster. Goodlett’s design, which was unveiled earlier this month, will be featured on the festival’s 2026 official merchandise line, including clothing, accessories, glassware and mugs. Host Tom Musgrave talks with Goodlett about the inspiration, journey and destination for his art.

For over 60 years the Kentuckians Chorus has been entertaining and keeping barbershop harmonies alive and this week on Open Studio Tom Musgrave talks with four long-time members of the local vocal group.

The University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts will present Violins of Hope UK, a weeklong series of performances, exhibitions and educational events February 10 - 14th. Violins of Hope features more than 70 violins, violas and cellos that survived the Holocaust — instruments once owned and played by Jewish musicians before and during World War II. Tom Musgrave talks with UK Symphony Orchestra music director and conductor John Nardolillo and collection co-founder Avshi Weinstein.

This week on WUKY's Open Studio, Tom Musgrave talks with Mitchell Burleson, a University of Kentucky graduate student pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in studio art at the School of Art and Visual Studies in the College of Fine Arts, about winning the $50,000 Artfields Grand Prize. The prize is awarded annually to an artist from one of 12 Southeastern states.

The Bill Gatton Foundation’s $150 million gift — one of the largest in UK’s history — will create a new home for the arts at the University of Kentucky. UK College of Fine Arts Dean Mark Shanda talks with Tom Musgrave about the project which will include a new CFA building, a modern performance theater and public greenspace that will anchor a growing arts and innovation corridor along South Broadway.

WUKY's Open Studio welcomes back Lori Meadows of Kentuckians for the Arts. She and Tom Musgrave discuss the current level of arts funding in Kentucky, in comparison to other states, and preview Kentucky Arts Day, Thursday January 22 in Frankfort.

This week on Open Studio Tom Musgrave welcomes Vanessa Becker Weig, Co-Founder and Executive Artistic Director of Voices Amplified (formerly known as The Girl Project.) The performance group empowers artists by generating brave and equitable spaces in arts education and theatre performance and connects artists, arts educators and community members by inviting collaborative continued arts education. Becker Weig talks about a very busy upcoming events calendar.

This week on WUKY's Open Studio host Tom Musgrave talks with dancer and choreographer Lakshmi Sriraman, who brings the beauty of Bharatanatyam, one of India’s oldest classical dance traditions, to audiences across Kentucky. Her work bridges cultures through storytelling, movement and teaching, fostering connection and deepening cultural understanding. She recently was honored with the 2025 Governor's in the Arts Folk Heritage Award.

LexArts and the Arts and Health Alliance of Central Kentucky promote and integrate the arts into healthcare settings to enhance the well-being of patients, caregivers, and communities. Tom Musgrave talks about the collaborative concept with LexArts Vice President Nathan Zamarron.

What happens when three arts podcast hosts get together? Will hilarity ensue? Perhaps something a bit more urbane and cerebral? You're about to find out! This week on WUKY's Open Studio Tom Musgrave talks with Jennifer Sciantarelli and Mark Mozingo, co-hosts of "The Beat: Conversations with the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts Community," podcast.

This week on Open Studio Tom Musgrave talks with Lexington Theatre Company co-founder & artistic director Lyndy Franklin Smith about their production of 'A Christmas Carol,' November 20-23 at the Lexington Opera House. The local musical theater group is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

This week on Open Studio Tom Musgrave talks with former Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X. Walker on the recent passing of his mentor and friend Gurney Norman who passed away last month. The University of Kentucky is holding a two day tribute on December 6th and 7th.

At the time of this interview they didn't even have a title but we now know Lexington Singers and the Lexington Children's Choir will debut the World Premiere of Elaine Hagenberg's new work, 'Aeterna Via' for chorus and orchestra. This is the piece that Lexington Singers will take to Paris, France, in June 2026.

Art Inc. Kentucky, a Community Ventures social enterprise, is a non-profit, member-focused business and marketing incubator and artist's loan fund committed to providing emerging and established Kentucky artists with the tools, resources and education necessary to build their businesses, broaden their exposure and sell their work. President Mark Lenn Johnson joins Tom for a sweeping conversation on the range of aid and assistance on offer to established and aspiring artists in Central Kentucky. This includes an artist incubator program, the ArtHouse Kentucky Gallery inside the MET, and the Artists' Village.

'Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear....' This week on Open Studio Tom welcomes Norman and Denise Cline of KCAL Old Time Radio. The Troupe, which recreates old time radio shows the way they were originally performed back in the 40s and 50s, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with an event Friday October 24th and Saturday the 25th at First Vineyard Winery in Nicholasville.

The Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen Fall Art Market will be held on the grounds of the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea Kentucky, October 18 from 10-5pm and October 19 from 10-4pm. Guild member Ben Maddox has your special sneak peek.

The University of Kentucky’s Department of Theatre and Dance has announced six productions that will make up its 2025-26 season. The offerings are a dynamic mix of classical, contemporary and thought-provoking performances. Program chair Susie Thiel joins Tom Musgrave for a preview of coming attractions.

250Lex kicks off a month celebrating the rich heritage of sacred music. On September 21, all churches, synagogues, chapels, sanctuaries, houses of prayer and places of peace are invited to include a special musical piece in their liturgies. Doctor Everett McCorvey, director of the UK's opera theater program and founder and music director of the African spiritual ensemble, says this project has been near and dear to his heart and has been decades in the making. He talks all about it with host, Tom Musgrave.

This year, as Lexington celebrates its 250th anniversary, the Origins Jazz Series has curated the inaugural Equinox Jazz Fest. The Equinox Jazz Fest is a five-day celebration, September 17-21, honoring the rich legacy and boundless future of jazz. Origins co-founder Eli Uttal-Veroff says the festival will feature everything from intimate showcases to electrifying headliner performances, all embodying the spirit of Jazz and its impact on Lexington. He's the guest this week on WUKY's Open Studio with Tom Musgrave.

The University of Kentucky has partnered with local organizations to present a powerful two-day celebration of Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright August Wilson culminating with a presentation of his deeply personal solo piece, “How I Learned What I Learned,” performed by UK Theatre and Dance faculty member Jeremy Gillett. Events take place in downtown Lexington Sept. 12-13. In this week's edition of WUKY's Open Studio, Tom Musgrave talks all things August Wilson with Gillet.

250Lex: Concert for Lexington, a celebration of the City’s 250th anniversary, will feature an all-star lineup of Lexington artists. Tom talks with music director Mélisse Brunet, conductor of the Lexington Philharmonic and hometown composer Shawn E. Okpebholo, whose original work, specially commissioned by the City of Lexington for this occasion, will be performed.