The Kentucky Museum – Upcoming Exhibits
Exhibits Calendar Current Exhibits Student Exhibits Past Exhibits Around Campus
Out of the Box
August 23, 2019 - June 30, 2020
In 2019, the Kentucky Building celebrates 80 years of showcasing South Central Kentucky’s unique culture and heritage. In honor of this milestone, the Kentucky Museum presents Out of the Box, an exhibition focused on fostering multidisciplinary discussions about our collective heritage while shining new light on the relevance of our museum in the 21st century.
Using local historical artifacts, photos, and records, we invite you to discover how every object tells multiple stories. Themes and stories are curated in partnership with 12 faculty from 9 WKU departments
ZSEIFS Retrospective
September 2019 - May 2020
In honor of International Year Of...Revisited 2019-20, the Kentucky Museum will host a retrospective exhibit about the impact of the Zuheir Sofia Endowed International Faculty Seminar (ZSEIFS) at WKU. Looking at the past 5 years of the program, this exhibit will explore the experiences of faculty in Ecuador, South Africa, South Korea, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Cuba and how their experiences have shaped teaching, research, and service at WKU.
Adopted Artifacts
November 2019 - December 2021
This gallery will showcase artifacts "adopted" during our 2019 SpiritFunder kick-off for our Adopt-an-Artifact program, which raises funds for collections care and conservation. To learn more, visit our Donate page.
Gazing Deeply: The Art and Science of Mammoth Cave
February 2020 - May 2022
Gazing Deeply showcases how WKU’s backyard—the unique landscape of Mammoth Cave—is being studied, interpreted, and inspiring action on environmental change. Coinciding with the UNESCO Conservation of Fragile Karst Resources: A Workshop on Sustainability and Community and Earth Day’s 50th anniversary in 2020, this exhibition is a collaborative effort between arts and science faculty and students that highlights one of the most well-known and vital natural landscapes in the world.
2020 Celebration of the Arts
February - April 2020
The US Bank Celebration of the Arts exhibit is an open art show featuring the work of professional as well as amateur artists working within a 65 mile radius of Bowling Green, KY. The work is judged and awards are given.
If you are interested in sponsoring this exhibition or an award in the show, please contact Tiffany Isselhardt at 270-363-7592.
Political Bandwagon
April 2020 - June 2023
This exhibit explores how presidents, governors, and assorted statesmen and stateswomen have courted the Commonwealth’s voters over the past two centuries. Showcasing the Rather-Westerman Political Memorabilia Collection, this exhibition aims to educate visitors on how politicians market themselves and their ideologies, while exploring the importance of critical thinking and democratic debate during the electoral process.
Whitework: Women Stitching Identity
July 2020 - December 2020
This exhibit explores the significance of early white embellished textiles that have been largely ignored, undervalued, and misinterpreted. It also explores how whitework holds a “special place” within the cultural geography of textile making, connecting regional textile making with broader narratives of American women’s lives, political participation, and self-expression of identity during the formative years of the new United States.
Musical Legacy: Pop-Up
August 2020 - March 2021
Produced by WKU Folk Studies students and the Kentucky Folklife Program, this pop-up exhibit will explore initial research into the musical legacies and genres unique to South Central Kentucky. The Pop-Up is part of an ongoing oral history project to document these legacies, with teh goal of a larger, multimedia-rich exhibition in 2022.
To get involved or support this project, please contact the Kentucky Folklife Program.
Great Girls of Kentucky
August 2020 - January 2021
This poster exhibition explores the lives of Kentucky's "great girls." Produced by Girl Museum, Great Girls of Kentucky showcases the process of investigating girlhood and the lives of eight extraordinary girls in Kentucky's history. Great Girls of Kentucky is the first traveling exhibit produced as part of Girl Museum's "Sites of Girlhood" digital mapping project, which raises awareness and recognition of historic sites related to girls (under age 21) throughout history.
If you are interested in sponsoring this exhibition, please contact Tiffany Isselhardt at 270-363-7592.
Contemporary Art Showcase
May - December 2021
Building on the success of our POW: Process Oriented Works exhibit, this showcase will display nearly 70 works of Contemporary and Modern Art held by the Kentucky Museum. Notable artists include Josef Albers, Samia A. Halaby, Henry Keller, Les Levine, Peter Milton, Louis Flores-Molinari, Lowell Nesbit, Eduardo Paolozzo, Patrick Proctor, Larry Rivers, James Rosenquist, Victor Vasarely, and several artists from the Cleveland School.
Mrs. A. H. Taylor Project
August 2021 - December 2022
Mrs. A. H. "Carrie" Burnam Taylor was a female fashion designer and entrepreneur in Bowling Green in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As founder of the Mrs. A. H. Taylor Company, she oversaw the growth of her dressmaking firm from a small-town shop to a nationally known brand. This project will result in significant reseach, conservation, and exhibition of Mrs. Taylor's entrepreneurial life and fashions.
If you are interested in sponsoring this project or adopting a Taylor dress, please contact Tiffany Isselhardt at 270-363-7592.
Want to support our exhibits? Donate securely online here.
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