Jurying into the Kentucky Arts Council’s Kentucky Crafted program is perhaps one of the most prestigious and beneficial honors Commonwealth creatives can attain. In 2024, Kentucky Crafted welcomed a new group of artists into the fold, many with ties to either Art Inc. Kentucky or ArtHouse Kentucky gallery, initiatives spearheaded by Art Inc. Kentucky president Mark Johnson and located in Lexington’s East End.
The ‘Kentucky Crafted’ title is coveted by artists and craftspeople working to turn creativity into cash. Among multiple other benefits, the Kentucky Crafted program provides a wide range of educational opportunities in addition to opening the door to prestigious events, exhibitions and galleries which can greatly expand selling opportunities.
According to Chris Cathers, Executive Director of Kentucky Arts Council, “This year, seven Art Inc. Kentucky artists were accepted into Kentucky Crafted, a notable achievement considering the competitive nature of the program. The application process is rigorous, taking several months and involving detailed requirements, with only the most distinguished artists being chosen.
“The caliber of the artists is certainly a key factor, as they are highly skilled and dedicated. Mark’s mentorship also plays a significant role, as his guidance helps artists refine their work and navigate the application process. Artist incubator programs offer valuable support throughout this process, and we all agree that the sense of community they provide can make a significant difference in an artist’s success.”
Indeed, Johnson seems to have a knack for both guidance and encouragement. Since Art Inc. Kentucky’s inception in 2018—the same year that the first Art Inc. Kentucky artist Lakshmi Sriraman made the cut—28 more artists, including Johnson himself, have successfully joined Kentucky Crafted.
James Ellenberger is a rural Pennsylvania native who studied English and Chinese History at Allegheny College before earning a Masters of Fine Art in poetry at Ohio State University and his PHD from the University of Cincinnati. Now living in Richmond, Kentucky, Ellenberger teaches part time at Eastern Kentucky University while also providing online tutoring to international students, helping them to successfully complete their US college applications.
While Ellenberger considers poetry his “entrance into the art world,” his first foray into visual art came in 2019 when he began sculpting. In 2020 he took up painting, and it was his abstract mixed-media works that combine watercolor washes overlaid with acrylic marker details on which he juried into Kentucky Crafted.
“My art is really weird,” laughs Ellenberger. “And the work that Kentucky Crafted accepted from other artists covered a wide range of very different genres of art. Unlike so many other arts organizations, Kentucky Crafted showcases all forms of art as well as the artists themselves. The judges are great at seeing past their own individual tastes to assess when an artist is executing something really well in an interesting way. I love that! I was worried that the program was going to have a super rigid understanding of what they want art to be, but when you go to the Kentucky Crafted website it is clear that it’s a very broad representation of different arts and crafts.”
Sheila Fox, known artistically as Godiva Goddess, has roots in Chicago but moved to Louisville to give her children a better life away from the high cost of living and violence of the Windy City. Self-taught over the years, Fox’s works are influenced by her career in welding, as now hot glue and metallic paints simulate real metal. Her art draws on rich cultural heritage and a passion for vintage fashion, hair and beauty to create the vibrant, textured works she crafts from fabric, lace, resin and pieces of jewelry. Currently working part-time in juvenile corrections, Fox aspires to create a program that allows her to share her love of art with incarcerated kids in hopes of inspiring them to find a path to a better future. In addition to her success with Kentucky Crafted, Fox was honored at the Louisville Visual Arts 2024 Emerging Artist of the Year.
“My mixed-media art has a distinctive style,” Fox explains. “I love witnessing the emotions my work stirs in people as they take it in. I want my art to resonate with viewers and be truly understood. I’ve heard incredible things about Kentucky Crafted, and I believe becoming an affiliated artist will help bring more visibility to my work and support my goal of making art my full-time passion and livelihood.”
Born and raised in Louisville, Dana Muhammad was cut out to be an artist from a very young age. She dreamt of being a fashion designer of shoes and was accepted to SCAD—the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design—upon graduation from Iroquois High School. But life threw her a curve and she set aside her artistic dreams to raise her daughter. Muhammad became a military wife with more children to raise, eventually beginning her own career with the Army Corp of Engineers. Although she first dipped her toe back into creative waters when her daughter left for college and requested some original art for her apartment, it wasn’t until dealing with the end of her 27-year marriage that Muhammad began painting again in earnest.
“I love doing portraits, and I showed my therapist a self-portrait that I had done,” Muhammad remembers. “She told me to keep painting portraits of myself until I was smiling again. I have done seven of them now, and each one gets me a little bit closer to that goal.”
When asked if she had any advice to give others looking to make a living with their art, Muhammad reflected “If I had made different life choices—if I wasn’t so afraid that I had to have a conventional job to survive, art would have been my career from day one. If art is your passion, don’t allow societal norms—like a nine-to-five job—dictate how you live your life. Just go for it.”
Much like Muhammad, Frank Leake’s art took a backseat to responsibilities early on. The day he accepted his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Kentucky was the same day he received a job offer in restaurant management that would allow him to immediately begin paying off his college debt. Although he has loved his long career in the food industry, Leake harbors some regrets about putting his artistic talents on hold all those years ago. Now looking forward to retirement, the Lexington artist is in high gear creatively. His mixed-media pieces often utilize a variety of repurposed materials, and the series that earned him Kentucky Crafted admittance evoke feelings of the stained-glass windows in the Catholic church of Leake’s youth. Recently, he has had a number of works purchased through ArtHouse by both the University of Kentucky’s Arts in Healthcare program and CHNK Behavioral Health in Northern Kentucky.
“To make a living at art, you have to be able to market it well and you have to get into a number of outlets where it can be seen and purchased,” explained Leake. “Kentucky Crafted helps artists successfully accomplish that. The Kentucky Crafted orientation for newly-accepted artists was well executed, and provided a lot of great information like the wholesale vs. retail pricing of your work and so much more.”
Art is woven through the Zaglul family like the threads in Mabel’s beautiful Eco-Print scarves. Married now for 51 years, Mabel and Horacio met when she was just 14. Although Horacio chose to follow his dream of becoming a physician and opting to paint solely for relaxation, art was the catalyst that originally brought them together. Dr. Zaglul’s medical career as a pediatric intensivist brought with it some globe-trotting and the couple left their native Argentina, eventually living in Doha, Qatar, (twice) London, England, Charlottesville, VA, San Francisco, CA, finally landing in Lexington. Following in their parents’ footsteps, each of the four Zaglul children, and now grandchildren, are creatives themselves in various forms and mediums.
With her family raised, Zaglul re-engaged with art through felting—both wet and Nuno—and Eco-Printing. Eventually she gravitated to painting, and while Zaglul utilizes both alcohol inks and acrylics to create vibrant abstracts, it was her acrylics which gained Zaglul Kentucky Crafted acceptance.
“The Kentucky Crafted orientation was so helpful—it is quite a process to get ready for the Market. I don’t have a lot of experience in marketing, or with all the digital technology needed to present my work. That is something that I think both Mark and Kentucky Crafted can help me with,” Zaglul explained, then laughed. “All of that is more work than actually producing my paintings, and being able to have help has been fantastic!”
Stan and Darcy Marohn are Art Inc. Kentucky’s first-ever couple to simultaneously jury into Kentucky Crafted. Both retired, the Marohns moved to rural McCreary Co. in southern Kentucky to escape their native Minnesota’s long, brutal winters and higher cost of living.
Stan, a woodworker, had a life-long career in the trades. From carpenter to machinist and more, his work-life sparked his creativity and paved the path to the art that now fills up his days. Stan’s shop and Darcy’s studio are both located at their residence on 120 wooded acres on the edge of the Daniel Boone National Forest. Because of their location, Stan enjoys access to a plethora of free raw materials such as naturally downed trees which he upcycles into hand-crafted wood bowls, charcuterie and cutting boards and other useful and beautiful items.
“I’ve always loved to make things, and I started making art about three years ago. I’ve always been very handy, but never had the opportunity to create art. Life interfered too much. I had my duties as a provider and everything that that entailed,” Stan reflected. “A lot of the machines or tools that I don’t have or can’t afford I end up making myself because of my machinist background. I’m pretty self-sufficient and I pride myself on being able to do just about anything in my shop.”
Darcy has long dabbled in the fiber arts, working mainly with wool shorn from her own flock of sheep. She loved spinning, weaving and knitting but when her elderly aunt decided it was time to stop making stained-glass and offered Darcy all of her equipment and supplies, the fiber artist jumped at the opportunity to embrace an entirely different art form. Her intricate and colorful stained glass wall hangings were the works upon which Darcy earned her Kentucky Crafted status.
As their artwork stacked up, the Marohns decided it was time to share some of their work with the world. After an online search, the couple loaded up the car and headed north to Lexington where their art was enthusiastically accepted at ArtHouse. In fact, it was Johnson who brought Kentucky Crafted to the Marohn’s attention and encouraged them to apply.
“We resisted applying for about a year, because we weren’t sure it was something we would be successful at,” notes Stan. “But Mark kept encouraging us so finally we decided to give it a try. And look what happened! It was our first attempt at jurying in.”
Darcy continued, “Because I’m kind of an introvert, initially I just went along with it to support Stan. But the more I looked into it, the more I realized what a badge of honor it would be. It’s a compliment to everything I was trying to accomplish as an artist. Mark was perhaps the main reason I felt comfortable applying. He is very good at what he has chosen to do, and very much appreciated.”
Cathers notes that the Kentucky Crafted/Art Inc. Kentucky relationship has grown stronger over time. “The partnership has deepened as we share a common goal of fostering artistic development and providing opportunities for Kentucky artists. Mark’s receipt of the Millner’s Award at the Governor’s Awards in the Arts last year underscores his outstanding contributions to Kentucky’s arts community. Through his work, Mark fosters an environment of mentorship, community, and growth, all of which are invaluable to an artist’s development.”
For more information on Kentucky Crafted, click here. If you are an artist seeking to start or grow your business, learn more about Art. Inc. Kentucky by calling 859-231-0054 ext. 1023 or visit http://www.ArtIncKentucky.org.