Have you ever been to an art exhibit in a moving truck? I have. My friend Lyra and I wanted to see how a U-Haul could be transformed into an art gallery. It was pretty cool, to say the least.

Transylvania professor of art Grace Ramsey showcased her work alongside University of Kentucky professor of art Rae Goodwin in one of Muse Collective’s “blink projects.” In this interview, Grace discusses the ideas behind the displayed pieces, the evolution of her creative process, and how her experiences contribute to her practice.

The Pop-Up at Blue Stallion Brewery

Grace said the Muse Collective reached out to her directly with an invitation to exhibit with Rae Goodwin. The show came together fairly quickly, which is typically how these pop-ups go. 

Grace: I love these little U-Haul pop-up shows because when you’re in the space, you kind of forget that you’re in a U-Haul. The Muse Collective has been doing them for a while now, so they know how to outfit the truck with these hanging walls. 

What makes a Grace Ramsey painting?

Kate: Would you describe yourself as a surrealist?

Grace: I don’t categorize myself as a surrealist because I kind of associate that with the movement itself, but most of my paintings incorporate surreal elements. I like to use the surreal, like magic, color, and pattern, to disrupt the realism and kind of allow the work to be interpreted by many kinds of people in many kinds of ways. When things get more detached from our reality, the language is more universal.

I also just think with art you can make anything, and with that kind of freedom, I’m more interested in getting weird, you know? I think that ritual, magic, color, and unknown forces are symbolic of being human. They open up doors and allow us to talk about things that are ineffable. 

Grace explained that the works in this pop-up show came from a period when she relied heavily on photographic references, both those she took and those she found. She reflected that the realism of this approach was time-consuming, and capturing a subject’s likeness was the least interesting part of the process. Over time, she has shifted toward more stylized, imagined figures rather than basing her work on real models or photos.

That One Piece

Grace described the origin of one of her more controversial pieces, Latch. She recalled being in the throes of early motherhood, nursing her five-month-old daughter, Marigold, nonstop. While visiting friends in New Orleans, Grace began developing ideas for new work and asked her friends and their babies to pose for reference photos. After several shots were taken, one of her friends suggested the idea of people nursing each other, which became the main concept for the piece.

Grace: It’s coming from a truly nonsexual place. Of course, they’re naked women, kind of intertwined, and people see it as an “orgy.” However, if you look a little more closely, it’s really tender and nurturing. It’s really about, as women, our ability to feed one another and nurture each other and connect in this way that is so animal. There’s nothing that will ground you more and make you realize that you’re an animal than having a baby.

Me: Yes. Anytime I think about motherhood and what women go through… one hundred percent.

The Most Eye-Catching Piece (to Me)

Grace: This painting, Possess All That I Am, is inspired by paintings of the martyr Saint Agatha. There are several paintings out there that depict generally what’s happening here: a woman with no breasts, offering breasts on a plate or something up to God because she had her breasts cut off. Martyr paintings in general, I’m really interested in, especially because they often look very peaceful, but this terrible act of violence is happening to them.

Growing up as a devout Southern Baptist, many biblical stories and Christian art fascinate her and come up in her work. Although she is no longer Christian, Grace began her undergraduate studies intending to become a missionary and majored in Religious Studies. Over her college career and post-graduate life, she has come to redefine her values, which have shaped her into who she is today.

Your Evolution as an Artist and Teacher

In the evolution of her creative process, Grace has learned to let go of perfection and wholeheartedly trust her intuition. She acknowledges that details and meticulous planning have their place, especially for students with less experience. 

Grace: Slowing down and being thoughtful is really something students should practice. As you gain experience, these things can be put aside. If people don’t plan a little bit, as soon as they hit a roadblock, they’ll change ideas. We want to be able to pursue an idea, even when it gets tough.

As part of my Writing for the Arts class, I was instructed to profile the Lexington Organization, the Black Writers Collaborative, and to interview one of its founders, Jude McPherson. Through this profile, I will connect the organization with the work of Writer William Cronon and his article “Only Connect,” which highlights ideals of a liberal arts education. 

The Black Writer’s Collaborative creates a safe space for Black writers and learners to share ideas, receive feedback, and learn. The organization was founded with the goal of making institutional change in the education system in light of the barriers that racism has created around learning for people of color. The group focuses primarily on creating reformations in the Carnegie Center in Lexington, which had a racist and segregated past. This group’s mission and work exhibit numerous connections to the central ideas of liberal education outlined in the article “Only Connect” by William Cronon. The Black Writers Collaborative is rooted in the ideals of connection to community, freedom, and growth —principles that comprise the foundation of liberal education. 

Cronon describes what he feels encapsulates a liberal education, stating, “Freedom and growth: here, surely, are values that lie at the very core of what we mean when we speak of a liberal education.” The Black Writers Collaborative’s staff and work are founded on these principles, breaking barriers created by discrimination. The team works to ensure that Black students feel comfortable using their voices and are not held back by racism in educational spaces. The team’s founders enforce anti-discrimination policies, offer free classes, and provide a judgment-free space for Black students. Coordinators, Claudia Love Mair and Jude McPherson, operate the organization, enabling the inclusion of Black individuals at every stage of the process.

The organization also hosts community events such as Burn the Mic, a poetry reading for people of color, and The Book and Literature club, which celebrates black authors from Kentucky and discusses characters in their books who face oppression. These programs, along with the classes they offer, provide the freedom that Black students need to bridge gaps in the educational system. They create a space that not only supports Black students but is made specifically for them. 

Focusing on those who are underrepresented and facing barriers in the structural and societal foundations of our country is not only important but necessary. This places the freedom and choice to learn and grow as a student back in the hands of those from whom it was taken. Cronon states, “I have asserted that liberal education in particular is about nurturing human freedom—helping young people discover and hone their talents.” This is precisely the work that the Black Writers’ Collaborative undertakes through programs like these.

 During my interview, Jude McPherson disclosed that recent funding cuts have affected their group. He mentioned that hours and profit had been scaled down due to these cuts. Regardless, he assured me that the group was capable of making it through, stating, “We’re a creative group… there’s nothing that’s going to keep us from our mission.” A critical element for organizations like these is that they often operate with little to no funding, yet still keep their mission alive. He mentioned that the group had continued despite the lack of funding and that they would now be able to persevere as well. Cronon stated that an integral part of solving problems is being able to “put reality back together again after having broken it into pieces.” I feel that the Black writer’s collaborative ability to continue pursuing their mission in a world geared against it perfectly encapsulates this.

The organization was established to combat institutional racism, both in its entirety and within the Carnegie Center. They also strive to be a part of structural change. During our Interview, Jude mentioned that saying ‘Black Lives Matter’ isn’t enough; you have to make a change. Jude placed a strong emphasis on the idea that visual and vocal acts of support for BLM were helpful, but they weren’t enough. He believes that one of the most important things you can do is create societal and institutional change in the world, which is precisely what the BWC aims to achieve. Through their organization, they make a significant impact on the education system, creating an institution that promotes the education of Black students and students of color. This provides a real-world application that places value on the lives of Black people in our community.   

The Black Writer’s Collaborative places a strong emphasis on nurturing and empowering Black students and writers to use their voices and create a space that assists in their development as learners. This is an essential part of the organization’s mission, as it strives to create a judgment-free environment where Black students can feel comfortable expressing their voices. 

The Black Writers Collaborative emphasizes community, particularly through programs such as Burn the Mic and the Book and Literature Club. Cronon comments, “Education for human freedom is also education for human community.” Through these programs, the BWC provides a safe space for people of color to express their creativity and use their voice. When asked about how the programs generate community, Jude discusses how often Black people don’t feel comfortable using their voice because they have been taught that what they have to say and what they care about does not matter. Still, through the Burn the Mic event, he is able to provide them with a community that does care and a space where their voices are both heard and valued. 

Above all else, the most essential connection between the ideas of Only Connect and the mission of the BWC is the emphasis on how, through connection, we can make the world a better place. Cronon comments, “In the end, it turns out that liberty is not about thinking or saying or doing whatever we want. It is about exercising our freedom in such a way as to make a difference in the world, and make a difference for more than just ourselves.” This statement is at the heart of the work the Black Writers Collaborative does, as they use their community to create change in the lives of those who are underrepresented, and bring people together for the purpose of learning and creating. 

I had the opportunity to learn about the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center (DAC) in my Writing for the Arts class. From my interview with Pam Miller DAC Director Celeste Lewis, I learned about why making a space for the arts is essential for our city. Another aspect of the interview that I recognized was the connections to the book “What Art Does” by Brian Eno. Many of the points made about the purpose of art and art spaces in the book relate to what we discussed in our interview. Celeste demonstrated to me the importance of art in our community, which reflects the ideas of Brian Eno and Bette Adriaanse’s book.

The Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center serves as a major art venue for the city of Lexington. They host numerous art-related events, including galleries, concerts, plays, and classes. When I asked about the purpose of the DAC, Celeste told me that they want to be a place where artists can have the space they need for their creative output. This reminded me of the chapter where Eno and Adriaanse discussed how art makes communities. In the same way, art allows people to connect and express their interests, so does a space like the Pam Miller DAC. 

For example, in chapter 8 of “What Art Does,” Eno and Adriaanse state that “Art is one of the things that binds people together”. This quote reminded me of a moment in my interview when I asked Celeste about what needs to be done for the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center to keep going. She called back to a moment during the COVID-19 pandemic when Pam Miller DAC and the arts in general were struggling to survive in an isolating period. Yet even in the bleakest of moments, the urge to make art persisted. She gave an example of how the Blackbird Dance group, a local dance group in Lexington, desperately wanted to perform, despite the restrictions. Pam Miller DAC allowed them to perform in the window of one of their gallery rooms because, as she stated, “they just needed to perform,” and they attracted an audience on the street. They called it “The Glass Box”, and it was successful.

This story highlighted two points for me: that art will always find a way to thrive and that it has the ability to connect people. The way Pam Miller DAC was able to provide space for art and draw an audience at that moment speaks to its success as an organization. It also relates to Eno and Adriaanse’s point about art’s ability to bring people together, as seen in Celeste’s example. A great aspect of the Pam Miller DAC is that it consistently provides a space for artists and for people to experience art, allowing them to bond in new ways through various forms of art. Even when circumstances are challenging for the arts, Pam Miller DAC will still be a place where art can flourish.

Another moment from my time with Celeste that reminded me of the ideas from Eno and Adriaanse’s book was when she told me, “Without art, your city is garbage.” This happened outside the interview, while we were taking the elevator as I was about to leave, yet it stuck with me. It was bold and thought-provoking, and it immediately reminded me of our book, “What Art Does.” Namely, in the eighth chapter, when Eno and Adriaanse state that “Art is that cloud; a reservoir of shared experiences that gives us ways of sharing complex feelings and ideas with each other. It’s the lifeblood, the lubricant, the circulatory system, of community” (Eno and Adriaanse). The authors are trying to convey that art is an essential feature of humanity, society, and the foundation of community.

What Celeste said succinctly summarizes this point about the importance of art. She explained it to me with the example of a business moving into a new city. One of the first things they ask about is, “What’s the art scene like?” This example demonstrates two key points: that there is an economic incentive for art and that art makes things more interesting. Celeste pointed out that no one wants to live somewhere that’s boring. People want to live where there are fun things to do, and art is a major outlet for doing so. We love art, whether we consciously acknowledge it or not. It’s so important to us that we wouldn’t want to live somewhere without it. This is exactly what Eno and Andriaanse mean when they say art is the lifeblood of community. It’s the glue that holds our society together.

A final point of reflection on Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center and “What Art Does” is how the DAC is constantly evolving, just as the arts do. In chapter 9, when discussing the unfinished nature of art and building a better world, Eno and Adriaanse state that “As artists, we don’t finish it: we start it. It goes on to have a life without us, a life we didn’t predict” (Eno and Adriaanse). The point of this quote is to demonstrate the idea that we approach art and our lives as an ever-changing process, constantly building and rebuilding ourselves. Pam Miller DAC exemplifies this by consistently hosting new events, implementing renovations, and improvising in moments of need, as seen in the “The Glass Box” example. Pam Miller DAC, like any art organization, must be prepared to adapt to change when necessary. Celeste discussed this when I asked about what someone who wants to work in the arts can expect. She mentioned that while it’s very rewarding, it also requires having an incredible amount of energy because, as she said, “no two days are the same.” This attitude at Pam Miller DAC exemplifies Eno and Adiaanse’s point on the unfinished approach we should take in life, as they are prepared to tackle the challenges of being an arts organization through their capacity to adapt to change.

From my time with Celeste at the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center, I not only learned a great deal about them, but also how Eno and Adriaanse’s ideas come to life in the arts. After meeting with Celeste, I found that Eno and Adriaanse have the right idea about the arts and their role in society.