City News

The City of Tuscaloosa and Kentuck have entered into an agreement for the intent to host the 2024 Kentuck Festival of the Arts in Tuscaloosa.

The Tuscaloosa City Council voted on Tuesday, December 19, to authorize the Mayor to execute a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the City and Kentuck. The MOU, which was signed on December 20 by Mayor Maddox and Amy Echols, Executive Director of Kentuck Art Center, expresses Kentuck’s intent to host the 2024 festival in Tuscaloosa, and the City’s intent to support the festival financially, and with City resources.

“In the last several days, we have worked with Kentuck to explore ways to retain the festival in our region,” Mayor Walt Maddox said. “This festival is a nationally recognized and time-honored event, and it was critical it stay in our community.”

The exact partnership agreement will be determined once a site for the festival is selected.
 
“The Kentuck Festival of the Arts is one of the greatest treasures this county has seen,” said City Council President Kip Tyner. “I’m proud that the City could provide an opportunity to keep Kentuck here. The Council and I look forward to working with them.”

“We are immensely grateful for the outpouring of support we’ve received from all corners of the state,” said Bobby Bragg, Kentuck Art Center’s board president. “Thank you to the City of Tuscaloosa for their quick action, respect for the arts, and partnership moving forward.”

About Kentuck Festival of the Arts
The Kentuck Festival of the Arts has a rich 52-year history as a nationally known arts and culture hub featuring more than 270 artists, live music, spoken word, activities for children, folk and contemporary craft demonstrations, food trucks and local craft brews. In addition to the two days of the festival, Kentuck’s Artists in the Schools program brings 22 Kentuck Festival artists to 10 Tuscaloosa County and 10 Tuscaloosa City Elementary Schools for a morning of art demonstrations and hands-on activities the Friday before the Kentuck Festival.
 
Featured in numerous publications, Kentuck Festival of the Arts was most recently recognized by Alabama Department of Tourism as one of the top-ten events to attend in Alabama in 2018 and by Alabama Magazine as one of the “Best of Bama 2022.” Kentuck has also been featured in Smithsonian Magazine, Southern Living, American Style Magazine, and National Geographic Traveler. The Kentuck Festival of the Arts has been named a “Local Legacy” by the United States Library of Congress. In 2018, the Festival was named 5th in the nation (based on artists' self-reported sales) in the category of Classic and Contemporary Craft Shows by Sunshine Artists Magazine.