Better Together, Diane Sawyer Loans Awards to Frazier, Balloon Stylist Tenesha Marshall’s Lights on Main Tree, and More
Good Monday morning,
With Jack Frost nipping away outside and cabin fever highlighting our early 2025 indoors, here’s to brighter—and warmer—days ahead.
They’re coming! In need of a little pick-me-up, I checked: Here in Kentucky, we average 189 days per year with a high temperature above 70°. Yes, please.
It is in that spirit of optimism that I’d like to introduce a new programming partner in 2025. After all, nearly every positive thing our Frazier team brings to the community is made better thanks to a Kentucky partner, so why not lean in.
Better Together: Celebrating Bourbon with Watch Hill Proper graphic.
Our February 20 program Better Together: Celebrating Bourbon with Watch Hill Proper is more than the Frazier’s next culinary and Bourbon extravaganza—it is also the beginning of a new partnership with the Kentucky restaurant featuring America’s largest selection of Bourbon.
As a welcome, guests will enjoy Watch Hill Proper’s famous Old Fashioned and gourmet chili prepared by chef Michael Crouch. They’ll then dive into a carefully curated tasting and pairing featuring RD1 Spirits, and RK Bluegrass, who worked with the Frazier on the barrel selection featured in the tasting. Check the menu, folks—it’s outstanding!
In today’s issue of Frazier Weekly, our Curator’s Corner features some new items from Diane Sawyer, columnist Bob Hill writes about his new memoir, and Mercy Academy provides some new art for the Frazier’s Cool Kentucky Student Art Exhibition.
Stay warm, y’all!
Andy Treinen
President & CEO
Frazier History Museum
This Week in the Museum
Curator’s Corner: Journalist Diane Sawyer Loans Awards to Frazier
Two awards journalist Diane Sawyer has loaned to the Frazier Museum, January 9, 2025.
As you have probably figured out by now, we always have new and exciting things coming into the Frazier. We are constantly adding and updating things to keep our permanent exhibitions fresh. As I have alluded to before, we are planning more Cool Kentucky updates this spring. In fact, I am currently writing this piece from the Entertaining Kentucky gallery as the team works to install a new case that was generously gifted to us from the Speed Art Museum. This large new case will help us display more cool objects from famous Kentuckians in this gallery. Some objects that will be on display in this new case just arrived at the museum: awards on loan to us from Diane Sawyer. We have long wanted to borrow objects from this legendary journalist, and we are happy to say that it has finally happened! We are so thankful Diane Sawyer loaned us these items to have on display. Look for Diane Sawyer’s awards and more cool things coming to Cool Kentucky this spring!
Amanda Briede
Sr. Curator of Exhibitions
Museum Shop: Y’all Sweatshirt
Y’all sweatshirt sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop.
It’s been colder than a well digger’s behind this week, so why not warm up with some Southern charm? Our super-soft Y’all crewneck sweatshirt has you covered—literally. Stay cozy, look stylish, and say “hey” the Southern way! They’re available now in the Frazier’s Museum Shop and online.
Tenesha Marshall Creations Tree Voted Fan Favorite at Lights on Main
Tenesha Marshall Creations tree on display in Lights on Main at the Frazier, December 12, 2024.
The trees are getting packed away until next year for our annual celebration of Lights of Main with our partner, I Would Rather Be Reading.
Thanks to everyone who came and enjoyed the nearly 100 decorated trees for the holiday.
And before we put a bow on it, we need to announce the “Fan Favorite” tree thanks to your votes.
Drumroll please . . . for the second year in a row, it was the tree designed by Tenesha Blakey Marshall!
She is a balloon stylist, and this year she paid tribute to those fighting breast cancer with her beautiful pink ribbons and balloons.
Last year, if you recall, she had the Barbie-themed tree.
Thanks, Tenesha, for your beautiful designs.
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
Mercy Academy Contributes to Cool Kentucky Student Art Exhibition
Selection of Mercy Academy student artworks in the Cool Kentucky Student Art Exhibition at the Frazier, January 3, 2025.
The Old Talbott Tavern by Jules Church on display in the Cool Kentucky Student Art Exhibition at the Frazier, January 3, 2025.
If you’ve never stopped by the second floor Marshall Education Center at the Frazier to see the Cool Kentucky community art exhibition, please consider this your official invitation to do so. We work with schools and community organizations to submit 2D works of art inspired by the question: what’s cool about Kentucky? Rotating every six months or so, pieces have included photography, wood block prints, watercolors, and more over the years. This new cycle of artwork does not disappoint! I especially love how the students chose to represent a variety of areas around the Commonwealth in their work. Learn more in the contribution below from Mercy Academy student and artist Alexa Buckman.—Megan Schanie, Sr. Manager of Educational Programs
This year our art class had the gift of participating in the Cool Kentucky Student Art Exhibition at the Frazier. The class is a collaborative and community art class where we frequently create pieces for our community and other art exhibitions. Recently, we helped the nonprofit Dreams with Wings create an Alice in Wonderland–themed entryway for their fundraiser event.
Our class usually consists of community-driven artworks. The diverse Kentucky locations depicted in our artworks for this show stimulated a variety of art styles and ensured fair representation of the entire state. For example, my painting depicts the University of Kentucky in Lexington with several symbols to indicate it, like a paw print and claw mark. Another student in my class picked the location of Corbin, Kentucky, and did some research about it, landing on representing the origin of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Through these pieces, we encapsulate Kentucky as an important part of our history as well as daily life. Our class frequently works together and collaborates on ideas to create different works of art. This unique class seamlessly blends partnerships (inside and outside of Mercy Academy) and artistic expression, providing students with a powerful platform to enact change through art. Currently, we are working on a possible new mural/art installation to put on our campus, which has required a lot of teamwork and collaboration.
Alexa Buckman
Student, Class of 2025, Mercy Academy
Guest Contributor
Seneca High School Students Awarded Kentucky Civic Seal
Students pose during the Kentucky Civic Seal ceremony at Seneca High School, December 6, 2024. Credit: Kentucky Civic Education Coalition.
The Frazier History Museum is all about civics, and all of us being engaged citizens. We were even part of the Kentucky Civic Education Coalition, which initiated the Kentucky Civic Seal for students in our Commonwealth. We asked the Chair of that Coalition, Carly Muetterties, to team up with JCPS teacher Brandon Riddle to talk about the program and how Brandon’s students earned the seal. Congrats.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission
How can I make a change? There are a lot of challenges students must tackle before they graduate—in and outside of school—but all too frequently, they have few opportunities to address the local issues that directly impact their lives. Not so at Seneca High School, where students in Brandon Riddle’s Living Civics course were provided the space to directly address an issue impacting their school.
These students’ efforts earned them the Kentucky Civic Seal, a new initiative from the Kentucky Secretary of State’s office and the Kentucky Civic Education Coalition. The program was designed to recognize Kentucky’s young people as they practice informed civic engagement, but also encourage K–12 students to see themselves as active members of diverse communities.
To earn the seal, students must design and implement a Civic Engagement Project, demonstrate Knowledge of Governance and Democratic Principles, practice Information Literacy (be a critical consumer of information), and engage in self-reflection. This program is open to all K–12 Kentucky students. Brandon Riddle, a teacher with JCPS, tells us what his students did to earn their seal:
Last year, Seneca High School civics students participated in a pilot program for the Kentucky Civic Seal. Through their coursework, these students demonstrated mastery in, and application of, civic skills required of active citizens in our democracy. Much of the work done to earn the seal was accomplished as part of a Taking Informed Action project completed in the Spring, where each class chooses a problem in their community and takes steps to address their issue. This group chose to work on limiting gun access for those in distress by supporting the CARR Act in Kentucky’s state house. The students generated questions, researched the topic, evaluated diverse sources and perspectives, got feedback from relevant stakeholders, proposed a solution, and produced a Public Service Message as part of the project. A successful social studies curriculum empowers students to become active and engaged citizens and these students serve as an example of what that looks like in action. The students were honored at the JCPS Board Meeting on November 12 and at a ceremony at Seneca on Friday, December 6. During the ceremony, Louisville Metro Police Chief Paul Humphrey spoke about the importance of young people taking an active role in their communities and University of Kentucky Information Science Professor Dr. Daniela DiGiacomo discussed the value of providing strong civic education in our schools. Students were presented with certificates from the Secretary of State’s office and graduation cords to recognize their efforts.
If you’d like to learn more about Kentucky’s Civic Seal, click here.
Carly Muetterties
Chair, Kentucky Civic Education Coalition
Guest Contributor
Brandon Riddle
Teacher, Seneca High School, JCPS
Guest Contributor
Last Chance to Sign Up for Unpuzzling the Past
Unpuzzling the Past: How to be your Family Historian graphic.
Don’t miss your opportunity to join our member-exclusive workshop, Unpuzzling the Past: How to Be Your Family Historian! Dive into the basics of genealogy with experts from the Louisville Genealogical Society. You’ll learn foundational research techniques, discover tools for tracing your ancestry, and get tips for organizing your findings. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your skills, this workshop is the perfect way to begin uncovering your family’s history.
Sign up today to secure your spot—spaces are limited! We can’t wait to see you there.
Leslie Anderson
Sr. Manager of Grants & Community Development
Bridging the Divide
Louisville Ballet to Commemorate Holocaust Anniversary with Stories of Survival
Photo taken during a performance of Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project. Credit: Tony Spielberg, courtesy of Ballet Austin.
January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This year will commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the liberation of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz. The Louisville Ballet is putting together a powerful production and wanted to share it with our Frazier family. Never forget.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission
In commemoration of the eightieth anniversary of the end of the Holocaust, Louisville Ballet presents A Time Remembered, a poignant production featuring two powerful works that bring to life the stories of survival: Another Sunrise, a thirty-minute opera based on the experiences of Krystyna Zywulska, and Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project, a ballet inspired by the life of Naomi Warren. Another Sunrise is being performed by Kentucky Opera. Together, these performances take audiences on a profound journey through stories of unimaginable loss, extraordinary resilience, and the healing power of the human spirit. A Time Remembered will be presented on February 1 and 2 at the Kentucky Performing Arts Center. For tickets and more information, please visit A Time Remembered. Frazier members are offered a fifteen percent discount when purchasing tickets using the promo code Light.
A Time Remembered is made possible by generous gifts from the Jewish Heritage Fund and the Auerbach Family. The production is dedicated to the late Minx Auerbach, a compassionate community leader and staunch supporter of arts and education.
Arricka Dunsford
Chief of Staff, Louisville Ballet
Guest Contributor
History All Around Us
New Bob Hill Memoir Spans Fifty Years of Writing in Kentucky and Beyond
Out Here by Bob Hill front cover. Credit: Old Stone Press.
Bob Hill rides a circus elephant en route to Louisville’s Freedom Hall, undated.
He is a gifted storyteller, and in these parts, a household name. Bob Hill has now written his memoir, Out Here. So many stories, so much history. We asked Bob to give us a preview.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission
Please feel free to consider my memoir Out Here as a 350-page history museum. Its author is an old guy. The book has an obligatory welcoming front door. Its space includes about fifty years of column writing and photos covering various countries, counties, angles, allegories, and people—but mostly in and about Kentucky. It received nice praise from Wendell Berry, Kentucky novelist, poet, farmer, and historian who has spent his lifetime examining “out here.”
My first newspaper job was in the Northern Illinois cornfields. With no formal training in journalism, writing in longhand with a pencil, I was hired as editor of my hometown weeklies, the Sycamore Sun Tribune and True Republican. Then the suggestion to write a weekly column. Game. Over. Now my fingers could do the talking. Shut up and write.
Moving on to a daily in Rockford, Illinois, and then, in 1975, to the Louisville Times and Courier Journal, I would crank out more than 4,000 columns, hundreds of feature stories, and fourteen books. Written on tight deadlines, each column eventually became history, but capable of reincarnation. Several in this book were written forty years ago but are timeless: A couple married eighty years; their love still intact. A walk up into Butcher Hollow to visit Loretta’s Lynn’s house. A conversation with a woman who just liked to walk cemeteries, wondering about the lives of those buried there. Each story still possible today.
But fifty years of journalism came with a harder side of life. Some needed political satire. I once interviewed a man sitting in a chair in his living room holding in his bleeding stomach after being blasted with a shotgun. I watched the Supreme Court consider a case on what age is proper for capital punishment. I wrote a book, Double Jeopardy, about a man who got away with murder. I worked with David Jones on his book, Always Moving Forward, about the founding of Humana. I won the Ernie Pyle Legacy Award for a lifetime work in journalism.
Out Here touches on all of that. The often recurring history of it all. It’s available on Amazon, at oldstonepress.com, and at Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville.
Bob Hill
Author, Out Here
Guest Contributor
