A Decade of Kenyan Art in the Bluegrass

A Lexington nonprofit is celebrating its 10th year of bringing Kenyan artists to the University of Kentucky.
The nonprofit, The Ruth Hunt Wood Foundation, is hosting the annual free exhibit Thursday, Nov. 17 from 5-7:30 p.m. in the Tuska Center for Contemporary Art at UK’s Fine Arts Building.
Allan Githuka is this years featured artist and will exhibit his pieces he created during his fall residency at UK’s Department of Art. Githuka arrived at UK in August and began creating art for the exhibit since then.
Githuka is from Ngecha Limmuru, Kenya (outside of the capital, Nairobi.) Githuka is married and the father of two children. At age 46, Githuka is the oldest artist to come to UK through the non-profit.
After returning to Kenya, Githuka will complete the “The Kenyan Artist Enrichment Program” as apart of the Ruth Hunt Wood Foundation. The program requires the sponsored artists to complete 40-hours of community service and charity work to promote the arts.
The artist’s main medium is oil paint, although he has been exploring with figuration and landscape.His artwork has been shown in exhibits and galleries in both Africa and Brooklynn, New York.
Ruth Hunt Wood, a Lexington resident, created her foundation in 2000. After traveling to Kenya, she witnessed an alarming struggling art scene. In efforts to keep the art of Kenya from dissapearing, Wood has financed 10 artists to study and live at UK for a semester. The artists are chosen through a committee in Kenya.
The Tuska Center for Contemporary arts is a venue designed purely for nonprofit exhibits. For more information on the Allan Githuka exhibit, contact Dmitry Strakovsky, director of the Tuska Center for Contemporary Art, at (859) 257-1545 or [email protected].