FALL 2026 GAINES NEWSLETTER

Letter

OCTOBER 23-25, 2025

HURSDAY

ymposium served as the eunion Celebration ring in this special occasion than Ebony G Patterson. Patterson is a world-renowned, multimedia artist and 2024 MacArthur “Genius” Grant Awardee. She was in conversation with Art Museum Director Stuart Horodner, which was followed by a VIP reception to begin welcoming all of our Gaines family back to campus!

featured artwork from 40 years of Gaines alums. We then hosted Brunch in honor of our former

Friday evening the Gaines Center hosted Ouita Michel’s “Final Feast” at Limestone Hall in the downtown historic courthouse. Guests enjoyed several “throwbacks” to previous Gaines Feasts under a ceiling of twinkling lights. During the event Ouita, a Gaines alumna, was

SATURDAY

Saturday was a day for the races! Though the morning started out a bit chilly, it warmed up before too long and everyone was able to enjoy some hot food and cold drinks at Keeneland! Many alums elected to head to the Grandstand to be up close and personal. Win or lose--a great time was had by all before we wished everyone farewell and officially wrapped up the weekend.

HANK Y

want to thank everyone photographers to our Board members, of course our current This event wouldn’t have been possible without your generous support and efforts. to the n

ORIGINS ORIGINS GAINES 2025-26 YEAR ON

Coinciding with the United States’ quarter millennial, the Gaines theme for 2025-2026 explores the meaning of origins through the prism of disciplinary viewpoints offered by the humanities, the arts, and the sciences. The Gaines Fellows seminar highlights the multiplicity of beginnings not only for Lexington and the United States but also for current technologies, social institutions, political movements, the planet, humans, and other species as the city and nation commemorate and reckon with our 250th anniversaries

JuniorJuryProject Junior Jury Project

The 2025-26 Community engagement project will uncover and document the historical, cultural, and architectural significance of three historic buildings on the University of Kentucky’s campus Through archival research and community outreach, this student-led project will illuminate the significance of these buildings and the role(s) they played within the larger landscape of Lexington. We believe that greater attention on the history of these landmarks will inform future preservation efforts and promote stewardship of the buildings. The project will provide a hands-on, high-impact research opportunity for students, allowing them to develop skills in primary and secondary research, documentation, and public presentation The findings will be accessible to the campus and the community through a deliverable focused on digital storytelling. Finally, we believe this project will strengthen town-gown relations through collaborations with local historians, alumni, former residents, and more. The research will be archived with the university’s Special Collections and potentially integrated into tours and other educational materials for campus/community use.

HUMANITIES INACTION HUMANITIES IN ACTION

HMN 303 (Spring 2026) is a team-taught course in the applied Humanities This year’s section will be taught by architect Darren Taylor (College of Design) and archivist Ruth Bryan (UK Libraries). These faculty will be using the Raymond Betts House on East Maxwell Street as a case study to explore the methodologies and practical application of historic preservation, archives, design, public history, and more HMN 303 is open to students from any major and is uniquely hands-on and high impact. Students will spend time visiting related archives, walking the neighborhood, and exploring historic buildings to better understand how humanities can help us navigate and understand our urban landscape here in Lexington