Kentucky Crafted Program (KY) Grant

The Kentucky Crafted Program supports Kentucky's visual and craft artists by offering marketing assistance, promotional opportunities, and arts business training. This program allows eligible artists to showcase their work at various events, including the Kentucky Crafted Market. Its goals include promoting high-quality craftsmanship and enhancing the state's reputation as a center for exceptional art. Participants benefit from a recognized logo, access to online directories, and professional development opportunities.

Kentucky Crafted is an adjudicated program that provides assistance to Kentucky visual and craft artists through marketing, promotional opportunities and arts business training. Adjudicated visual and craft artists are eligible to exhibit at the Kentucky Crafted Market and other events sponsored by the program.
Goals
Identify artists whose work shows artistic excellence and high quality craftsmanship.
Help Kentucky visual and craft artists market their work regionally, nationally and internationally.
Encourage the production of superb art and craft products.
Provide retailers, galleries, businesses, government entities and the public with access to exemplary works of art and craft.
Promote Kentucky as a leading producer of high quality art and craft in order to enhance tourism and economic development.
Benefits
Use of the Kentucky Crafted logo, which is nationally recognized as a symbol of artistic excellence and quality craftsmanship.
Representation in the Kentucky Arts Council’s online Kentucky Crafted Directory.
Eligibility to exhibit at The Kentucky Crafted Market, an annual wholesale/retail arts marketplace produced by the Kentucky Arts Council.
Opportunities to participate in various state-sponsored displays, exhibits, events and promotions.
Referrals to wholesale buyers, galleries, show organizers, state agencies, corporate buyers and the media.
Access to professional development through conferences, workshops and new initiatives.

Eligibility

Visual and craft artists who do original work in any medium, are full-time residents of Kentucky and are 18 years of age or older.Residency:Applicants must be U.S. citizens or lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence or have permission from the Department of Homeland Security to work permanently in the U.S.Applicants must have been legal Kentucky residents for a period of at least six months immediately before the application deadline.

Ineligibility

Restrictions:Applications by artist groups or organizations are not eligible. All digitally created or manipulated work must be derived from your original imagery. Digital impressions of appropriated images, such as clip art, downloaded paintings, prints, drawings, etc., are not allowed. All work samples submitted must have been created from 2020 to 2024. Artwork created under the supervision of an instructor within an undergraduate or graduate degree program is ineligible. Applicants who create work in different media must submit separate entries for each medium, with a limit of three applications per year. Applicants cannot submit multiple applications for the same medium. Pieces made from items purchased and decorated, or created by combining purchased commercial objects, are ineligible. Exceptions are made for pieces in which commercial or found objects play a subordinate role to the overall design. Handcrafted components used in original artwork may be submitted as samples only if a resulting finished product is also submitted for inclusion in the program. For example, samples of handspun wool used in making wool hats must be accompanied by samples of the finished hats. Work that appears to be Native American but was not made by a Native American is prohibited, as stipulated in the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 with expanded criminal penalties in the Indian Arts and Crafts Amendments Act of 2010.The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 makes it illegal to sell, or display for sale, any product not made by Native American Indians in a way that falsely suggests it was. If submitting authentic Native American work, please also submit a copy of your membership card in a federal or state-recognized Native American Indian tribe, band, nation or organized group or community with your entry.