Noa Gimelli, expert in female economic participation and chair of the Fund for Greater Lexington, joins host Kate Savage to discuss the ambitious vision behind incubating transformational projects for Lexington—including a proposed Visual and Performing Arts Center downtown. Noa explains how the Fund’s advisory group mapped local needs into five pillars—arts and culture, youth, green spaces, housing, and transportation—leveraging community data and qualitative research to identify high-impact opportunities. Together, Kate and Noa dive into the phased research and feasibility process behind the new arts center, why Lexington urgently needs a mid-sized performance venue, and how similar cultural investments have revitalized cities like Durham. They discuss the challenges and promise of building creative infrastructure, the economic and social ripple effects of robust arts investment, and what’s next as the project prepares to move from incubation into an independent organization, calling on the community to get involved and help shape Lexington’s cultural future.

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Drew Barr has directed productions of new, modern, and classical plays and musicals for theaters across the United States and around the world. He directed the Dutch-language premiere of the National Theatre of London’s War Horse, which opened at Amsterdam’s Royal Carré Theatre before a year-long tour of the Netherlands and Belgium. For the National Theatre, he also directed the Australian premiere of War Horse, which ran in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. He was the Resident Director for War Horse on Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater. Also on Broadway, Drew served as associate director for Nicholas Hytner’s productions of Sweet Smell of Success, starring John Lithgow, Kelli O’Hara and Brian D’Arcy James and Twelfth Night, starring Helen Hunt, Paul Rudd and Kyra Sedgwick, as well as for Simon McBurney’s acclaimed revival of All My Sons by Arthur Miller, starring John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest, Patrick Wilson and Katie Holmes. Drew was associate director and dramaturg for Simon McBurney’s production of The Kid Stays in the Picture at the Royal Court Theatre in London.

Drew has directed and guest taught for many of the country’s leading actor training programs, including the Juilliard School, NYU’s Graduate Acting Program, USC’s School of Dramatic Arts, SUNY Purchase, the University of Delaware’s PTTP, the University of Washington’s School of Drama and the Department of Dramatic Art at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He is on the acting faculty of AMDA College of the Performing Arts in Los Angeles.

As an actor, Drew appeared on Broadway in Wendy Wasserstein’s An American Daughter. He was a founding member of East Coast Artists, a performance collective under the leadership of Richard Schechner, with whom Drew devised and performed in Faust/gastronome, The Three Sisters and Amerika. He toured the country as a member of Maurice Sendak’s national children’s theater, The Night Kitchen, playing the role of Alligator in the Sendak/Carol King musical, Really Rosie.

Drew moved to Lexington with his filmmaker husband, Tim Kirkman, in June of 2024

Drew is directing ANGELS IN AMERICA, a play written by Tony Kushner debuted in 1991, that will be presented by ACT OUT THEATRE GROUP and open at the Black Box Theatre in the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center on 6th June and play the 7th, 13th, 14th and 15th June.
A complex and at times metaphorical examination of AIDS and its social impact - this play, that won 3 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer, has been called "a turning point in the history of gay drama."

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Lina Tharsing and Liz Swanson, Lexington-based artists featured in the Lexington Art League’s “Axis Mundi” exhibition, join Kate to discuss the deep thematic roots and personal resonances behind their work. Liz reflects on her fascination with the ethereal—clouds painted atop near-forgotten architectural renderings, exploring temporality, memory, and the shifting value of creative artifacts. Lyna shares how profound loss and dreams of her late parents led her to paint luminous landscapes and “portals,” searching for thin places where the boundaries between worlds feel especially permeable. Together, they contemplate ideas of grief, gratitude, connection, and the vital need for meaningful community gatherings—moments that, both in their work and in the energetic exhibition opening, transcend the everyday and invite viewers into a richer, more tender understanding of life and art.

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About Ghost Music
It’s only been a month since Dawn’s musician husband, Clark, suddenly died. When his former student shows up with missing pages from Clark’s unfinished book, voices from the pages are reawakened. A portal from the past cracks open, transporting us back to German Romanticism and renowned pianist Clara Schumann. As she desperately tries to preserve the dignity of her husband, the brilliant composer Robert Schumann, he descends further and further into madness. Separated by a gulf of both time and space, Dawn and Clara grapple with grief and lunacy, and the hope that long-ago melodies can heal their broken hearts.

This production is sponsored in part by the AthensWest Emerging Play Grant awarded to the theater program and sabbaticals for both Dr. Greg Partain and Professor Tosha Fowler. The production will feature a team of professional actors and a director working in residence at Transylvania. The production will include the live musical performance of Dr. Greg Partain as an essential component of the play’s concept and design. Professor Tosha Fowler will be helming the role of Clara as well as head producer. Professors Daniel Bennett and Melissa Gilbert will lead the design team.

For more and to connect with us, visit https://www.artsconnectlex.org/art-throb-podcast.html

Georgia Henkel, a recently retired Lexington-based artist, joins host Kate Savage on Art Throb to explore her unique approach to art through the use of organic materials. Georgia delves into her lifetime of collecting bones, body parts, and other found objects from nature, as currently showcased in her collaborative exhibition "Axis Mundi" at the Loudon House. The show, which is ongoing until the 16th of May, features her work alongside fellow artists Lina Tharsing and Liz Swanson. They share a thematic exploration of earthly realms, with Georgia's creations focusing on the earth's elements and below. Her work balances between being intriguing and humorous, as she transforms these remnants into narrative-driven tableaux that evoke both beauty and curiosity. The episode offers an insightful discussion on finding beauty in the macabre and the whimsical nature of her materials, providing listeners a chance to rethink their perception of life and death.

For more and to connect with us, visit https://www.artsconnectlex.org/art-throb-podcast.html

Constance Grayson is an artist and a retired attorney having spent the latter part of her legal cereer as an advocate for children in the foster care system.
She recently started Kids Place Lex, Inc as a not-for-profit organization with a mission to provide free quality art classes for foster care children and at-risk youth in Fayette County and contiguous counties.
These classes are taught by art educators and professional artists. The goal is to provide activities wherein this youth demographic, who in many cases have suffered from unimaginable trauma and repeated displacement, are able to gain in self-confidence, learning problem solving and team-building abilities and developing some life skills required for successful adulthood as well as develop an appreciation of the arts.

To learn more, become a volunteer, register a student, or make a donation www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573689986693#

For more and to connect with us, visit https://www.artsconnectlex.org/art-throb-podcast.html

Jacob Herrera Wachal is an artist and educator from Lexington, Kentucky, as well as a founding member of Liquified. Liquified is a performing arts collective specializing in projected time-based installations as an accompaniment to live music. Their performances are grounded in the techniques pioneered by avant-garde liquid light acts of the 1960’s such as Light Sound Dimension and The Holy See, who quickly found popularity when paired with acts such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, and the Grateful Dead.

As a way to celebrate the art form and the diversity of Lexington, Liquified is hosting a free-to-attend “immersive night market”, entitled “Syzygy” (sih-zih-jee). The event will feature a projection-mapped video installation, local musical acts accompanied by light artists each with a distinctive approach, vendor fair featuring artisans from a multitude of disciplines, and locally favored food trucks.

Syzygy will take place at the Lexington Art League on Friday, March 21st, from 5-10 PM.

For more and to connect with us, visit https://www.artsconnectlex.org/art-throb-podcast.html

Kate Savage, host of Art Throb, engages in a vibrant discussion with Lee Carroll and Connie Milligan, co-founders of the Greenroom Exchange. Lee, a career musician, and Connie, a social worker passionate about social change, share their work with the nonprofit organization that brings international artists to the Bluegrass. They delve into their upcoming event featuring Kodo, a renowned Japanese Taiko drumming group. With a performance at the Singletary Center, Kodo, known for transcending cultural boundaries, embodies a unique musical experience steeped in rich tradition. Lee and Connie elaborate on Greenroom Exchange’s mission to foster cultural understanding and celebrate diversity through the universal language of music and art. A notable highlight includes their collaborative efforts to host artists from across the globe, further enriching Lexington's cultural landscape.

For more and to connect with us, visit https://www.artsconnectlex.org/art-throb-podcast.html