The Beat: Conversations with the CFA Community
Take a deep dive with us into creativity and scholarship at UK Fine Arts.
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A conversation with Yuha Jung
09/30/2025
A conversation with Yuha Jung
In this episode, we sit down with , with the Department of Arts Administration, to talk about expanding her work as an arts educator, advocate, and researcher into a new role as an arts and cultural advocacy lawyer. She shares how her teaching and scholarship inform this next chapter, and how her legal practice helps artists and cultural organizations protect their work and strengthen their impact. Dr. Yuha Jung is a professor of Arts Administration at the University of Kentucky. Her research spans systems theory, cultural diversity, historic preservation, and legal issues in arts and culture, with a particular focus on museum studies and arts management. She is the recipient of an NEH Research and Development grant for her project titled "Whose History Are We Preserving?" Dr. Jung has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, co-edited Systems Thinking in Museums: Theory and Practice, and authored the monograph Transforming Museum Management: Evidence-Based Change through Open Systems Theory (2022). She also edited the Oxford Handbook of Arts and Cultural Management (2024). In addition to her academic work, she is a lawyer, which brings a unique legal perspective to her interdisciplinary research. Learn more about Dr. Jung's practice,
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A conversation with Garry Bibbs and Allan Richards
08/18/2025
A conversation with Garry Bibbs and Allan Richards
In our first episode of Season 2, we delve into the profound influence of mentorship on artistic growth with Garry Bibbs and Allen Richards. With over 30 years of experience at the School of Art and Visual Studies, they share personal stories of how mentors shaped their careers and philosophies. Discover how mentorship not only guided their artistic paths but also inspired them to become mentors themselves, fostering the next generation of artists. is a Professor and head of the sculpture area at the School of Arts and Visual Studies. He has taught and created art at the University of Kentucky for 35 years. He was recipient of a Southern Arts Federation, National Endowment for the Arts Visual Arts Fellowship for Outstanding Printmaker in the Southern States. His exhibition history includes showings at the Smithsonian, the Ruschman Art Gallery, and the Art Institute of Chicago. His works are in the collections of the High Museum, Brown-Forman Corporation, The Richard Hunt Collection, Louisville City Fire Department and more. Bibbs a member of the Pew Civic Entrepreneur Initiative, a coalition group in Lexington whose goal is to confront and solve issues relevant to the community on race relations and leadership. He received a BS from Kentucky State University and an MFA from the University of Kentucky before his postdoctoral work at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. , a native of Jamaica, is a Professor of art education at the School of Art and Visual Studies. He taught K-12, undergraduate and graduate students in art, mathematics, biology, and agricultural science before joining the faculty at the University of Kentucky over 30 years ago. He was elected world councilor for the North American region of the International Society for Education through Art. Richards has presented scholarships, given lectures and authored books and articles during his career, including “Global Consciousness through the Arts: A Passport for Students and Teachers” and “The Teacher Leader Master’s Program in Art Education” with Gary Schroeder. Richards and his colleague’s research focused on improving the quality of life for persons with dementia and their caregivers through learning in the visual arts. His research also focused on addressing issues of individuals who are deprived of social, political, and economic equality and justice.
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A conversation with Bonnie Bond-Pearce
04/28/2025
A conversation with Bonnie Bond-Pearce
In this episode, we take a deep dive into the with director , who also serves as a Senior Financial Analyst for the College of Fine Arts. We talk with Bonnie about fine art, horror novels, Kentucky folklore, and more. Bonnie received her double major bachelor's from the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts in 2001. She joined the College of Fine Arts Integrated Business Unit in 2016 and brought over a decade of corporate finance experience to her current role as College Financial Analyst Senior. Her background includes financial reporting, SEC compliance, banking, reconciliations, audit, A/R, A/P, payroll, training material development, process improvement and software transitions. In her current position, she oversees the reconciliation of ticket sales and events for Singletary Center, manages all merchant accounts and PCI-DSS compliance for the college, is the business contact for the Department of Theatre and Dance, and provides monthly reporting to AFRS and to the IBU members. Bonnie is an accomplished photographer, podcaster, horror author, and fusion dancer. She enjoys spending time with her family, performing dance in the community, creating art and writing. She loves that she can combine her creative side with her penchant for numbers in a meaningful way that serves the industry she loves the most. To learn more and register for upcoming classes, visit the
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A conversation with Shayna Stahl
04/04/2025
A conversation with Shayna Stahl
We sit down with , the Director of Athletic Bands/Associate Director of Bands at the University of Kentucky. In this role, Dr. Stahl serves as the Director of the Wildcat Marching Band, the UK Pep Bands and as the conductor of the UK Symphony Band. Before her appointment at the University of Kentucky, Dr. Stahl was Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at UNC Charlotte. She was also the conductor of the Symphonic Band and taught courses in conducting and marching band techniques. Before UNC Charlotte, Dr. Stahl served as the Director of Athletic Bands at Stony Brook University and as the Coordinator of Athletic Bands. While serving as the Coordinator of Athletic Bands, she also taught in the Middle Country Central School District. Dr. Stahl is a member of the National Association for Music Education, College Band Directors National Association, Women Band Directors International, Golden Key International Honor Society, Sigma Alpha Iota and an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi. Learn more about
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A conversation with Melanie Turner and Sarah Smith
02/12/2025
A conversation with Melanie Turner and Sarah Smith
Our latest episode, we sit down with two alumnae, (MA) and (BA), to talk about their shared experiences across two generations of arts administration graduates - as well as theatre - and jumping into new roles at the College of Fine Arts. Learn more about the second annual n, hosted by the UK Department of Arts Administration in Lexington, KY, February 14-15, 2025.
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A Conversation with Jason Dovel
01/31/2025
A Conversation with Jason Dovel
In our sixth episode of The Beat: Conversations with the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts Community, we sat down with , associate professor of trumpet in the UK School of Music. In addition to teaching trumpet, he also is Chair of the Division of Winds, Percussion, and Jazz, as well as Director of UK’s Bilateral Partnership with Ionian University in Corfu, Greece. Jason discusses the upcoming and his love of both Michael Jackson and Bach. Book suggestions in this episode: by Simon Sinek Learn more about the and , June 2-5 at the University of Kentucky!
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A conversation with Rae Goodwin
12/20/2024
A conversation with Rae Goodwin
In our fifth episode of The Beat: Conversations with the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts Community, we sat down with , Associate Dean of Research, UK Research Professor, and professor of Art Studio in the School of Art and Visual Studies. Rae discussed the variety of exciting research and creative activity in the College and her work celebrating grandmothers, aunts, and mothers. "I think when we reach across our perception of the siloed barriers of knowledge, we really actually gain a better understanding of who we are and how we are and where we are and how we can be better in all of those places," Rae Goodwin. Book suggestions in this episode: by Susan Magsamen, Ivy Ross
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A conversation with James Robert Southard
12/05/2024
A conversation with James Robert Southard
In our fourth episode of The Beat: Conversations with the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts Community, we welcome , senior lecturer in Art Studio, Photography, and Digital Media Design. After receiving his BFA from University of Louisville in 2005, Rob worked for years as a freelance photojournalist and artist. In 2008 he left for Pittsburgh for graduate school in Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University. After graduating in 2011he was invited to international exhibitions such as the Moscow Biennale for Young Art, Hel’Pitts’Sinki’Burgh in Finland, Camaguey Cuba’s 5th International Video Art Fest and he has participated in the Internet Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale in Venice Italy. After receiving his MFA in 2011, Southard taught as a photography professor at University of Louisville, Kentucky School of Art and Carnegie Mellon University as a professor of fine arts. In the winter and spring of 2012, he continued his series Tooth and Nail with the collaboration of the city of Seoul, Korea at Seoul Art Space Geumcheon. Soon after he took his project to Maine where he was a participant at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, then later at MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire, Yaddo Retreat in New York, Jentel in Wyoming, Vermont Studio Center and to the MASS MoCA residency in North Adams, MA.
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A conversation with Christina Ritter
11/18/2024
A conversation with Christina Ritter
In our third episode of The Beat: Conversations with the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts Community, we welcome , an accomplished actor, educator, and joint artistic director of the For/Word Company, a theatre group renowned for creating works inspired by historical records. Christina’s artistic achievements include Off-Broadway performances, national tours, and a nomination for Best Debut Performance at the 2017 BBC Audio Drama Awards. A graduate of Dartmouth College and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Christina also holds a doctorate in Theatre from Ohio State University. At UK, she teaches Introduction to Theatre, directs productions, and leads the UK Education Abroad London Theatre Program.
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A conversation with Dr. Jaleesa Wells
11/06/2024
A conversation with Dr. Jaleesa Wells
In our second episode of The Beat: Conversations with the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts Community, we welcome —a creative social entrepreneur, art and social scientist, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Arts Administration. Dr. Wells shares insights into her research on creative social entrepreneurship, Black women’s creative economic consciousness, and the dynamics of work, art, and gender in academia.
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A conversation with Dean Mark Shanda
09/26/2024
A conversation with Dean Mark Shanda
In our inaugural episode of The Beat: Conversations with the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts Community, hosts Mark and Jennifer sit down with to reflect on his eight impactful years in the CFA community, what continues to inspire him about the College, and the future of the arts.
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