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Open Studio Podcast Logo. A podcast on the arts in Kentucky with host Tom Musgrave. Features colorful abstract shapes and a cartoon rendering of Tom Musgrave.
Open Studio

New exhibit at UK Art Museum takes visitors 'back to where it all began'

By Tom Musgrave
Published November 5, 2026 at 10:05 AM EST
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William Craig, View on the Germantown Pike Overlooking Lawrence Creek near Maysville, Ky., Evening, 1865, oil on canvas.

Collection of the UK Art Museum, gift in memory of William Earle Stilwell III.

William Craig, View on the Germantown Pike Overlooking Lawrence Creek near Maysville, Ky., Evening, 1865, oil on canvas.

In 1867, professors at the newly formed land grant university in Kentucky assembled a museum as an instructional aid for faculty teaching geology, zoology, and botany. Gradually, “curiosities” were added to the natural science holdings including paintings, garments, and weapons from various cultures. Museum curator Dr. Rachel Hooper talks with Tom about a retrospective exhibit bringing together art, insects, meteorites, minerals, and anthropological collections from across campus.

Link:

https://finearts.uky.edu/art-museum/events/museum-natural-history-and-artificial-curiosities

Open Studio
Tom Musgrave
Tom Musgrave is a senior public relations writer for the University of Kentucky and editor of the daily campuswide electronic newsletter UKNow. Prior to joining the UK staff, Tom spent nine years as the Kentucky Arts Council’s communications director. In 2018 he created the arts council’s monthly podcast, Kentucky ArtsCast, serving as primary host and executive producer. Tom’s first job in state government was working for Virginia Moore at the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
See stories by Tom Musgrave