October is bringing not only autumn weather but also a stunning variety of art activities in Jessamine County. The Creative Art League’s final 2016 Gallery Walk is from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7. This gallery walk will feature a variety of art in five exhibits — all located within a half-block walk of one another in the downtown area. Begin your gallery walk at the Polvino Family Art Center, 109 S. Main St., where you can explore the drawings and mixed media work of Louisville artist Emily Schuhmann. Schuhmann is an instructor of fine arts at Bellarmine University in Louisville who obtained her master’s of fine arts degree from Texas Tech University and her bachelor’s of fine arts degree from Ball State University. The exhibit, “Mixed Media, Playing with Meaning in Rhyme and Repetition,” will be on display Oct. 3-31.

Also during the gallery walk, the three dimensional work of artist David Dinehart, will be on display at the Jessamine County Law Library, 109 N. Main Street, paintings of watercolorist Jacqueline Swartz will be exhibited at the Art Depository, 106 E. Maple Street; the drawings of Wesley Snider will be found at the Old Jail, 200 S. Main Street; and the paintings of Liz Evans will be at Gullette & Grayson, 125 S. Main Street. Staci Goggins and her art students at Rosenwald-Dunbar Elementary School will have a sidewalk booth with hand-made ceramic Kentucky magnets and ornaments for sale. All proceeds will benefit the Creative Art League and its programs.

Also during the gallery walk, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 7, the Jessamine County Elementary Fall Art Exhibit will be on display at the Polvino Family Art Center. You will be amazed at the talent of our young artists in the county. This is a great opportunity for these young artists to exhibit their work and to receive the positive reinforcement that comes from such exhibiting opportunities.

The next day, put on your sneakers and join us in downtown Nicholasville at 9 a.m.  for the first Race For The Arts, a 5k run/walk event to benefit the Creative Art League. The event will begin on Chestnut Street and end with the presentation of awards on the courthouse lawn. The first 250 registrants will receive a signed and numbered limited edition watercolor painting of our courthouse and a runner by local artist Peggy Bishop. This print is the first in the series of “Race for the Arts” prints that will be available at future annual race events.

You can register for this event at http://bit.ly/2di1YKK.

Following the Race for the Arts, at 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 8, there will be a ceremony for the unveiling of the mural painted by Jessamine County artist Bill Jones for the Windstream building wall directly across the street from the courthouse. This mural, which is 8 feet high and 24 feet wide, took seven months to paint and it depicts various iconic scenes of Nicholasville.

Sponsored by the Nicholasville Tourism Commission, this mural is a public art project of the  Creative Art League and will become a major attraction for downtown Nicholasville.

Asbury University has a full calendar of both visual and performing art events during the

month of October. The exhibit “Making Goods” will be on display in the Z.T. Johnson Gallery from Oct. 3 through Nov. 14. This exhibit is a partnership between Asbury Seminary’s Office of Faith, Work and Economics and Christians in the Visual Arts artists. It puts forward a vision where work and art are understood as activities that involve the making of goods as well as contribution to the common good.

Musical performances at Asbury University during October begin at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 7 at the Homecoming Coronation Concert performed by the Orchestra and the Women’s Choir. This concert will be in Hughes Auditorium. The next day, beginning at 11 a.m. on Oct. 8, the Handbell Choir, Men’s Glee Club, Chorale, Chamber Ensembles and Jazz Ensembles will perform a Family Ensemble Concert. This concert will be hosted in Akers Auditorium.

Beginning at 12:05 p.m. on Oct. 18 in Hughes Auditorium at Asbury University, there will be another performance in the Pipe Organ Performance Series. This Concert will be performed by Schuyler Robinson, DMA. Robinson served as Professor of Organ and Harpsichord at the University of Kentucky from 1982 to 2016 where he also served as chair of sacred music. Robinson served for 20 years as the Assistant Organist of Christ Church (Episcopal) Cathedral in Lexington. During this time, he also undertook weeklong performance residences in the great cathedrals of England, including Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Jessamine County schools also have a full month of art activities. The high school bands will be particularly busy. On Oct. 1, the West Jessamine High School band will participate in the Dixie Heights Marching Competition. A week later, on Oct. 8, the WJHS band will be competing again in the Madison Central Marching Competition and Oct. 15 will find this band competing in the Tates Creek Marching Band Competition. Both high schools bands hold mini-camps during this month. The WJHS camp is Oct. 13 and 14, while the East Jessamine High School camp is Oct. 14 and 15. The bands will join forces, together with the choruses from both high schools on Oct. 21 to perform the National Anthem before the East vs. West football game.

Elementary schools are not left out during October. On Oct. 6, the Rosenwald-Dunbar Elementary School fourth-graders will present their annual musical. The RDES second grade will perform “The Cheese Stands Alone” on Oct. 20 and Oct. 27. 

The Nicholasville Elementary School music classes will perform for Family Fun Night. For times and ticket information, contact the respective schools.

The regular monthly meeting of the Visual Arts Association of the Creative Art League will be hosted at 7 p.m. on Oct. 13 at the Polvino Family Art Center, 109 S. Main St. This meeting is free and open to the public.