SaveArtSpace is pleased to present Eastern Kentucky a group public art exhibition on billboard ad spaces near Pikeville, KY, curated by Leslie Heinze (@leslieheinzeart). Selected artists are Lacy Hale, Lora Arnold Parks, and Amy Armstrong. The billboards launch during the week of April 5, 2021, and will be on view for at least one month.

Founded in 2015, SaveArtSpace is a non-profit organization that works to create an urban gallery experience, launching exhibitions that address intersectional themes and foster a progressive message of social change. By placing culture over commercialism, SaveArtSpace aims to empower artists from all walks of life and inspire a new generation of young creatives and activists.

Selected Artists

Location: (260 S. Mayo Trail) US 23 & S Mayo Trail, Pikeville, KY

As I have traveled the world and as the world has come to my community, I have realized that to be Appalachian is a point of interest to many. Some want to gawk at real-life stereotypes, others are genuinely curious knowing little about the area outside of what they see on TV. My work seeks to portray this often misunderstood region through the splendor of the landscapes and the faces of the people. It explores the dual nature of our mountains-- the lush fullness of the vegetation and the isolation that the mountains can create.

In my easel paintings I work mainly in oil paint, comparing the full bodied thickness of this type of paint to the overgrowth and underbrush by the roadside, next to the hiking trails, and pushed back deep into bear dens.

In creating my mural work, I reach for connection to the roots of each community in which they’re installed. My personal experiences will always inform my work but public art is only successful when it reflects and uplifts the community and people who live with it daily. I create work that I am proud of and, when working within a community, I want to create work that will be a source of pride for the community as well.

In February of 2017 I was working with a youth drop-in center in Whitesburg, KY. We got word that a group of neo nazis were coming to Pikeville, KY, a town about an hour from us, to recruit. We were all furious. One of our regular youth attendees wanted to do an art in response day and I loved the idea so much so we promoted it. The night before the event I was trying to think about what I would make the next day and the phrase "No Hate in My Holler" popped into my head. I work a lot in printmaking and so at the art in response event, I created a block print.

I posted the piece on my art page that day and interest started growing. I decided to start making prints, posters, patches and tees (all hand printed). As interest continued to grow, I knew I needed to use this phrase and image in a way that would somehow help to create change so I decided that I would donate at least 25% of profits from each piece of No Hate merch toward a non profit working toward equality in central Appalachia.

To date I have raised over $5,000 to donate to non profits. In the summer of 2020 after George Floyd and Breonna Taylor's murders, I decided I would donate 75% of the profits. I continue to use this phrase and design to raise money for local non profits, usually donating to two a year. The non profit that will receive the donation for the first part of this year will be Southeast Kentucky African-American Museum and Cultural Center.

It’s really encouraging to know that the No Hate in My Holler phrase continues to resonate with folks. I have shipped No Hate items all over the United States and to places internationally like Germany and Japan. I also sell No Hate merch in a handful of stores that stretch from Georgia to Roanoke, VA.

Connect with Lacy on Instagram at @artbylacyhale.

Location: US-23 & Cowpen Rd, Pikeville, KY

Lora Arnold Parks is a multi-disciplinary artist from Red Fox, Kentucky (Knott County). Her work is comprised of acrylic paintings on canvas, alcohol ink, and painting whimsical “Happy Chairs”. Parks' desire to create art began early in her school aged years, and was put on a back-burner while she focused on completing her degree in Nutrition, raising her family and working in healthcare. 3 years ago, with her children nurtured, she once again fell in love with the process of creating art. Her art provides a stress-relieving outlet for the difficult times (especially now with the pandemic) that healthcare providers are facing. She credits fellow artist and retired art teacher Richard Smith and his art group “The Jeremartists” as her mentors in her artistic pursuits. The inspiration for much of her work centers in celebrating Kentucky culture. Mornin' Chores celebrates the self sufficient and hard-working Appalachian woman hoeing her garden as part of her morning routine. Parks has another work with a similar theme “Appalachian Harvest” which highlights the fruits of the Appalachian garden, jars of home canned tomatoes, corn, pickles and beets. The catalyst for these works stems from Parks' fond memories of her grandmother, Lora Adams raising and harvesting her garden each year. 

The strong minded resilience and self-reliance of the Appalachian people and culture is celebrated and revered in Parks' work. The mountain values of hard work, independence and simple living resonate in her paintings. 

Parks graduated from Morehead State University with a Bachelor in Science-Nutrition and is a Certified Specialist in Gerontology. She is current Board Chair for Kentucky's Licensure for Dietitians Board, and works in Long Term Care. Her daughter Kelsie Jacobs (also an artist and Registered Nurse) joined artistic forces with Parks 2 years ago to create the art business “Happy Lemon Artistry”. Happy Lemon Artistry sells locally and also has an Etsy shop. Their work has been purchased and shipped all over the United States. Over 250 "Happy Chairs” - whimsical hand painted chairs have been purchased to date. Parks states “When I get an artistic idea for a project, it consumes me, I can think of little else until it is complete. Creating a painting or chair that brings joy to others is the icing on the cake!” 

Parks' most recent business venture is designing and building a rustic cabin rental at Red River Gorge named Walden's Wonder. The cabin is an ode to Henry David Thoreau and his 1846 book "Walden” with themes of nature as a source of wisdom and spiritual nourishment and the joys of living simply. Parks has created many unique artistic works which are displayed in this unique cabin rental. 

Connect with Lora on Instagram at @loralee01, or visit Happy Lemon Artistry Etsy shop.

Location: US-23 & E Blairtown Rd, Pikeville, KY

My painting and filmmaking are guided by the practices of being, seeing, remembering and witnessing. I paint mainly portraits, using either oil or watercolor, and create poems through film. A primary theme of my work is women and girls, highlighting untold stories that deserve recognition. Through my practice of yoga, meditation, and intuitive sensing, I seek to cultivate presence in the moment, to be in flow, and to see who and what is in front of me, especially noticing what is unseen and unsaid. I focus on what we may be ignoring and silencing as a culture. I look for the gestures, the repeated phrases, the dreams and the nightmares, and the colors that tell us about who we are.

Through my latest exploration, Betwixt, I spent time with 6 girls, including my daughter - all of them existing in the liminal space between childhood and adulthood. Listening to them talk and watching them move gave me a window into their experience, guiding my filming and painting. What emerged was a dialogue about their place in the world and what kind of world we have left for them.

Through the prisms of compassion and emotion, I utilize my film, painting, and meditation practices to illuminate the individual experience as a bridge towards understanding the universal experience of humanness.

Connect with Amy on Instagram at @amyarmstrongarts.