Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts: Impacting thousands of young lives

The Norton Foundation believes that children and young adults should be actively engaged in hands-on education; it is one of the core beliefs that created our mission back in 1954. Since its inception in 1983 The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts has shared this mission, inspiring youth through arts education in community settings.

Our organizations, in collaboration with Louisville’s community centers, have changed the after school culture for hundreds of thousands of young people. It is a multi-partner, long-term effort that we are delighted to support, fulfilling our mission and helping others to fulfill theirs.

The Norton Foundation’s association with the Center began in 1988, funding the Center’s Education Department. Not long after, in 1991, the Center created ArtsReach Program using funds provided by the Foundation. To our immense satisfaction, over the following 25 years ArtsReach has gone on to become one of the most significant after school programs in Louisville.

The Kentucky Center ArtsReach program is dedicated to providing access to arts and culture, addressing an opportunity shortfall in the Louisville Metro area. The program uses the arts as a vehicle to positively impact young people’s social, emotional, intellectual, physical and cultural development. ArtsReach empowers young people, using the arts to simultaneously build and strengthen the community.

By nurturing and developing diverse artists and audiences, ArtsReach engages youth and creates community through the arts. The Norton Foundation is honored to have played a part in its success: a part that is far from its curtain call.