Gateway Regional Arts Center

Mount Sterling, Kentucky, 40353

Last updated on September 23, 2026
Grant awarded by
TPS Midwest Region
Region
Midwest
Organization Type
Non-profit Organization
Congressional District(s)
6
Fiscal Year Of First Grant
FY 2026 [10/01/25 - 09/30/26]
Contributing Organization(s)
Organization description

The Gateway Regional Arts Center leverages the transformative power of art and culture to address critical community challenges by providing extraordinary creative experiences, sharing local and global perspectives, and promoting the arts as an important solution to holistic well-being. The institution serves as a flagship hub of arts & cultural education for Central and Eastern Kentucky, and aims to foster civic dialogue through creative and artistic activities that are accessible to all people, honoring the rich diversity of voices in our rural communities.

Project description

Living Newspapers of Eastern Kentucky: History, Music, and Civic Learning Through Creative Arts (2026)

This professional development initiative, awarded to the Gateway Regional Arts Center helped educators use Library of Congress primary sources to bring regional history to life through theatre and creative learning. Participating teachers worked with resources such as Chronicling America, the National Jukebox, digitized photographs, maps, oral histories, sheet music, and other materials from the Library’s collections to investigate the people, events, music, and everyday life of Eastern Kentucky. Gateway Regional Arts Center then guided educators in transforming that research into “living newspaper” activities that combine historical inquiry with storytelling, performance, media literacy, and arts integration. The project gave teachers practical strategies for helping students compare perspectives, evaluate historical evidence, and connect national events to the experiences of their own communities. Through this work, GRAC is using the arts as a bridge between Library of Congress collections and the local histories, voices, and cultural traditions of Eastern Kentucky.
TPS project focus
  • Curriculum
  • Teaching Materials
  • Workshops
Content focus
  • Art
  • Civics
  • Cultural Studies
  • English Language Arts
  • Geography
  • History
  • Information Literacy
  • Journalism
  • Library/Media Studies
  • Music
Audience
  • Classroom teachers
  • Librarians/Media specialists
Level(s)
  • K-5
  • Pre-K - 2nd
  • 3 - 5
  • 6 - 8
  • 9 - 12
Population focus
  • Low income
  • Rural
Organization Contact
Jordan Campbell
director@grackentucky.org
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