Gabe Camacho, Freda Fairchild and Paul Lorenz.

These artists put their thoughts together and built a plan which would not only fuel the creative energy which already existed in Paducah’s LowerTown Arts District, but would also expose the community to new emerging artists and innovative approaches to the creation of art.

As the ideas continued to grow, the artists decided to form a group called the Paducah Arts Alliance (PAA), an organization whose focus is centered on the creation of art and the creative development of the artist.



“We wanted the name Paducah to mean more in the art world and to entice people who are well known artists to come here and create art,” said Freda Fairchild, multi media artist and founding member of the PAA. “We want to make Paducah a good place to make art. It’s already a fantastic and unusual place and we want to make it more so.”

The group has established A.I.R. Studio, located at 621 Madison Street, as a community arts center. The studio will be used for artists’ workshops, musical jam sessions, and a place for artists in the community to come and engage with one another.

‘We wanted to do something about the art itself,” said Nikki D. May, a mixed-media artist and graphic designer and founding member of PAA. “We wanted to concentrate on the art. Artists in our community were leaving to lead workshops in other cities and had done artist in residency programs themselves, feeding off of each other’s creative energy. We wanted to bring that to Paducah.”

	Eric Mobley, writer/musician and member of Paducah Writers' Group.

“Just the experience of working with people who do similar, but different things, is energizing. It’s easy to get caught up in your own stuff and only think of things in your own way. The draw of coming to Paducah was the collaborative appeal,” said May.

PAA will sponsor its first artist in residence in the coming months. Artists in the community are encouraged to become students again and to grow from their interaction with artists who come into this community.

“We need to continually learn from one another. We need to continue to educate ourselves so that we do not become stagnant,” said Fairchild. “Knowing other artists is extremely important for referrals, widening our pool of resources and information, and for furthering what’s happening in Paducah already.”

Other PAA artists share a similar vision for the organization.

“Whenever creative minds come together with a common goal of moving art forward, it strengthens the individual artist, opens their minds to new ideas and hence strengthens the whole,” said Paul Lorenz, a painter and founding member of the alliance.

The group’s founding members include artists Fairchild, Lorenz, May and Teri Moore, all of whom create art in the LowerTown Arts District. For more information on the programs and events sponsored by PAA please e-mail info@paducahartsalliance.com or visit their website at www.paducahartsalliance.com.

Collaborative piece created by all nine artists during the lock-in. Canvas donated by and on display at The Canvas Room.