For immediate release:
Fund for the Arts
Mollie LaFavers
mlafavers@fundforthearts.org
502-882-8697
LOUISVILLE (May 31, 2022) – School is out for the summer and the 2022 Cultural Pass and library summer reading programs are here to inspire students age 0-21 to cross the bridge to creativity while providing fun and free arts and culture experiences and preventing summer learning loss. Cultural Pass is available in Jefferson and Bullitt counties in Kentucky and Clark, Floyd, and Harrison counties in Indiana.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Louisville Metro Government, along with partner organizations Fund for the Arts, Arts & Culture Alliance (ACA), Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL), Bullitt County Public Library, Jeffersonville Township Public Library, Charlestown-Clark County Public Library, Floyd County Library, and Harrison County Public Library today announced details of this year’s Summer Reading Program and the 2022 Cultural Pass at the Muhammad Ali Center.
“As a city committed to lifelong learning, Louisville Metro Government is proud to continue our support of the Cultural Pass program, which offers our youth opportunities to learn and to explore their own artistic voice, while exposing them to new experiences,” the Mayor said. “We are excited that Cultural Pass is not only bringing back in-person events this year, but it also is extending the program through Labor Day, giving participants even more chances to visit our many wonderful arts and cultural attractions. We hope everyone ages 0 to 21 will take advantage of this great program.”
Cultural Pass
The 2022 Cultural Pass is presented by the Fund for the Arts, in partnership with Louisville Metro Government, Arts & Culture Alliance (ACA), and the Louisville Free Public Library, supported by The Hazel & Walter T. Bales Foundation, Kosair Charities, and Caesar’s Foundation of Floyd County.
The admission-free program supports and encourages summer learning by providing admission-free access to 57 of Greater Louisville’s arts and cultural institutions, including The Little Loomhouse, Ambo Dance Theatre, Carnegie Center for Art and History, the Kentucky Science Center, the Louisville Zoo, and so much more! In addition to the multitude of in-person experiences, there will also be several virtual offerings for those who wish to participate from home.
During the summer of 2014, 21 organizations partnered with Louisville Metro Government to create a program that provided free access for Jefferson County youth to many of the area’s most popular art and cultural attractions. The “Cultural Pass Challenge” was created as a pilot program to encourage learning during out-of-school time and demonstrate the critical role Louisville’s art and cultural attractions play in providing engaging and educational activities during the summer months.
The Cultural Pass evolved from an idea presented by the Creativity Focus Team during Phase II of Vision Louisville to support the goals in the Mayor’s Strategic Plan to transform Louisville into a city of life-long learners. From there, the Cultural Pass has expanded to include residents and organizations in surrounding counties.
This year, the timeline for Cultural Pass is extended. The 2022 Cultural Pass is valid from June 1 to September 4 for even more summer fun! In previous years, Cultural Pass ended in early August with the start of the school year.
“The Arts & Culture Alliance is thrilled to be facilitating the Cultural Pass program again this year,” said Barbara Lynne Jamison, General Director/CEO of Kentucky Opera and Board Chair of the ACA. “Louisville is rich with arts and culture, and it is so important for the youth in our community to have access to a variety of new opportunities and fun educational experiences.”
Throughout the summer, families can also attend free Cultural Pass Days, which will take place on the first Saturday of June, July, and August. The first Cultural Pass Day is right around the corner on Saturday, June 4, and it will take place at the Louisville Free Public Library Main Branch,301 York St. Many of the 2022 Cultural Pass venues will lead activities and performances throughout the day, including performances by Flamenco Louisville, Louisville Leopards, and Redline Performing Arts, and booths and activities Waterfront Botanical Gardens, Drama by George, American Printing House for the Blind, and more!
“Cultural Pass is a great opportunity for youth in our community to not only experience the arts but to express themselves as artists,” said Andre Kimo Stone Guess, President and CEO of Fund for the Arts. “We want every person in our community to know that they are an artist and celebrate their art. This starts with our children. Cultural Pass provides fun and free opportunities for young people to explore and discover their identity as an artist.”
Community members can register for Cultural Pass at their local library. Participating libraries include Louisville Free Public Library, Bullitt County Public Library, Jeffersonville Township Public Library, Charlestown-Clark County Public Library, Floyd County Library, and Harrison County Public Library. To register for Cultural Pass, you must be a resident of one of the participating counties. If you have a question about how to register or how to use your pass, visit fundforthearts.org/culturalpass to learn more.
Summer Reading
The Louisville Free Public Library’s annual 10-week Summer Reading Program, presented by the Library Foundation, encourages children and teens to read for fun over the summer by offering prizes and incentives. Every child—from newborn through 12th grade—who completes the program will receive an adventure backpack or journal, along with free passes to the Kentucky Science Center, Squire Boone Caverns, Louisville Bats, Racing Louisville, Georgia’s Sweet Potato Pie Co, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, and more. To complete the program, school-aged children simply read ten books, teens read six books, and preschool-aged children and younger need to read, or have read to them, 20 books.
Every year, LFPL’s Summer Reading Program engages nearly 50,000 children and teens and offers hundreds of FREE programs to educate, entertain, and enrich their lives while school is out. With music performances, magic shows, storytelling, crafts, games, STEAM Clubs, and more, there’s no better place to find something fun for the whole family.
Each participating library offers a FREE Summer Reading Program with exciting activities, prizes, and incentives for youth of all ages. Check out what is being offered at your local library: Louisville Free Public Library, Bullitt County Public Library, Jeffersonville Township Public Library, Charlestown-Clark County Public Library, Floyd County Library, and Harrison County Public Library.
About Fund for the Arts
Fund for the Arts is a regional nonprofit with the mission to contribute to the overall health and well-being of our community by generating resources for, investing in, and supporting our local arts, artists, and arts organizations. The Fund envisions a healthy and vibrant community where everyone embraces the art that exists in our lives every day, everyone contributes to the well-being of our arts community, and it is understood that everyone belongs to the arts community. The organization facilitates the largest arts grant program in Kentucky and it conducts one of the two oldest united arts campaigns in the country. For more information, visit www.fundforthearts.org
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