Artist, MacArthur ‘genius’ returns to University of Kentucky | Opinion

On June 21, 2019, Louisville’s Speed Art Museum opened its doors to a wholly transformed exhibition space, “…while the dew is still on the roses…,” by contemporary artist and former University of Kentucky professor Ebony G Patterson.

The exhibit featured a spectacular, immersive night garden where visitors were greeted by sprawling greenery, bright silk flowers and heavily adorned tapestries. The solo show, curated by Miranda Lash, highlighted Patterson’s distinctive style.

The Monique Meloche Gallery in Chicago, which houses Patterson’s permanent collection, describes her works as addressing “visibility and invisibility, through explorations of class, race, gender, youth culture, pageantry and acts of violence in the context of ‘postcolonial’ spaces.

“With the strong sensibility of a painter, Patterson works across multiple media —including tapestry, photography, video, sculpture, drawing and installation —united by her consistent visual language and intention. Each work is intricately embellished and densely layered, in order to draw the viewer closer and to question how we engage in the act of looking.”

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Patterson’s work has continued to evolve. In 2023, she was commissioned by the New York City Botanical Garden to create a site-specific installation. Patterson used glitter-encrusted vultures, interactive video art, and show-stopping installations throughout the exhibit to create what The New York Times called “a triumph.” This year, Patterson was awarded the coveted MacArthur “Genius” grant, launching her further into an elite group of artists, scholars, and creatives and drawing attention to her vital contributions to global injustice through her immersive art.

Patterson’s work is regularly displayed throughout the 21C boutique hotel galleries, and has been exhibited at the National Gallery of Jamaica, Alice Yard (Trinidad), The Museum of Art and Design, Pérez Art Museum Miami, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), among others.

On the evening of Oct. 23, 2025, the UK Gaines Center for the Humanities will be hosting Patterson in Lexington’s Singletary Center for the Performing Arts as a kickoff to the Center’s year of “Origins.”

Coinciding with the United States’ quarter millennial, the Gaines Center theme explores the meaning of origins through the prism of disciplinary viewpoints offered by the humanities, the arts, and the sciences. “Origins” highlights the multiplicity of beginnings not only for Lexington and the United States but also for current technologies, social institutions, political movements, the planet, humans, and other species.

“We are incredibly honored to be bringing Ebony G. Patterson to the University of Kentucky this yea,” said Michelle Sizemore, Gaines Center Director. “As one of the premier visual artists of our time, her pieces appear in museums all over the world, and we have the chance to hear her speak live on campus about her process, inspirations, and the relationship of her work to the topic of origins.”

For Patterson, this will be a return to a piece of her origin story: From 2007 to 2018, she served as a faculty member in the School for Art and Visual Studies at the University of Kentucky where she mentored students, helping them harness their creative expression while sharing her own approach to social advocacy through transformative, visual experiences.

Stuart Horodner, Director of the UK Art Museum will interview Patterson.

“I am very happy to have been asked to interview Ebony and encourage her to share thoughts on her creative practice—from her influences, subject matter, and process, to her experiences exhibiting her works and co-curating prominent exhibitions,” he said. “I have no doubt it will be a lively and meaningful conversation.”

The event will begin at 6 p.m. in the main concert hall. Thanks to the support of the University of Kentucky, this event is free and open to the public, though registration is required. You can secure your registration through visiting the event website.

Chelsea Brislin is associate director of the Gaines Center for the Humanities at UK.

This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 7:00 AM.