LEXINGTON, Ky. — Lexington artists are partnering up with students from western Kentucky to raise money for tornado relief. 

Students from Graves County, Warren County and Hopkins County are sharing their art skills with the state.

“It’s so amazing, it’s a great opportunity, I never expected to get to do this,” Katelyn Gilbert, one of the students participating, said.

An opportunity Gilbert said is a chance to make a difference in her hometown.

“Right now, I’m working on a butterfly, which is the greatest symbol for change,” she said.

It’s an orange and brown butterfly that has a significant meaning behind it.

“This is a butterfly native to our area that we see very common in all of our gardens and stuff,” Gilbert said.

An area that Gilbert says is in need of hope after the devastating tornado came through her hometown last December. 

“It has been really hard but everybody’s come together and worked together in great amounts. Everybody has been there for each other and that made the recovery and everything go a lot easier,” she said.

Lex Arts has partnered with Independence Bank to raise money to help students like Gilbert who have lost so much in their community. They’re painting three different horses that represent their different communities. 

“We want to see a lot of change in our community and keep the community together and see what we can build back and bring back hope,” Gilbert said.

The painted horses will be auctioned off at Keeneland on December 10, the one-year anniversary of the tornado, and Gilbert says it’s an impact she is grateful to be a part of. 

The students have been partnered up with professional artists within the community and will spend the weekend in Lexington painting the three horses.