LEXINGTON, Ky. — Lexington's Lyric Theatre is celebrating the stars who have graced its stage.
Artist and business owner Charles Rice of Louisville is helping the Lyric Theatre explore its celebrity-filled past with a special art exhibition dedicated to people who have performed at the historic venue.
“I had a combination of names and some people in the community who have seen some of the major jazz in comedy and things in this area so I kind of put a show together based on those people,” Rice said, explaining how he was able to come up with his creations.
Since 1948 the theater has been a home for Black entertainers and was often frequented by performers during the chitlin circuit — a time when Black performance venues thrived across the mid-south and east coast.
It’s why Rice has designed several canvases around these stars’ images and is hoping to share his passion for culture and art.
“I think artists have to get it out no matter what they have to get their art out so this is just a way to express myself so, it’s internal like it’s for me even though people enjoy the work it’s really for me to express myself and you know how I feel,” he said.
Lyric Theater Director Christian Adair said that is their collective goal for inclusion and diversity in the lyric.
“We want people to have this kind of artwork that’s very culturally, inclusive, responsive, and diverse,” Adair said. “This hopefully will inspire younger people or even older people to want to create artwork that can go in here.”
Rice says it is his duty as an artist to share things like this with the community and with a special dedication underway for the gallery, they hope to show Lexington’s east end what talent has stepped through.